Juggle School, Work With These Tips

The importance of work-life balance has been a subject of much conversation over the years, especially as so many folks work remotely or alternate between working at an office and at home. Carving out time to focus on a life outside professional ambition and obligation helps reduce stress, strengthens familial bonds and friendships, and affords people the opportunity to continue their education. Balancing the demands of work and home along with studies can be tricky but with the right plans and disciplined mindset you’ll be able to handle it with grace.

Kesha Shelton, a Rio Salado alumni who graduated in spring 2024, recognized the value of staying disciplined while pursuing an associate degree in early childhood education. 

"I knew very early on I had to be very diligent in my efforts and be meticulous with the way I curated my day," Shelton said. "So as far as being on a set schedule, still flexible and allowing for life. But I did have to be very disciplined and make sure that I followed a similar routine every day."

Organization Is Everything

There's an old army saying that's worth keeping in mind: "Proper preparation prevents poor performance." Being organized is essential when you’re trying to juggle work, school, and other obligations. Good time management is the key: take an inventory of how much time you spend doing activities during an average week. How much time do you need for work? Exercise? Walking the dog? Cooking? Studying? Being with your family? Once you account for all that time, how much free time do you have left?

Think of your time as money and budget it appropriately. See where you’re “over-spending”; maybe you could re-invest a couple of hours of free time to get in some extra study time. There’s no credit for time, so you can’t over-extend yourself. If you don’t have time to do something, it doesn’t get done; that’s why it’s important to spend your time wisely.

Once you have your schedule worked out, write it down! Get a day planner or an app and use it to monitor your progress. Write down all your deadlines; put down reminders for upcoming study sessions about what you need to focus on. Use whatever system that works for you that helps you keep track of what you’re doing; the important thing is to have something reliable you can fall back on on days where you can’t remember what you’re supposed to do. 

“You may need to schedule downtime into your schedule to ensure you have time away from obligations,” said Gina Pinch, Rio Salado College Faculty Chair for Business, Management, and Public Administration.

While time management is important, so is being organized in general. Need to arrange a pet-sitter or daycare? Get that done ahead of schedule. Pre-pack any tools you need for work and school so you can grab and go when you need to switch gears and go do something else. Put essential items in the same place so you don’t waste time looking for them later; if you see something out of place, use the best practice of “Pick Up and Place” by returning it to its original location. 

One more thing that can really help with organizing things: batch cooking. Make your meals ahead of time to save time cooking on the day of. 

“Students may also find setting up a designated place to do school work helpful, so others in the home know when they are working on school,” said Pinch.

Don’t Neglect Yourself

When you’re slicing up the ol’ scheduling pie, it can be tempting to give your off-the-clock time a small piece of the pie. Don’t be stingy when it comes to self-care. If you’re not eating right, if you’re not getting enough physical activity in, if you’re not getting enough sleep— these deficiencies will catch up with you real quick. A tired, malnourished mind has poor memory retention and recall, a harder time focusing, and can struggle to “think fast” when responding to unexpected situations. Make sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep, stay hydrated, and eat plenty of brain food to keep your cognition sharp and energy levels high.

It’s also important to give yourself time to have a life. Take breaks, do something fun, let off a little steam. If you’re nothing but all work/all study, that could lead to serious burnout down the road. That’s why it’s important to stay connected with your friends and family and treat yourself with a fun activity or outing every now and then; you need to give yourself time to rest and mentally recharge.

Be Realistic

As the old saying goes: don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. You have to adjust your expectations when you’re trying to keep so many spinning plates in the air. You may drop the ball sometimes. You may not be able to devote as much of your energy or time into something that you want to. You may have to slack on certain duties or even outright drop them. You will have to prioritize; you also have to be willing to change priorities on the fly when something happens that changes the urgency or importance of your work, home life, or learning. Your job or your classes may be flexible and work with your needs; they may not. The only factor you can control is yourself, which is why you need to be as flexible as Gumby.

Another thing to remember is that it’s okay to stop. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and can’t keep up, it’s okay to stop juggling. You can always take a semester off and come back when you have more time. If you’re stressed out over trying to get everything done, that’s going to negatively affect your performance across the board. 

Also: don’t be afraid to say no to things! Don’t put more things on your plate if it’s already getting pretty full. Even if you have a good amount of free time, be cautious before committing it to other things. Going back to the idea of time-is-money: just because you have extra time doesn’t mean you need to “spend” it. Save those extra hours, and not just for relaxation: you may end up with a demanding work project or have to put in more study time to master a difficult subject in the future. You may very well need those extra hours in the future, so don’t be so quick to give them.

“You may even need to say no to activities you love for a short period of time while you focus on school,” said Pinch. “Saying no now does not mean you can’t do that activity again in the future.”

Keep Things Separate

Maintaining boundaries is critical when it comes to navigating multiple responsibilities. With the ease and convenience of cell phones and online communications, it’s never been easier to check-in on other things and people. The temptation to “take a look at my work email” or “review my study materials” during a slow moment at work can be strong, but it’s important to resist this. Keep your job and your schooling separate from each other as much as possible. You don’t want to be thinking about work or fielding texts from your boss while you’re trying to study. 

When you’re taking classes or studying, turn on an away message on your email. Set your phone to silent and ignore any notifications that aren’t urgent. Don’t look at your work email while you’re taking a break; keep that part of your life out of mind until you’re done. Keeping things separate will make it easier to transition from “work mode” to being in a learning mindset. Blur the lines between the two too much and it can be hard to feel like you’re not still on the job while you’re hitting the books.

Communicate Your Needs

Set yourself up for success by talking to the people in your life about your availability. If you live with family or roommates, let them know what times of day you’re studying so that you won’t be disturbed. Tell your employer about your class schedule; it’s not just due diligence to make sure it doesn’t conflict with your work schedule. There may be a point in the future where you’ll need to take on less responsibility at work due to your studies, or may need time off to focus on a big test. You’re planting seeds of understanding and empathy in your employer that may bloom in your favor later.

It’s also important to communicate with your professor and college staff if you find yourself overwhelmed by work and need an extension on a deadline. You may not always get it but it doesn’t hurt to ask for that grace.

Feeling overwhelmed? Need help? Don’t forget the Rio Salado Counseling Department is here to help.

Article by Austin Brietta