5 Tips on How to Balance School, Life and Work This Semester

It’s easy to see a due date and make the declaration “I have time to do it later.” While that may be true, if you have the opportunity to do your homework the day or night you get it, you should at least try to finish it so you won’t have to worry about it later.

Do. Not. Procrastinate.

There are various online tools that can help you create a schedule that works best for you right down to the hour. In addition to planning out your days, you should also make a habit to write out when assignments are due, when you have upcoming shifts or times when you can actually go study. My favorite tools for planning are Notion and Google Sheets.

If you’re someone who is juggling a job, classes, extracurriculars and a social life—first of all, you’re doing amazing. Second, the feeling of FOMO (the fear of missing out) can get overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be paralyzing. Create memories and be a social college student, but please don’t do it at the expense of yourself. I am all for the YOLO mentality and youth euphoria, but if you want to pick up an extra shift instead of going out on a Saturday night—do it. Do not let the bombardment of social pressure, TikTok montages of traveling and curated content of what a Gen-Z person “should” strive for in life stop you from having a night in (or a night out).

It’s hard to do everything on your own.

Make an acquaintance in your class. Get that person’s number, add them on social media or make a GroupMe chat for the whole class. Having a friend in class can be a lifesaver. That doesn’t mean you should ask them to send you answers (academic dishonesty *gasp*), but maybe they can be someone you study with or get a little extra help from when you’ve missed a class.

Be honest with your close ones. Let people know that you’re a busy, busy bee. If you have a support system in place, your close friends and families (those who are understanding) will actually encourage you and help you do your best to achieve your goals in school, work and life.

I recognize that this can be a very privileged thing to say. Yes, sometimes you might stay up all night doing homework or wake up really early to cram for an exam, but try to manage your time so that you get a good night’s sleep or some time to kick your feet up.

It’s very easy to overlook wellness when you’re constantly grinding.

Ambition is good. Ambition—with no regard for noticing if you’re close to burning out, breaking boundaries or blowing up—is not. A part of being in balance means having time give yourself a break and cut yourself some slack.