Trying to Balance Work and School? Read This!

Working while getting your degree can be incredibly challenging. Often, it is hard to find the time to manage all of those obligations, leaving you feeling stressed or anxious about maintaining quality standards. At the same time, you try to make your educational goals a reality.

Luckily, there are ways to make it easier. With the right approach, you can achieve professional and educational success simultaneously. If you aren’t sure where to begin, here are some tips to help you balance work and school.

Speak with Your Academic Advisor

One of the most important steps you can take is being honest with your academic advisor. Let them know that you’re trying to balance your career and your education, and ask if they can recommend course options that make that easier.

Many schools have a variety of class options available. There may be programs that you can complete at your own pace or asynchronous online classes that provide a bit of extra flexibility. Plus, some schools have special student support services that may be able to reduce your burden.

By speaking with your advisor, you can learn more about what the school offers. That way, you can create a schedule that better meets your needs.

Use a Calendar (and Prioritize)

Many professionals rely heavily on a calendar at work to keep control of their schedule, ensuring they have time for all of their tasks. Plus, they are adept at prioritizing their work, allowing them to focus on critical activities before those that can genuinely wait.

By extending that approach to your entire life, you can achieve better balance. Block out time for your school work and personal activities just as you would for work.

Start with high-priority tasks, such as school assignments and test prep, designating a specific amount of time to the task. Next, fill in with other things you need to handle, working from higher priority to lower priority.

Build in a little bit of buffer time between each one, and use notifications to tell you when to start and stop focusing on an activity. That way, you have a plan with structure, increasing the odds you’ll move through your tasks at the proper time.

Embrace Delegation at Home

If you live in a multi-person household, delegating could be your path toward more time for work and school. Speak with everyone and let them know about the challenges you’re encountering. Then, discuss how various home tasks could be divvied up, ensuring everyone can play a part in keeping the household running.

Take It One Class at a Time

When you’re working toward your degree, you may have a self-imposed deadline for completing it hanging over your head. If that’s the case, the mere fact that the date is approaching could increase your stress levels, and the added pressure may hurt your performance.

Instead of thinking you have to finish by a particular date, take it one class (or semester or quarter) at a time. Focus just on what’s here, not what’s coming in the future. Additionally, reevaluate your academic schedule between each course, making changes if it’s becoming too hard to manage.

Even if you have to shift from a full-time course load to a part-time one or pare down by one class on occasion, you’re still making progress. In the end, that’s what matters most, not an arbitrary line in the sand.

Ultimately, all of those tops can make balancing work and school more accessible. If you’d like to find out more, the staff at The Advance Group wants to hear from you. Contact us today.

 

 

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