College can be overwhelming when you’re a full-time student, but when you work while also being in school it can feel too much to many people. Whether you work on campus with a work study, or you work near home, or even somewhere in the city—we are all working students. It can be extremely demanding and challenging to balance all of this! Below are some tips that have gotten me this far (with three separate jobs).
1. Don’t procrastinate
Life is so much more enjoyable when you don’t have the stress and anxiety of knowing you have work to do that you haven’t even started. It’s so easy to become distracted, and now a paper you have that should’ve taken an hour has taken five hours. You will sleep better when you don’t have things to stress about before going to bed. And, your work will turn out better if you put some time and thought into it.
2. Time things out
It’s so much easier to give yourself a schedule rather than just trying to do however much for however long. This way, you can choose the amount of workload you want to do on whatever day of the week. It makes it much easier to manage everything!
3. Know your limits
You can say no to opportunities that have come your way. This is something I’ve definitely learned this semester, and am continuing to try to practice. If you commit to too many things, you won’t be putting in your best work to each thing. It’s better not to overdo things and make sure you have a minute to breathe.
With that being said …
4. Take a minute
If you find yourself constantly feeling exhausted and like you have too much going on—maybe it’s time you change your schedule! It’s important you take a second to breathe and not let the stress overcome you. No work that is put under pressure will be your best work.
Mental health and stability are important! You’re most likely working to pay for school, so make sure your grades come first. If you flunk out, you won’t need the money from work anymore. If you have financial stability but not mental, maybe you need to take another look at the things you’re committed to. We have a right to relax and put ourselves first—we all are only human. Give yourself room to make mistakes, we learn from them.