Balancing professional obligations with schoolwork is not always easy and ends up being the downfall of many students. Not everyone has the luxury of having someone handling their living expenses when they’re at school, however, and working is often not a choice. So, what can you do to keep your sanity and make sure that you perform well both at school and at work? Here are a few things that you can try.
Alleviate Your Workload
If you’re overwhelmed by work or school, then you’ll have to decide to either cut your work hours or look at other options for school. Your studies should be your priority, however. Flunking school could haunt you your whole life, but you can always get a new job. So, if you believe you can still cope while working less, fit your work around your classes and not the other way around.
If you’re currently attending school on campus, you might want to consider switching to online classes if you need the money. You could decide to go to school part-time if you want. Going for online classes could also give you the space necessary to follow classes full-time while working without putting too much stress on yourself.
You might also want to see if you can work out a deal with your employer, so you can reduce your hours or split your time between week and weekend shifts.
Don’t Neglect Sleep
We’re assuming that you have very little time for sleep at the moment, so you need to make the most of it. You should shut down any type of screen activity at least two hours before you go to sleep. This is because the light emitted from screens is bad for your sleep patterns and will make it much harder for you to sleep.
Many resources throw around the eight hours of sleep figure, but there’s no set time for getting optimal sleep. However, most will agree that anything under six hours is not enough.
You should also take a look at your mattress and see if it’s the best one for you right now. If it has been more than eight years since you had the same mattress, it might be time to change. Also, if the mattress you happen to have was not picked by you, like in a dorm, for instance, then it might not be the best for your sleeping style.
If you’re looking for the best mattress for you, check out Entrepreneur’s post on the best mattresses. It runs down some of the best deals you can find on various types of mattresses online and you should be able to find one that will fit your needs and budget perfectly.
Work Smarter
You should also review your approach to studying. Know that nothing is forcing you to study for hours on end. You can always break study time into chunks. Use index cards to create study notes that you can read throughout the day. Do some studying right before leaving for work, or during breaks. You could even use breaks to complete assignments or do some research.
You can use your commute to be productive. One of the things you could do is tape lectures and listen to them while you’re on the bus or the train. And think twice about completing work in the evenings. This is usually not the time when our mind is the clearest, and you might be completely drained by the time you come home. This will result in you procrastinating more often and not internalizing what you’re studying correctly.
Balancing work and school is one of the hardest things for any student, but with the proper approach, it can be done. Remember your priorities and use your time wisely if you want a chance at succeeding with both.