Update: I wrote this at like 1 AM, so I was kind of half-asleep lol. A few people brought up that there were a bunch of duplicates in the list, sorry about that! I redid the whole list and ordered them alphabetically to avoid any repeating words. Hope you find the new list much more helpful!

Hobbies are a great way to practice self-care, and to have as a stress reliever. As uni students, we often find ourselves stressed out about our academic responsibilities, projects deadlines, and even financial concerns. We need some way to let out those stresses, and hobbies are one way to do it. You don't have to be good at them, you just have to enjoy doing them!

Here's a list:

Acrylic pouring

Antiquing

Archery

Astrology

Astronomy

Baking

Beekeeping

Bird watching

Bookbinding

Calligraphy

Canoeing

Candle making

Cartography

Chess

Checkers

Collecting coins

Collecting crystals

Collecting funko-pops

Cooking

Crochet

Crossword puzzles

Cycling

Dancing

Diving

DIY electronics

DIY home improvement

Drawing

Embroidery

Fencing

Filming

Fishing

Frisbee golf

Gardening

Genealogy

Geocaching

Glassblowing

Guitar

Homebrewing

Hiking

Horseback riding

Hot air ballooning

Ice skating

Inline skating

Jigsaw puzzles

Juggling

Kayaking

Kite flying

Kite surfing

Knitting

Lego building

Letterboxing

Magic tricks

Martial arts

Meditation

Metalworking

Model airplanes

Model building

Model rockets

Model trains

Mountain biking

Origami

Paper folding

Painting

Paragliding

Parkour

Piano

Photography

Podcasting

Pottery

Programming

Puzzle solving

Quilting

Rappelling

Reading

Rock climbing

Rollerblading

Running

Sailing

Sculpting

Sculpture carving

Scrapbooking

Scuba diving

Singing

Skiing

Soap carving

Soap making

Stand-up comedy

Stand-up paddleboarding

Stained glass crafting

Stargazing

Surfing

Traveling

Urban exploration

Urban farming

Virtual reality gaming

Web design

Wine making

Wine tasting

Writing

Planner/Agenda/Calendar

Purpose: To track important dates (e.g. deadlines, test dates), and set reminders

To-Do List

Purpose: To break down big tasks into smaller, manageable steps so it doesn't feel as intimidating to start a major project.

Study Space

Purpose: To find a place where you can study in peace.

Reminder: Make sure to keep it clean, organized, and simple (i.e. Don't put too many things on the desk, like decor, or you will most likely get distracted.)

Binders/Digital Folders

Purpose: To differentiate your course work/notes.

Extra Tip: Use a file folder instead of separate one-subject folders to avoid losing important papers.

Label

Purpose: To avoid confusion.

Extra Tip: Use different colours for different subjects.

Time Blocking

Purpose: To stay on track and establish a routine.

Extra Tip: Use a digital calendar so you can see notifications on your phone.

Minimize Distractions

Purpose: Very obvious, but to get work done.

Extra Tip: Get an accountability buddy that will help you not get distracted by being beside you while you work.

Ask Questions ASAP

Purpose: To prevent any confusion, and avoid late email replies by your professor.

Regularly Check Emails and Communication Channels

Make notes, preferably during class so you can spend the extra time after class/at home doing the steps below. Your notes does NOT have to be pretty, it just has to be LEGIBLE. Your notes should include terms, definitions, labeled diagrams (if applicable), specific step-by-step processes, and examples.

Make flashcards, preferably online so you can study while commuting and there’s no risk of you losing a flashcard. I recommend Knowt.com, it’s free with no limitations (the app is still din development, so I recommend using the actual site on your Safari or Chrome).

Find practice questions in your textbook, old exams, or questions your teacher gave you and make a short test based on that. Your test should feel similar to an actual test, so put a mix of multiple choice, matching, short answers, and/or labeling diagrams.

The best way to learn terms is to put it in your own words. You can write both the textbook definition and your own, if it helps.

Once you know the foundation/basics of the subject, test yourself using the quiz you made (or a test you found online), and apply it to the questions. Make sure the questions aren’t just asking you the definitions, but also forcing you to apply the stuff you know in specific situations.

For remembering diagrams or step-by-step processes, repetition is key. Just keep doing it over and over again until it sticks. Flashcards are good for this.

Highlighting is bullshit. You are wasting your time. You do NOT need highlighters for YOUR own notes. Your notes should only have the important parts in it (look back at step one to see what should be included). The only two times I think you should highlight are the parts you are struggling to understand (but that is only AFTER you studied AND understood everything, so you don’t highlight everything at the beginning), and extensive notes that you didn’t write yourself (because it’s harder to understand the material when somebody is describing it in their own words).

Time-blocking: scheduling out EVERY PART of your day

What to time-block

Inflexible events (lectures, work shifts, appointments)

Routines (getting ready for school/work, getting ready to go to sleep, etc.)

Tasks (studying, homework, projects, chores, etc.)

How to time-block:

Get a calendar (preferably digital so it’s easily changeable.) I use a mix of Google Calendar and iCalendar.

Make separate calendars for separate parts of your life (personal, work, school.) I personally separate my classes as well because it’s easier.

Schedule all inflexible events first. Why? To see how you can balance and schedule your day around those times.

Schedule the time it takes to get to school/work. It helps you see how much time you have to do stuff that doesn’t require you to commute. (You can also study while commuting, but it can be harder if you have multiple transfers, or get easily car-sick. Also, public transit can be dangerous, so be careful.)

Schedule the tasks you need to do. Homework, studying, laundry, cleaning. Estimate the time you think it takes to do those things. If you have ADHD, you should probably multiply that time to 2 (or 3), because you will most likely get distracted and not finish it in time (instead of 15 minutes, it’s probably 30 minutes.)

Laptop — main note-taking tool

iPad Pro (11-inch) (3rd generation) — to annotate docs

File Folder (with loose-leaf paper)

Stationery — 2 pencils, 3-in-1 coloured pen (black, red, blue), 2 highlighters

Chargers (laptop, iPad, iPhone)

Headphones (main way to listen to music)

Bluetooth Earbuds (if my headphones die)

Powerbank for iPhone

Small bag (to store charger wires, wired earbuds, portable charger, stationery)

Pads/Tampons

Band-Aids

Hand Sanitizer

Hand Lotion

Chapstick

All are available in the App Store (not sure about Google Play)

Notion

mainly used for note-taking

Google Cal/iCal

deadlines, test dates, etc.

schedule study sessions

track personal appointments/events

Tweek (similar to TeuxDeux but free)

to-do list

Habitica

habit tracker, to-do list, and routine tracker but gamified (I use this when I feel like I’m not doing well so I can see myself “levelling-up” and “gaining experience points” and feel like I’m actually doing good in life)

Now Then

time tracker (Not really essential, but cool to see how much studying I do. It takes a while to get into the habit of tracking stuff.)

Flora

to prevent myself from constantly checking my phone (You can even “bet” money, so if you do get distracted on your phone, the money gets donated. It’s like an incentive to study and not get distracted so you don’t lose money.)

Spotify

study music

raining sounds for sleep

Knowt

I am super bad at studying, and these things help me get through it. 

1- Music- Listening to my favorite songs gives me motivation to get my school work done. If you do not study with music on give it a try.

2- Note cards- If you are taking biology like me you know theres a ton of definitions, and flash cards are the perfect way to study for a test. 

3- Snacks- Snacks help with everything, especially studying. Grab your favorite snack and study.

4- Colorful notes- Pretty notes are always a must for me. I would rather look at fun notes than just look at plain ones.