With everything going on, it seems hard to imagine normal life again. In fact, things will most likely not completely go back to normal for a while. However, I have found that looking forward to the future keeps me motivated and excited. With the future in mind, I’d like to give you all some advice on how to balance school and a job!
Avoid procrastination
Procrastination, the dreaded word. I’m sure you’ve all been lectured by a parent or teacher about this one. I know some amazingly talented people who can do massive projects the night before they are due. However, just because it is possible does not mean it is the best way. The last time I procrastinated, I waited until the day before the due date to write a paper. I was able to pull it off with a decent grade, but I spent the entire time stressed. I promise the stress is not worth it.
2. Time management
Time management is important for everyone, but especially if you are trying to balance school and work. If your job allows you to, do your classwork at work. Of course, your job should be your main priority, but if you have downtime and your boss allows it, squeeze in some work. Any little bit of work you can get done early is worth it in the end. In fact, no amount of time is too short to do work in. I fall victim to this sometimes too. I will see that I only have 15 minutes and my mind automatically tells me that’s not enough time to get anything done, so I might as well not even try. However, little bubbles of time, when added up, can save you a lot of time later. Even if you can only read one chapter every couple of hours, it is still less work you have to do later.
3. Class scheduling
Personally, I like to schedule all my classes in the morning. However, the important thing is that you schedule your classes together into one portion of the day. I understand that sometimes we just have to take whatever classes we need whenever they are available. However, if you have control over when to take your classes, try to schedule them back to back. If you can block out one part of your day to be for classes, and another for work, it leaves larger chunks of time for classwork. If your classes are spread out, it will leave you with little portions of time, and you can fall back into doing nothing because you don’t think there is a substantial amount of time to do any work.
4. Regulate your hours
While it may be nice to make lots of money, it is important to make sure you have time for school. I work on campus, so the university limits the amount I can work per week to 20 hours. However, I think that even if you have a job off of campus, you should try to stick to this limit. Working under 20 hours a week has helped me make sure I can adequately do my work, make money, and still have time for a social life.
This blog post was written by Chloe Maher, Junior Director of Community Service.
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