How to manage working and studying
1. Write everything down in your planner
Write down the week/s expectation from a work and study perspective. This is so if you get a heavy workload one week or know about a coursework assignment coming up soon you can plan how you will work to get both done. For example: month end. You know that work will be heavy and exhausting, so study material / expectation must be more time consuming the week prior or after (depending on the due date). Plan, plan, plan.
2. Plan and stick to it.
Make sure you don’t procrastinate by planning to do all of these amazing things connected to your coursework on your days off or when you get back from work, or even before you go to work. Make a realistic plan on when you will work otherwise you won’t get time to study, and it will pile on top of you, planning is essential.
3. Don’t bite off more you can chew
Positive thinking won’t be there for you when you are doing 18-hour days! The same goes for university, don’t try to audit extra classes, or get extra credit when you have to complete it in the next week while working 30 hours. It’s not worth it. Your free time is important as well, so make sure you’re giving yourself enough time to focus on yourself and not just getting bogged down in work or university.
4. Remember what is important
Remember, that above all, you’re at university to learn and obviously to gain a degree. This should be your first and main priority, so for that reason, you should be giving as much time as possible to university and your studies. Obviously, adjusting to university work is not easy, in fact, many students struggle with their university workload, but that doesn’t mean that you should try and make it harder for yourself, try and focus on what you need to do and go from there.
5. Set some study goals
you need to find the way to balance your workload, because let’s be fair, you are due some downtime too. However, setting some study goals is a good way to keep yourself motivated. For example, you may aim to do two hours’ worth of revision before going off to work and an hour when you get back. The best thing to do is keep yourself in a position where neither suffers.
6. Relax
With the stresses of working and studying at the same time, it can be tough to remember, that you are due a relaxation period, too. University can be hard work, and so can working for real in the real world. So, for that, we suggest that you enjoy some downtime.
Work Life Balance
Often, work takes precedence over everything else in our lives. Our desire to succeed professionally can push us to set aside our own well-being. Creating a harmonious work-life balance or work-life integration is critical, though, to improve not only our physical, emotional and mental well-being, but it’s also important for our career.
Find the tools to manage it to ensure less stress, a lower risk of burnout and a greater sense of well-being. When creating a schedule that works for you, think about the best way to achieve balance at work and in your personal life. Work-life balance is less about dividing the hours in your day evenly between work and personal life and, instead, is more about having the flexibility to get things done in your professional life while still having time and energy to enjoy your personal life. There may be some days where you work longer hours, so you have time later in the week to enjoy other activities. Think about:
- Accept that there is no “perfect” work-life balance: Don’t strive for the perfect schedule; strive for a realistic one.
- Ensure you love your job: Although work is an expected societal norm, your career shouldn’t be restraining. Speak to us if you ever feel this way.
- Prioritize your health: Your overall physical, emotional and mental health should be your main concern.
- Don’t be afraid to unplug: Cutting ties with the outside world from time to time allows us to recover from weekly stress and gives us space for other thoughts and ideas to emerge. Unplugging can mean something simple like practising transit meditation on your daily commute instead of checking work emails.
- Take a vacation: take time off to physically and mentally recharge
- Make Time for yourself and your loved ones: While your job is important, it shouldn’t be your entire life. You were an individual before taking this position, and you should prioritize the activities or hobbies that make you happy.
- Set boundaries and work hours: Set boundaries for yourself and your colleagues to avoid burnout. Avoid thinking about upcoming projects or answering emails when you leave the office.
- Set goals and prioritize: Set achievable goals by implementing time-management strategies, analyzing your to-do list, and cutting out tasks with little value.