Balancing Work and School When it rains it pours. This is exactly how we feel when we start work and school right after getting off of our summer breaks. The stress of managing your time, networking, and all of your efforts can be overwhelming. So before you lose your head here are some steps to help you organize, manage, and balance your schedule.
Organization It is really a matter of separating materials and times to set apart for the specific tasks you have to get done for the day. Make sure that you give yourself enough time for each of the tasks. Sometimes it is a guessing game the first week but after a while you will get better at it. Once you are better able to access your abilities in regards to time, you will be much more able to organize yourself.
Flexibility One of the biggest mistakes that a student will make is packing themselves too tight and not giving themselves wiggle room. There are always emergencies or just times you need to go out and have some fun. You need a little time like that set aside so that you are able to get all you need to get done for the day. Sometimes it is not all that easy to make things flexible but one way of doing this is making sure that other people know that you have a busy schedule. This can be your coworkers or teachers. What this does, is helps keep the pressure to a minimum. People are more able to adapt to you changing your schedule. So really it is not just you being flexible but also helping others be flexible.
Prioritize There will be over a hundred things to get done in a day and if you don’t know what the most important is you may just put it off and add to your stress level in the end. Don’t let this happen to you. It is important to find ways to manage your stress by taking on the tougher and more important things at the beginning of the day so you can cruise through the rest of the day. When you are prioritizing it is important to think about what your short term and long term goals are so that you keep things in perspective. Whether it is family, friends, church, or just having fun, there needs to be some balance with everything else as well.
Perspective As you are at work and school it is a good idea to take a little time to ponder on why you are there. It will help you see if you are heading in the right direction. Networking and building meaningful connections will be much more important as you take things into perspective. There are also many small, yet important things that you may forget along the way. Don’t let these things pass you by as you get caught up with things.
Positive Stay positive even when things get tough. Remember that everyone falls behind at some point in their lives. Photo Credit: melodi2 , danjaeger