How to Keep Your Sanity While Working and Going to School

By Amanda Hill
Blog Content Contributor

All of us as college students have different responsibilities and obligations. Some of us have full-time jobs, families, or just starting our lives out of high school.  No matter what stage of life we are in, balancing our time between our studies and other obligations can be challenging.  It is important to prioritize our responsibilities so we can do what we came here to do.

Effective scheduling is key to shedding off extra stress.  Knowing what to complete, by when, will leave you feeling like you have your life together.  Seeing deadlines approaching will also help with those with a bad habit of procrastination.  Start this week keeping record of the hours you spend on homework and going to class weekly.

Add the hours spent on academics to your weekly work hours so you are aware of the amount of time needed to fulfill your academic and work obligations.  You can then effectively devise a set schedule that allots the time needed for school and work, while prioritizing the work you need to get done sooner.  Prioritizing will help you balance semester long project with daily homework assignments.  Allow yourself time to compose quality work for the assignments that are worth more points toward your final grade.  Schedule your day on an hourly basis and schedule more time if you are having a hard time completing something for work or school.  Be sure to include leisure and friend time in your schedule so you are not tempted to procrastinate your responsibilities with upcoming deadlines.

It is easy to trick our minds into feeling that cramming a lot of work into our lives maximizes our productivity, but this is not always the case.  For those of us that do have financial obligations and have to work, it is not necessary to cram as many classes as possible.  Give yourself some breathing room to allow for a better college experience.  Think about taking some time off before major tests, or establish a schedule that allows you not to have to work the night before a final.

Limiting the amount of stress in your life during these times will enhance your overall academic performance.

Schedule…schedule…schedule,and do NOT procrastinate.  Following this concept will allow you to feel good about the work you accomplish because it was done professionally, and not just thrown together.  For many of us, organization does not come naturally.  It may take awhile to get accustomed to continually organizing our to-do list and starting work early, but the benefits outweigh the hardships in this case.  Keep in mind that college is a millisecond of your life as a whole.  While it can be stressful now, it will be over before you know it.  Make the most of your time here by not overworking yourself and setting boundaries.