A lot of college students work full-time and part-time jobs while attending college to find an equilibrium in their lives. Managing a school schedule is tasking and hard enough. After a long day of classes, papers, extracurricular activities, and homework, all you may want to do is rest, see a movie or hang out with family and friends.
Many college students who have jobs find it difficult to prioritize the different areas of their lives, but with a little focus and planning, we are sure you can manage work and school.
Fortunately, there are ways you can balance a full workload with your college classes.
How to Balance Your Time between Work and Homework
- Get your priorities straight
To successfully juggle work and school coupled with other responsibilities you need to write down all your priorities and the time it will take to achieve them each week. You should also include the time you will need to hang out with friends and family also the time you would use to relax. Then, you add up the hours and see the time you can dedicate to each task including work. Once you are certain about the kind of schedule you’re working with make use of a calendar or agenda to keep track of everything.
- How many hours do you need to work?
College administrators recommend that students work 10-15 hours per week. This leave adequate time for full-time students to attend classes, do assignments and hang out with friends. Students who are responsible for their finances have to work more than 10-15 hours per week so that they can cover all their expenses. If this is the case, it is important to choose online classes to allow flexibility or work with your professors or advisors to schedule classes around your outside obligations. To cut down the number of hours you need to work to make ends meet, you can apply for scholarships, grants or stipends through different organizations. The application process is relatively simple and can be found online.
- Having a schedule that works
When working and schooling it is important to know and accept the fact that you may not have a flexible schedule. Therefore, you should take advantage of leave, shifts or flexible hours to study or do your assignments. As a student who is working and schooling, you should be ready to adapt to sudden changes in your classes time, sudden work crisis, new assignments, and unexpected errands. When creating a schedule that works, make sure there is enough studying time in your schedule. Afterward, fight the urge to procrastinate and always stick to your schedule.
- Communicate
Communication is key in juggling both school work and office job. When you communicate your tight schedule with your friends, employers, professors, and family it will help to ensure that the people around you know when you’re available. This will help to cut down how people interfere with your study time. Remember that not all your schoolmates understand the responsibilities of working while in school and not everyone you work with understands the demands of being a student. Therefore, when you communicate with people around you, they can help you with errands or cover your shift when you need to study.
- Learn how to manage stress
Get enough sleep, take regular breaks, be active at work and in class, work out, eat well, and take a walk. All these activities will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle and manage stress. Being a worker and a student at the same time could be stressful and it’s important to learn how to manage it. Take time to enjoy the things life has to offer, otherwise, you may forget what you’re working or studying for.
In conclusion, playing the balance between working and studying at the same time is always tricky and requires patience. A lot of people do not dare attempt to take such a challenge, this is why you must keep your goals and remember why you’re doing it. This will be a motivation to keep you going and help you find a balance in your life. Whatever be the reason for studying and working, once you put the above tips into use it can be achievable by some planning and self-discipline.