Even though this year I was very eager to go back to university, and I have been doing this for years now, I still have some trouble getting back to a routine where I can manage my to do’s, and still have time to enjoy myself. So I thought, the student team people, and innovation Space staff always seem to always have their lives well organized. What are their tips for me (and maybe you)?

First I talked to Marta, she is project manager at innovation Space, and she is extremely cool and organized (in my personal opinion). She is currently also experimenting with organizing her time after corona. She told me that she started using time-boxing for her work and really sticks to her hobbies (she now does yoga 3 times a week!). Plus, she recently brought music-lessons back into her life, so I look forward to hearing her play.

Next were tips from my co-student assistant Robbe. He is an Industrial Design student and works for the communication cluster at innovation Space, and he creates the most amazing projects in his free time. He tells me that he separates work from leisure physically by having a dedicated work-room. He also tries to implement an outside activity in between two tasks to stay focused.

Last but not least is Brandon, he is team manager at Falcon, master student SET, and also plays the guitar like he attended the conservatorium. He advised me to make a very clear distinction between work and hobbies. Everytime some work-related to do pops up, write it down to make a to do list. Then, when you have worked hard it is also time to de-stress with your hobbies (baking for me).

As you can see, not only work is important, but free-time is as well. There is no need to always be productive, and I like hearing this from people who are extremely productive. I can use these tips for building a good routine for myself (including cookies). Concluding, I want to share something I learned from my brother his girlfriend: “There is time to put in a lot of effort, and time to relax.” (Believe me, this quote works very well in Dutch). Good luck!