Studying and dealing with the workload alone make life busy and hard to manage. Add to that personal life and a part-time or full-time job, and the stress doubles. However, anything can be achieved with proper planning, time management, and self-discipline.
Communicate with peers
When you have to work and study, it can become quite hectic, that’s why having a support system helps immensely. You must create an effective work-study-life balance, and communication is critical to maintaining your job and healthy relationships. It is important to speak about your situation and tight schedule with employers, clients, and coworkers. Assure your employers that you are dedicated and show that you are eager to work.
Unless you voice your priorities and goals, friends and family might not understand the responsibilities of working while in school. Communicate and let people know when you have free time to socialize. You can invite close ones to run errands; that way, catch up with them and finish tasks that need to get done.
Avoid procrastination
You can’t expect to perform your best at work or school when you leave things for the last minute and pull an all-nighter to finish an assignment – procrastination leads to the piling of your workload, which only causes stress on top of everything.
The best solution is to break down your projects into small manageable objectives and tick them off; thereby, the process will seem less daunting. When you follow this method, you will reduce stress, your work will be of better quality, and you’ll continuously perform better in your job and studies.
Plan and schedule effectively
To meet deadlines, you need to plan and create a flexible schedule. Decide on a routine that you can stick with, and it doesn’t have to be a set-in-stone schedule. Be honest with yourself, understand the workload and what you can realistically handle. When scheduling, prioritize and include due dates, appointments, class, work, and study times.
Make a detailed weekly to-do list. Ticking off small wins will also make you feel accomplished. A major habit that will help is staying organized both at work and in classes. Keeping your school materials organized in one place and starting on all assignments early will enable you to complete tasks in time. You’ll know exactly when you will have free time for socializing or relaxing.
Benefit from the skills you gain
If you can find a job in your chosen industry, you can apply the skills and knowledge from school at work, and vice versa. What’s more, you’ll get experience early on, and whatever industry you work in, you’ll develop teamwork, problem-solving, time management, and communication skills.
All of these skills will boost your career prospects once you graduate. Your employer at the bar is not interested in your accounting degree, but they will care about how your degree has contributed and improved your ability to stay motivated and work hard.
Commit to healthy choices
When it comes to nutrition, staying active, or managing stress, it all comes down to the choices you make. Healthy food, a regular sleep schedule, and exercising boost your brain and body’s performance, improve your memory and productivity. These factors contribute to decision-making skills and increase your focus.
Managing stress plays a huge part in your productivity. A healthy decision can also mean knowing when to let off steam. Find out what works for you and incorporate it into your daily routine. Activities like going for a run, painting, practicing meditation, or playing your favorite sport will ultimately help you work to your best ability.
As a student who juggles a job and university for a year now, I have found these habits have helped me stay consistent and productive. In other words, although it requires hard work and it’s time-consuming, the benefits outweigh the tough part.
Vesa Merxha is an English Language and Literature student who’s passionate about art, loves animals, and meeting people. She wants to pursue a career in writing with the aim to interact, inform, and educate readers—especially the youth—about diverse topics. She’s a content writer for the Bay Atlantic University blog.