If you’re going to school while balancing a full-time job, it can feel like you’re scrambling to meet all your deadlines without pulling your hair out.
When I returned to college, I cried my second week! Since then, I’ve learned how to manage my time and energy to get through work and classes.
In this post, you’ll learn how to balance work and school productively for success.
Mindset Shifts
In order to successfully work and take classes at the same time, we first have to make sure we have the right mindset.
What you have has to be enough.
Focus on showing up with what you have in both work and school. This means that you may not be the top performer at work, or get the highest scores in class. The goal right now is completion, not perfection.
It’s okay if your best is 60%.
That’s better than doing nothing at all. As humans, we have limited energy capacity, so it’s important to use it wisely.
This too will pass.
It’s hard right now, but this is only a season. Remember why you chose to go back to school, and let that be your motivation.
Give yourself time to adjust.
If you’re just starting, you might feel overwhelmed. This is particularly true if you haven’t written a research paper in years (click the link for help with this)!
It took me a couple weeks, I figured out how to do school again, and you can too. You’ll find your groove eventually…just give it some time.
Now, let’s move on to some steps to help you balance it all 🙂
Step 1: Clarify Your Priorities
Pick your non-negotiable events and tasks.
For me, that’s Date Night with my husband, sleep, college deadlines, and my work schedule. I’m able to work everything else in my life around these pillars.
Choose what goals you need to put a hold on for now.
There will be things that you just won’t have time or energy for at the moment. In my case, that’s becoming fluent in Spanish. Kind of a bummer, but I can pick it up later.
Step 2: Build a Realistic and Flexible Schedule
See everything in 1 place.
Put everything in school, life, and work into 1 calendar. I use Google Calendar for this. Being able to see everything all at once is much more convenient than juggling 5 different apps.
Incorporate Wild Card Slots
Create Wild Card slots in your schedule where you’re allowed to do anything like work, homework, sleeping, relaxing, etc. Having 1-2 hours of these a day naturally builds flexibility into your schedule. For me, I use my lunch break as a Wild Card hour.
Be honest with yourself.
If you’re not the type who wakes up at 4am every morning to study, don’t force yourself to incorporate it into your schedule. Doing this is how you stop sticking to – or even looking at – your schedule.
If you don’t think you can do it long-term, you probably won’t be able to. I know I get very ambitious sometimes, to the point where my schedule becomes unrealistic. So, I have to remind myself to adjust when needed.
Negotiate with yourself.
If you really want to build better habits for your calendar, build small habits and negotiate with yourself. If something is too hard to do, make it easier to start. You’ll build a tolerance for whatever that task is and you’ll improve at it over time.
Give yourself an extra 5-10 minutes.
Put in buffer times for commuting and getting ready. I know I underestimate how much time I need to prepare in the mornings. Having that 5-10 minute grace period can help you get back on track.
Step 3: Create Systems That Save Time and Make Life Easier
Organize everything into as few tools as possible.
Do what you can to put everything in one spot. I use a program called Obsidian to keep track of my assignment instructions. I actually created a dashboard to help me organize my life.
Whatever tool you use, make sure it’s easy for you to navigate. I made my Obsidian Dashboard simple and boring. Sometimes, that’s what you need.
Batch similar tasks together.
This will save you time and energy since you’re not trying to go back and forth on different tasks. I honestly don’t do this every time I’m at work or doing college homework. But, when I do, it makes a world of difference.
Rely on routines, and recognize that they’ll change as time goes on.
My most recent morning routine has been to wake up, read a devotional on the Bible App, exercise, shower, make food and pack lunch, then head out to work. Variations of this routine have been around my whole life, but it adjusts for the season I’m in.
Create routines for different aspects of your life. Whether it’s something as small as sitting down and doing homework, or an entire morning routine like mine. Eventually your brain will associate these tasks together. It will become natural.
Step 4: Protect Your Energy
Don’t give everything to one.
Make an intentional plan to not give 100% to everything. I’ve learned that in this season, done is better than perfect, and showing up is better than not doing anything at all.
Again, even if you can only give 60% on certain days for school and work, that’s okay.
Choose your social circle wisely.
I have had to limit the people I hang out with. If I feel that I have to mask myself around them, it’s too much energy for me to hang out with them regularly right now.
I still like to text people to make sure they’re doing okay. In other words, seek peace and pursue it.
On the other hand, hang out with the people you feel safe and comfortable with. For me, that’s my husband, my mom, and my church’s ladies group, for some examples.
Refill your energy reserves.
Find ways to replenish your energy. For me, it’s blogging, eating, sleeping and working on creative projects!
Social Media is a Soul-Sucker
Do what you can to avoid social media. Although it’s nice to be able to pick up my phone and escape from the world, a nice late night drive with some cool music works too! Social media perpetuates comparison for me, plus my brain feels like mush afterwards.
Step 5: Stay Flexible & Celebrate Wins
Celebrate the relief that comes when you submit an assignment.
Go do something nice for yourself that lies within the parameters of your goals. Maybe that’s ice cream, getting a new outfit, or taking a day off.
It’s not the end of the world.
It’s okay if you miss a day of studying to sleep in. Just make up for it later in the week, when you can.
Give yourself grace.
You’re basically juggling 2 jobs and a life. That’s a lot. Not that many people choose to do that to better themselves and their families. Be proud of yourself.
Conclusion
Remember, we don’t need perfect balance or schedules everyday in order to be successful in this season. Instead, we need to make sure we show up week after week.
If you need to lighten your class load in order for you to hold everything together, that’s perfectly okay.
I hope you found these productivity tips to be at least a starting point for you to feel more confident while you go back to school as a working adult.
What are your tips that have helped you so far? Let me know below! I’m always looking to learn 🙂