Important Tips to Avoid Stress for Accounting Students

Earning a degree in accounting is a great investment in yourself and your future. If you’re reading this, you probably already know this degree comes with an array of career opportunities and is an awesome foundation for growth in both your career and personal life.

As accounting students, we must endure hard work to reap all that reward.

When asking accounting student and Delta Mu Delta member Brandon Lockhart how he spends his time as a full time student he says, “I aim to be as efficient as possible in my time allocation.” He then provided a breakdown of how he allocates his time spent on the curriculum efficiently:

•  He spends about five hours a week per class outside of the classroom
  • Two hours of reading and outlining the chapter
  • One to two hours of homework
  • One to two hours of a study retention schedule
    • This involves reworking homework problems and reviewing class notes

His study retention schedule is key to both learning the material and avoiding the cram right before an exam. It involves reviewing the homework and notes the day after completion, then again in two days and in ten days. This schedule was highlighted in Larry Lagerstrom’s book How to Ace College: Eight Research-Based Action Principles and the Cognitive Power Zone System as the best way to retain the information you are taught.

My accounting professor, Carol, gave me great advice that has made a huge difference in how I approach my study materials. She suggested, “As you read through the textbook and browse your notes, think about how you can explain the material to other students. This will really help with comprehension of the material.” It reminds me of a quote by Yogi Bhajan, “If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.” Looking at your class material in this way will really help solidify an understanding instead of memorizing.

Support yourself!

Now that I have covered how to efficiently handle your time spent on the curriculum, I should discuss how to spend your time wisely outside of the curriculum to support your well being and your studies.  In my experience, this time is just as important as the material covered. A major focus of mine is keeping my mind, body and spirit in a healthy state in order to bring my best effort to the many tasks required of me. To do this I focus on healthy eating, exercising and mental health:

• Healthy eating
  • I spend around three hours each Saturday morning to batch cook my meals for the week. This allows me to eat healthy food throughout the week without much time or effort.
  • Healthy meals includes ample fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and hydration
  • Eating high-quality foods that contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants has been shown to nourish the brain and protect it from oxidative stress.
• Exercise
  • I spend around 60-90 minutes daily on exercise.
  • This consists of any type of movement from taking a walk with my dogs to running or weight training.
  • “Exercising regularly is one of the easiest and most effective ways to reduce the symptoms of ADHD and improve concentration, motivation, memory, and mood. Physical activity immediately boosts the brain’s dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels—all of which affect focus and attention.”, according to helpguide.org.
• Mental health
  • Both eating healthy and exercise nurture my spirit by reducing stress and increasing positive hormones like those listed above.
  • I try to take time away from studies and duties to spend time with friends and family.
    • Breaks allow you to replenish your energy and creative stores in order to be more productive when you are working.
  • I keep my space and my home organized and tidy.
    • Staying organized allows me to focus on the task at hand without feeling overwhelmed by distraction.

An accounting degree if no easy feat, but with hard work, good habits, and proper time management you are capable of achieving it and so much more. I hope you have enjoyed reading my post, and that you are able to take away a few pointers that will make your life easier and more meaningful.