Six core guides to simplify your uni life – packed with practical tips, fresh perspectives, and experiments to help you thrive at Flinders without drowning in handouts (which when you think about it, is kinda counterproductive to the wellbeing mission).
Over the years we’ve built a large library of self-help resources for Flinders students. Maybe too large. Yeah, definitely too large. It’s time to simplify.
From 2026 onwards, instead of pointing you to dozens of separate handouts, we’ll focus on a small set of comprehensive guides. Many of the smaller handouts will be retired or merged into these main ones. And we’ll also start adding more content related to the most common topics students ask about (e.g. mental health, stress management, study-life balance, social connection and more).
With that in mind, here are the six guides that matter most:
1. Self-Care Mega Guide 🌱🧘♀️
Your all-in-one workbook for maintaining mental health. Covers rest, sleep, nutrition, social connection, emotional health, finances, reflection, and more. Designed as a reflective journal with prompts and practical tips. Get it.
2. Habit Hacks 🔄🧩
A research-based toolkit for building and maintaining habits and routines. Includes strategies for goals, feedback, social support, environment design, identity shifts, and more. Gimme
3. Evidence-Based Study Tips 📚🧠
A collection of study strategies backed by cognitive psychology and learning science. Shows how to use spacing, retrieval practice, elaboration, and other proven techniques to study smarter, not harder. Yes please.
4. How to Prepare Psychologically for Work Placements 💼🧭
Practical advice for managing the psychological demands of placements—covering expectations, wellbeing, feedback, perfectionism, meaning, networking, transferable skills, and more. For sure.
5. HCDS Service Brochure 🏥🤝
A quick reference to the health, counselling, and disability services available at Flinders, including how to access support and what to expect. Sold
6. Getting Off to a Good Start Guide 🚀🎓
A web-based series of interlinked posts to help new students settle into university life. Covers orientation, study routines, wellbeing, and key services. Let’s do it.
A couple of notes before you dive in:
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They’re packed. These guides have grown over time as we’ve learned more about each topic. Don’t expect a one-pager. You’ll find lots of tips, strategies, and examples.
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In the good old days (pre-AI): You’d sit down with a nice beverage and skim through, circling things that seem relevant, or maybe read on the bus. Still a great option.
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In AI days: You might even feed your favourite AI a guide and ask it to summarise the key ideas, themes, or suggested starting points. Or turn it into a podcast or bizarre image.
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The goal is guidance, not perfection. These documents are not blueprints for a perfect life. They’re collections of common-sense and evidence-based tips to nudge your life and studies in a positive direction.
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Do not attempt to do everything. Seriously, don’t! Pick and choose. Run small experiments. See what helps you create a better uni experience.
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Expect perspective shifts. Sometimes the most useful outcome isn’t a new habit, but a new way of looking at an issue.
👉 From now on, instead of sending you to the old bloated library of handouts, we’ll keep pointing you back to this core set of six guides. They’re broad, practical, and designed to last.
