Maintaining Balance Between School, Work and Yourself
By: Jazmine Martinez
@jazminemyleigh_
What would it look like to make the most of your time? What would you create, or seek to find from it? Everyone in college is chasing after the 2.0 version of themselves. However, while talking to students on campus, I have found that the most challenging part students struggle with is time management. It is difficult to balance all of their personal factors into the restraining time we all have, or don’t have. However, with the right tools and preparations, it is possible to feel accomplished every day with the same amount of time as everyone else.
I have spoken to a student career specialist named Stephanie Gonzalez in order to find some form of professional guidance on the issue. In the Career Center located on the Rancho Cucamonga campus, her and colleagues hold many different workshops, one being “Work - Life Balance”. The workshop consists of finding your own personal balance between work and school, offering helpful questions to ask yourself, as well as apps and devices to keep you organized on the issue. Gonzalez offered me a powerpoint also consisting of time management tips broken up into work and school, as well as important questions to ask yourself. She mentions the notion of self-care and making yourself a priority before anything else. Whether you believe it or not, happiness is vital to your education, work, and personal life!
As simple as it sounds, it is important to get everything that is going on around you on paper and out of your head. Invest in a $5 wall-calendar or planner. These could even be purchased in the campus bookstore. Write down the schedules that you are aware of one week at a time, as well as specific deadlines that you are aware of to get a more visual idea of what you’re working with.
Once your tasks and responsibilities are out of your head and visually on paper, you could analyze everything you have consisting of school, work, and your personal responsibilities and hobbies. If you are still uneasy with all the things on the calendar, start evaluating the time constraints that you could potentially rid or manage. Of course, it is not easy giving up anything, but you don’t want to mentally or physically burn yourself out with all of the responsibilities you’d like to maintain. Remember you are only one person with the same time as everyone else.
Also, never underestimate the power of a to-do List. Whether it be on your phone or a piece of paper, prioritize the tasks that are important to accomplish one day at a time after forming your weekly view. This structures out your priorities so you don’t become overwhelmed. There are also apps such as Apple and Google Calendar, MyHomework, School Planner, Todoist, and Focus Keeper in order to assist you with staying centered on your tasks.
Give yourself a high-five for doing what you’re doing. Ultimately, if you are busy and consumed with work, school, personal responsibilities, and hobbies, this means that you are trying to do the most you can, which is something to give yourself credit for. Treat yourself to a coffee, meal, or favorite down time every once in a while. indulge in your favorite pass-time and spend time with yourself and friends. Remember that the tasks that you are doing now will result in a long-term goal of yours in the mere future. As complex as It may feel to get what you'd like out of school, work, and your personal life, it is a sigh of relief to put it into perspective, declutter, organize, and prioritize.