Reasons to try volunteering along with your uni work

This time of the semester is always difficult. There are assignments and final projects that need completing, yet the (slightly) brighter weather, and the close proximity of Easter break, distracts you from doing work. as a result, you may think to yourself “there isn’t anything new I could possibly do because of all the uni work I have to complete” – well that’s where you’re wrong!

Last year you may recall (if you’ve been reading my content for that long) that I made a blog titled “Why volunteering is good for the soul” telling you all the reasons that volunteering is good. This blog post acknowledges that, but will focus specifically on why you should start volunteering. Yes, sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day, but hear me out…

You’ll be better with time management…

Well, hopefully anyway! But this isn’t a false promise, as procrastination tends to diminish when you have more than one thing to do in the day. For example, if you wake up and only have an assignment to complete, it’s likely that you’ll procrastinate some time away from doing that task. However, doing even an hour of volunteering during that day allows you to restructure your time and give your self a plan for the day.

Some may argue that this could actually negate effectiveness to do assignments, but spending a small amount of time doing something else (especially if it has purpose) will not harness these kinds of effects, as opposed to working a part-time job, which might.

Different kinds of activities stimulate the mind

Doing different things can actually get creative juices flowing instead of being stuck on a one track mind. For example, you’re doing an assignment and you’re stuck on explaining a concept. If you really can’t seem to get the writer’s block to go away, doing activities such as light exercise or cooking helps you temporarily distract yourself from the problem on hand. By doing this, it should you should have more ideas about how you want to continue your assignment when you return back to your work. Of course, these different ‘distracting’ activities could be anything, including volunteering.

The bottom line is that it’s beneficial to not only focus on your assignment or other uni work when faced with a problem, when the problem can be solved with a meaningful activity that can refresh your mind.

Exerting your passion for the greater good

People undertake volunteering for a variety of reasons, from being familiar to the organisation to always being interested in the outreach and support certain organisations give. Being focused on getting a good degree shouldn’t hinder your opportunities to give back to the community and support others in whatever way that you can. Of course, that is only if you are comfortable to do so – but volunteering is so rewarding in so many different ways that trying you hand at it wouldn’t hurt!

Have a good week – and if you have uni work you should be doing, good luck! x