5 Tips for Finding a Work-Life Balance When Returning to School
If you have decided to go back to college – good for you! Continuing your education is extremely important in this day and age. However, with the added night classes, 9-5 job you already have, along with the full-time gig you have as a parent, how are you ever supposed to find a work-life balance?
The number one golden rule for keeping a work life balance is simple: TIME MANAGEMENT.
The following is a list of tips from our career center to help break down time management into simple tasks:
- Don’t cram – this is first on the list because it is the hardest to accomplish. If you received a long-term assignment, start it the day it was assigned and work on it for a half hour whenever you can.
- Manage stress – understand what triggers your stress, then do everything you can to alleviate that cause. If that doesn’t work, make time to work out or participate in other “unwinding” techniques after you know you will be encountering a stress trigger.
- Communicate with managers – let managers know when you have finals, or need to study for a midterm before the time actually comes up. Professors give itineraries on the first day of class for a reason… to manage your time wisely!
- Take assignments with you – take advantage of things you can do on the go and utilize all time that comes available to you. Read while taking public transit, or jot down notes while on your lunch break. Every little bit helps.
- Use one calendar - looking in multiple places to find your work schedule, internship hours, and homework is daunting. Use one huge calendar to manage your time and workspace effectively.
