10 Life Hacks Every University Student Needs To Know!

Uni is a place for learning and discovery. Some things, however, you just wont learn in the lecture hall. Some things are only learnt through experience darling.

From space-saving to penny-pinching, we’ve got ten life hacks that are bound to make your day-to-day a whole lot easier.

So, get studying these tips in the heart of your cosy student accommodation and you’ll be a pro adult in no time!

1. Money Money Money

After some more life hacks? Keeping on top of your finances is essential for all students. The better your budgeting, the better your uni life will be. Managing your money is also a skill you can take into your employment; nailing this now saves you so many headaches in the future. There are tons of apps to help you get started. Check out our top picks.

2. Work smarter not harder

We know it’s a cliché and without sounding like your high school teacher, you do need to be organised to get the most out of your studying sessions. One of the easiest ways to hack studying is colour coding your notes or at least highlighting titles. Did you know using colour could have a positive impact on your memory ability?

Another great studying lifehack is divvying up your time into productive short bursts, rather than a marathon library sesh. The Pomodoro Technique breaks down work into 25-minute intervals separated by short breaks. For those of you who are goal orientated, this hack is a great way of setting and sticking to your to-do lists. You can also incentivise yourself after these sessions with a yummy snack.

 

3. Doubling up in the Microwave

Even in our amazing student accommodation there is sometimes a queue for the microwave. Enter this lifehack that will be a cooking gamechanger…

Two things to heat up? No probs. Put your first bowl in the microwave and then put a coffee mug upside down next to it. Next, place your second bowl on top of the coffee mug and there you have it—a multi-level microwaving system.

 

4. Messy Wires

Say goodbye to messy, tangled wires dangling from your laptop. Get a set of binder clips, clip them to your desk and feed a wire through each. That’s it: your cable will never escape down the back of the desk again or get tangled with its neighbour.  When you head off to lectures, your cables will be held patiently ready to be plugged in.

 

5. Space Saving Hangers

It’s a bit retro but this is one of those life hacks that is perfect for space-saving fashion lovers.

If you’ve got more clothes than Depop, you may find your hanging space is limited. Use old tabs from soft drink cans to act as double (or even triple) hangers, giving you twice the space at no extra cost.

Or you could save your teeth and buy some cheap vertical hangers for the same effect.

 

6. Spices and Herbs

Using a few spices and good sea salt can take your meals from mundane to insane. Our top store cupboard essentials to hack your cooking are:

1. Cumin, ground coriander and turmeric: three must-haves for curry lovers
2. Smoked paprika: gives a quick and easy meal a true Mexican vibe- perfect for fajitas and tacos
3. Chilli flakes: a staple that can be used in so many dishes and avoids any eye stinging that cutting fresh chillies can cause
4. Oregano: one of the best-dried herbs that will give any salad or pasta sauce an instant glow up
5. Coconut milk: great for Southeast Asian creamy curries and soups.

Winner winner chicken/vegan/vegetarian /pescatarian /flexitarian dinner.

 

7. Time Management

Managing your time can be quite a balancing act between your academic responsibilities, social life and sleep. Struggling with your time might mean you are missing out on one or more of these three things. Lists are a great way to lifehack your time. Use a classic pen and sticky note to set out your daily tasks, or, if you want to take your lists around with you, there are plenty of apps that can digitise this for you.

Google, Apple and Microsoft all have their own free task systems, meaning that no matter what device or operating system you have, you’re covered.  Todoist is one of the best rated apps out there for organisation and task management as is TickTick. The latter, however, has the added benefit of having a Pomodoro timer. Both apps have free and paid-for features.

 

8. Social Media Blocking

Your phone and social media are positive things in many ways but when it comes to studying, they’re often a very unwelcome distraction. If you find yourself checking messages and notifications every five seconds, there are apps you can download to block these time-wasting sites. Check out The 7 best apps to help you focus and block distractions in 2022.

For a super simple lifehack, put your phone behind your laptop screen –you’ll be amazed to see how long you can go before checking it. Out of sight, out of mind right?

9. Loudest Alarm Ever

You might be aware that you’ll have some pretty late nights and early mornings at uni. Getting up can be less than ideal if you’re only on a few hours sleep. Have no fear! Even the deepest of sleepers won’t be able to stay snoozing for long with this lifehack.

Put your phone in a glass on loud and vibrate for your alarm. Thank us later.

10. You

At the end of the day, you are your priority. When you aren’t happy, it doesn’t matter what grades you get, how many friends you have or how many events you go to. If you need to speak to someone, check out your uni’s counselling service or if you want some general tips on improving your wellbeing, read our blog post 8 ways to improve student mental health. The biggest lifehack of all is learning to put your needs first.

And there you have it folks! Our top life hacks for uni, bound to make your student life that little bit #extra. Sick and tired of having a mucky student kitchen? Check out our top tips that’ll have your kitchen sparkling in no time.