How to Balance Work and Study

We all know that being a working student is a challenge. Working long shifts and then pulling all-nighters before another test isn’t a piece of cake. If you are in the same situation, believe us – we feel your pain. This blog post will tell you how to find a balance between your work and your education, managing both sides of your life without feeling depressed and tired.

Don’t Try to Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

The study load is different for everyone depending on the learning institution that you have chosen, your major, and your study schedule. So, there cannot be any work/study model that will suit everyone perfectly. However, you can create one yourself.

The main thing that you should keep in mind is that you have three components of your life that you should manage – not just your work and your study, but your personal life too. Many students try so hard to manage their work and study schedules, they forget that they also need some time on proper rest and relaxation, social life, and some time on their own. A lifestyle without this third component often results in depression, exhaustion, burnout, etc. You don’t need that. And though we need to work and try hard in order to achieve success in any work or academic field, you always should remember that your health and your mental state are your main priorities.

So, what is the main advice for a working student? Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew. It means that sometimes those extra shifts are just too much to handle and you should prefer having a good sleep instead. Otherwise, you might not be able to pull it off.

Create a Schedule

In order to be organized and disciplined both in your work life and your study life, you need to create a steady plan. We have already discussed how you can create a study schedule of your own on one of our previous blog posts, so check it out. What you can do on top of that is to add your working hours to your schedule – you will better understand all the time frames that you need to manage and when you should start working on your assignments in order to complete them before the deadlines.

Putting your work hours in a calendar will also help you track how much you work in a month, whether you can take extra shifts and when you have days off that you can spend resting or studying for a test.

Use Apps

Having a study/work schedule at your hand at any time is the advantage that you need to take. There are many apps and software designed to make your study life easier. Start with a planning app that will help you track your homework assignments. You can also try various note-taking apps that will help you keep your notes organized.

Be Flexible

Once you create a schedule of your own, you can write down your short-term and long-term goals, such as turning in another assignment, visiting an event, how much money you want or need to make this month. This will help you easily tailor your schedule accordingly to your plan.

You need to take into account that some parts of your schedule will be flexible and some will not, such as classes. Having this as a basis will help you manage the rest of your daily life, making changes when you need to complete some urgent assignment. Being ready for sudden changes or events and the ability to adapt are the main things that you should learn as a working student.

Be Productive

Sometimes it might seem that you don’t have any free time when you need to study and work at the same time. However, you might not spend your free time as productively as you could. For example, we all know how fast time flies when you are on your phone or playing computer games. You might not notice those few hours just flying by. A s a result, you end up with tons of things you need to do and no time for that at all.

What you need to do is to make sure you don’t waste your free time. Spend it on communication, self-improvement, or your hobbies. Of course, we all need to put things off sometimes. But don’t make it a habit. Check out our blog post on how to stay productive while staying at home.

Eat, Sleep, Look After Yourself

There is nothing impossible for a motivated young person as long as they treat their health right. Eating fast food and not getting enough sleep isn’t the best way to manage all the tasks that need to be done. Make sure you eat healthy, exercise, and care about your body. It means that you need to listen to yourself and react properly when you have any aches or symptoms.

It’s not a secret that many people continue working and studying even when feeling sick. They act like they don’t notice how bad their state is, only making it worse.  But you need to learn from their mistakes – visit doctors when it’s needed and don’t ignore your symptoms if you have any. Your health is much more important than a few days of leave at work.