Any tips for maintaining a work-life balance while in school?

Hi Bobby,

This is a very good and hard question to answer at the same time. But I will say that maintaining a work-life balance while in school can be managed as long as you create a time management schedule. As for me, when I was in school full-time and working full-time, I had to make an agenda for myself each week. I made sure that I always focused on work when I was at work, and tried not to disturb my working habits by including school activities. When I got home I cooked and then removed myself from all distractions and got right to my school work. I did my best to study and take care of projects during the earlier time frame of the day, so that I could enjoy the evenings on the weekends.

By keeping the schedule that I did, allowed me enjoy life, still take my school serious, while also working as hard as I could to keep myself focus at work, and provide the same level of service each day to my employer.

Maintaining a work-life balance while in school is challenging, but can be done with good organization. I'm actually in grad school part time right now, while working full time, so I'm well aware of how hard this can be. What works for me is the following-

1. Create a schedule- and stick to it. Every Sunday night I sit down and map out my week and determine when I'll work on each assignment. I do this a week at a time because when I tried doing things more in advance, I found that due dates or assignment details might change. Planning when to get things done leads to the next step-
2. Schedule time off. When you're mapping out your week schedule a night, or a day, off. Making sure you have a scheduled break time in your week gives you that chance to socialize without feeling guilty about getting behind on your schoolwork.
3. Stay active with your social network. Even if that means posting a funny picture on Instagram or keeping a streak going on Snapchat, do small things that help you stay connected to your friends. That helps you from feeling isolated.
4. Plan social activities in advance. If you know there is a festival coming to town, or a concert you're dying to go to, get it on your calendar early so you can plan around it without getting stressed.

You can create your schedule using Google or iCalendar or just grabbing a cheap planner to sketch it out on paper. Then figure out when is your best time to sit down and plan out each week so you can stay balanced.