Masters Burnout (and How to Avoid It)

Masters degrees are often described as the bootcamp of postgraduate study. Typically only a year, they’re short courses that pack in a lot of growth and education. Unfortunately, that means students often get overwhelmed while they try to get to grips with the degree.

Whether you’re in the midst of burning out and in need of a change or you're about to start your Masters and are looking for advice, this blog is for you. I’ll take you through my tried and tested tips to keeping on top of the work and maintaining a (somewhat) sound mind.

Plan ahead

The absolute best thing you can do at the beginning of your degree is to plan ahead. As modules often have similar hand-in dates or exam times, knowing ahead of time the amount of work you need to submit by the end of the semester can help you plan accordingly. Is the most interesting topic for a module covered in week two? Great, get started on the essay directly after!

The key things you need to know about each module are what coursework you’re required to submit and the respective word counts, any exams (and the date if released) and the topics of each week of study. This will help you prioritise tasks, start early and avoid the stress of writing three essays at once.

Time blocking

Now you’ve got your deadlines sorted, it’s time to figure out how you’re going to smash them! Time blocking is a popular productivity technique. Reminiscent of scheduled classes in school, block out a period of time for each project, task and unit you have to work on.

Maybe you dedicate a day to each module, covering reading, seminar prep, coursework and revision. You could work better doing similar tasks in one day, for instance try splitting Tuesdays into time blocks for your different seminar preparations.

Rather than stressing your brain by focusing on five different things at once, time blocking allows you to breathe and give each task its necessary time and attention.

Talk to academics

A great and often underutilised resource is the academic staff. I remember many people stressing over their chosen direction for an essay. Instead of talking to an academic about it, we’d all worry ourselves and each other. Try to avoid this.

Academics are there to help. They quite literally have student hours to talk to you about your concerns and progression. Whether you have a great idea or a terrible one, the staff are there to help, not judge. Save yourself the unnecessary worry and go ask someone who can give you an answer.

Start your research project early

The biggest part of most Masters degrees is the dissertation or research project, often completed towards the end of your degree. Just because you don’t have to start writing until the summer does not mean you shouldn’t do any work towards it beforehand.

Although you’ll probably have a million other things to do, try and schedule a couple of hours each week to read around your topic of interest. This time will help hone your ideas and methods early before you start feeling pressured by a deadline.

Rest

Of course, the greatest antidote to burnout is rest. It’s easy to get swept away by the excitement that’s postgrad study. Instead of trying to be that girl or guy every day, swanning from coffee shop to seminar to library to revision to socialising, take time to just stop.

Did you know there are seven different types of rest? Which means there are seven different ways to be tired! Make sure you’re giving all parts of your brain a proper break.