Balancing life, career, and classes can be overwhelming as busy college students, no matter the year you’re in. Even part-time students and full-time workers struggle with creating this balance. You have a rigorous class schedule with many social events to attend, but you also need downtime to decompress. There are also plenty of working students who have to balance a job and being a full-time student. How does one truly do it all?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to balancing an overwhelming schedule, but there are some standard practices you can follow. If you’re wondering how to balance an overwhelming college life schedule while getting an education, we’ve got you covered! We know that it’s easier said than done, but it is possible. Just follow these tips!
The Secrets to Balancing Life/Career/Classes
1. create a Calendar
Writing down your schedule each day, month, and week can really help with balancing life, classes, your current job, and even your future career! Use an online calendar such as Google Calendar so you can have access to it on your phone and computer. It’s easy to add events, assignments, due dates, and other important things down when you have constant access to it.
If you choose to write down your calendar on pen and paper, you can use a notebook planner to see your schedule and manage it. Be sure to find one that fits easily in your backpack! Use color-coded pens and highlighters to keep track of your important dates to stay more organized. When you don’t know what you need to do because you haven’t written it down or don’t know when you have to do something, your schedule can feel even more overwhelming.
By creating a calendar (that you actually use!), it’s less likely you’ll forget the important things going on in your academic, professional, and personal life.
2. Develop A Weekly Schedule & Stick to It
It’s all too easy to slip through the cracks when you don’t have a schedule in place. You think you’ll complete your project ‘tomorrow’ and somehow tomorrow never comes. A far better way to make sure you complete everything is by developing a weekly schedule that sets aside fixed hours for work, and for completing school assignments, while also ensuring that you have time left over to pursue your extracurricular activities.
Mark important dates and deadlines on the above-said calendar and keep aside blocks of time to study before a test or to complete an assignment.
3. Learn to Manage Your Time and Do it well
Try different time management practices until you find what works best for you. Not every time management system works for every person so it’s important to give each one a try during your study time
Pomodoro Method: The Pomodoro method is one of the most popular time management practices that people use for their academic and professional lives. Instead of trying to study for hours and hours straight, you’ll break it up into smaller intervals. To try the Pomodoro study method, you’ll pick the task at hand you would like to work on and then set a timer for 25 minutes. Focus only on that task for the entire 25 minutes then when the timer goes off, take a break for 5 minutes. Repeat 4 times then take a longer break before starting from the beginning.
Time-Blocking: Time-blocking is more tedious to do but worth it if you can’t seem to manage your time well. To try this technique, you’ll schedule out and write down everything you’re going to do for the entire day. For example, if you wake up at 8 AM, write down when you’ll wake up, have breakfast, and do your morning routine. Then write down your next task and the exact time you want to work on it. Creating this concrete schedule will help you focus on the task at hand and actually get your assignments done.
Eisenhower Matrix: If you feel as if you’re more disciplined with your time management skills, the Eisenhower Matrix may be a better option for you. This practice prioritizes your most urgent and important tasks. Instead of working on the paper that’s due in 2 weeks, you’ll fill out the internship application that is due this coming up Friday
4. Find an Outlet for Stress
Feeling stressed out during your college years and even when you start your career is very common. A healthy outlet for that stress will ensure you don’t take it out on your work, friendships, or relationships, or by turning to unhealthy outlets. Some of our favorite outlets for stress include exercise, making art, meditation, and counseling. Regular exercise is proven to reduce stress levels and is crucial to maintaining student life balance. An easy-going hobby also creates harmony when it comes to balancing your social life, career, and classes.
5. Be Realistic About Your Capabilities
Don’t try to fill all your free hours with work in order to eliminate as much debt as possible. While it may sound doable in theory, overworking relentlessly could lead to burnout which could have serious repercussions.
Before you accept any job offer, give some thought to your capability and whether you will be able to work those hours without compromising on your college coursework. Don’t plan on working extra hours just because you see another classmate doing a great job of handling the extra hours and the school work. Everybody has different capabilities, so don’t make comparisons. You have to do what works for you.
6. Make Daily, Weekly, and Monthly To-Do Lists
Similar to a calendar, making a daily, weekly, and monthly list of tasks to do will help you not get too overwhelmed over time. These lists can consist of large tasks, school work, dorm or roommate chores, and other everyday life things. If calendars aren’t the best option for you then a to-do list may be. You can use an app on your phone or write it down on a piece of paper (the old-fashioned way) to see all your tasks over the following day, week, and month. Then when you’re finished, cross it off your list and feel accomplished by all your hard work!
7. Watch For Warning Signs Of Burnout
Dozing off in class, struggling to stay focused, getting irritated easily, losing interest in your hobbies, or drinking excessive amounts of caffeine in an effort to stay awake are all warning signs that you have taken on more than you can handle. Don’t ignore the warning. Instead, reassess your schedule and your capabilities and cut back on your job commitments at least temporarily while you regroup. Manage your stress and life will be easier.
8. Give Yourself a Reward
This advice may seem silly, but rewarding yourself after tasks is motivating and overall helpful. But what type of reward? Well, that’s your choice! Maybe you want a piece of chocolate, some chips, or to spend a few minutes watching your favorite TV show or going out with friends. Whatever it is, give yourself a break and time to enjoy life. When you implement a reward system it feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel while you’re working very hard.
Having discipline is key to balancing your life, career, and classes. Try these tips and tricks as you work to balance your busy schedule. You’ll be surprised by how much you can accomplish not just in your academic career, but your professional one too. If you’re still looking for colleges and need help finding scholarships you’re eligible for, use College Raptor as your one-stop shop to do it all!
