Balancing the Scales: When life gets in the way of learning

In all honesty, the title of this post would be more apt if it were "When learning gets in the way of life", at least for me! That said I have experienced life at both extremes and while it's usually the all work no play side, I think I know a little about what it's like when it's play all day and night.

In my first semester I remember I had a great balance. I went out and partied, I got my work done and I got great results. What's more was that I knew that I could have worked better, harder and generally just a whole lot more. From there things spiralled. I thought it was because I still wasn't spending enough time working so I tried to work harder the next semester. Obviously that was pretty much impossible as I had already eliminated any semblance of a life.

Instead of working harder I went the other way and got a life! What a life it was! I wasn't out partying but I enjoyed myself. I was having fun but I knew that the balance wasn't right. I knew that I was neglecting my work and would feel sick just thinking about how far behind I was. I was so stressed that there were times that I just wanted to quit. I didn't quit and instead sat down one night and made a list of rules that I was determined to follow for the next semester.

• Watching TV shows, movies or playing computer games is not a study break. Study breaks are away from the computer and desk, preferably outside. These things are allowed, but only at certain times, preferably after all work is done (I'm ashamed to say that I still break this one, watching certain shows as study breaks, but I make sure to try and leave my desk and go outside for most breaks)
• Sometimes it's okay to relax and socialise even if everything isn't done. Sometimes it is just needed. That said, it's not an excuse to avoid doing work.
• Keep business hours whenever possible. This is easiest to do if you schedule in what time you will work on certain subjects and try to keep to the schedule whenever possible.
• Don't make to-do lists. SAY WHAT?! I personally find to-do lists to be more stressful at times: you have a piece of paper filled with all the things that you need to get done. While crossing items off does feel rewarding it can be disheartening to find that you only accomplish a few tasks each day. Many people have a habit of underestimating the amount of time a task will take. Instead I just follow my schedule and in my timeslot for contract law, I spend however long I have allocated doing something for contract law. 
• Work outside of the bedroom whenever possible. I started working in libraries as much as I could and even outside in the sun at times. I found that the effort of leaving, combined with the great study environment forced me to get work done; I didn't want to leave the library until I had accomplished something. I find the less I take to the library the more I accomplish as well. I used to take books for 3 subjects and would get next to nothing done (I'd choose the fun task!) so now I just take one textbook and some note paper.

These are a few of the rules I made for myself. I don't follow them all to a tee (my schedule is extremely flexible at the moment) but I strive to stick to them as much as possible. I find if I work effectively and am organised I get more work done quicker, giving me time off. By sticking to 9-5 where possible I end up with nights off. Now I rarely finish at 5 but I don't have the need to pull awful all-nighters.

Do you have rules that you follow to keep your life-study balance in check?