Balance School and Work as an Adult

You've found a great opportunity: you're able to work and go to school at the same time to earn a degree or take courses for personal interest. But once you've started, you can't seem to find time to fit everything in. Here are some guidelines for working students who can't seem to find enough time in a day.

Steps

 * 1) Be organized. Keep your school materials organized and in one place. Mark upcoming deadlines on your calendar and start school projects early to allow sufficient time to complete them in case other things come up in the meantime. If you're taking several courses at once, don't spend all of your time on one course while other deadlines begin to loom on the horizon.
 * 2) Create a flexible schedule. Some parts of your schedule are going to be inflexible, such as class times and work days. Fit homework and studying in when you're either not in class or not at the office. Build a routine that you can stick to, but are able to adjust if other important things come up. As a working student, you have to be ready to adapt to new assignments, unexpected errands, and sudden work crises that need to be addressed immediately. Make enough studying time in your schedule so that if something comes up, you can shift it into another slot during the week.
 * 3) Communicate your schedule to your employers, friends, clients and family. Make sure the people around you know where you'll be and when. Sign up for an online calendar and send the URL to the people who depend on knowing where you are and when. Not everyone you work with will understand the demands of being a student and, similarly, not all of your classmates will understand the additional responsibilities of working while in school.
 * 4) Manage stress. Stress is an inevitable part of being a student and a worker -- combine both together and you can expect to be stressed out. As much as you may try to prevent stress, you're going to have to learn how to relieve it as well.
 * 5) *Take those much-needed breaks. Give yourself time to collect yourself when you need it the most, so you can re-approach things with a clear head.
 * 6) *Be active. Stretch. Swim. Run. Lift. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps relieve stress and you'll find that the more you get out and exercise, the easier work and school will seem. Exercising is commonly known to reduce stress.
 * 7) *Live. Don't forget to enjoy life. Don't get bogged down by nuisances of the demands of your academic and professional life. Take time to experience the world around you and appreciate your relationships in life. See movies, read books, watch sports. Don't forget to squeeze in the things that make life worth living into your schedule.
 * 8) Be realistic. There may not be enough time for everything, so get your priorities straight and don't beat yourself up if you don't accomplish every single task you've set out to do on a given day. Stay positive and be thankful that you have the opportunity to make a living and get an education -- two things many people in the world go without.
 * 9) Remember why you're doing it. By taking on work and studies at the same time, you're accepting a challenge that most people don't dare to attempt. But, you wouldn't be doing it if you didn't have strong reasons and motivation. Whether it's the desire to pay your way through school and remain debt-free, or because you want to get ahead in your career (or switch to your dream career), or simply because you know that life is short and you want to make the most of it -- keep your goals in mind whenever it starts to feel like too much.
 * 10)  Know that it can be done!. It may seem overwhelming at times, but remember that other people have gone through the same thing you are, and they have succeeded! You can too.

Tips

 * Keep work and school separate. Don't worry about work while you're at school, and vice versa. Keep them separate, and focus on one thing at a time.
 * Find online tools that are useful for time management, such as calendars, reminders, etc. Use portal pages to arrange easy access to both work and school related websites.
 * Plan your academic path. Figure out what steps you need to make it to where you want to go and set goals for yourself. Do you need 5 courses to finish a program? Find out when they're offered and create a multi-year schedule.
 * Avoid indulging in guilty pleasures too often. Everybody has them, whether it's MTV or getting lost in idle chit-chat with your neighbor. If there's an activity that you tend to get caught up with, but that doesn't further your goals in life, avoid it like the plague.
 * Work smarter, not harder.
 * Get buy-in from friends and family. School will limit the amount of social time you have.  It's important to keep these relationships healthy while you have limited time for them.  Communicate via e-mail or text messaging on a regular basis.
 * Create some sort of progress measurement. Cross completed classes off of a list or use a countdown clock to measure time to completion.  This will help keep your eyes on the prize.

Warnings

 * Be aware of the signs of burnout and make adjustments if you feel like you're at the end of your rope.
 * Doing school and work at the same time might not be for everyone. Be realistic and prioritize. Don't let going to school part-time jeopardize your income if you can't handle being unemployed.
 * Do not stop! Taking a semester off may seem like a fine idea, but only do so for extraordinary circumstances, such as a death in the family, etc.  Rather than stopping, if you find you are tiring of school, relax your schedule and take only one class in the next semester, one that is fun or indulgent rather than tough. Otherwise, you risk losing the momentum and never returning.
 * Remember this adage: "Time waits for no one, so do not quit!"

Related Tips and Steps
ser estudiante y trabajar al mismo tiempo
 * How to Be Calm in a Stressful Situation
 * How to Be an All Around Good Student
 * How to Be Organized
 * How to Call in Sick When You Just Need a Day Off
 * How to Make Time by Prioritizing and Scheduling
 * How to Write a Statement of Purpose
 * How to Balance School Homework and Fun