Three Tips for Balancing a Busy Schedule
Full time graduate school student, two part time jobs, relationship, social life, working out, and time for myself. Those are the main priorities I have been balancing this school year and will until I graduate in December 2024. Sounds like a lot, and it is! However, I have been able to maximize my time through formulating a schedule and respecting boundaries I have put in place for myself. Here are a few tips I have learned from adjusting to this new lifestyle and being able to "have it all" without feeling burnt out.
Use a planner!
In undergrad, I found myself getting a new planner for the school year, using it for the first few weeks, and then discarding it for the remainder of the year. I started this school year with a new planner, unsure of how much I would actually use it, knowing this habit that I had. However, I found myself using it daily, and not only that, but it also helped me keep track of my class and work schedules, as well as homework assignments I plan on knocking out throughout the week.
Additionally, I added other aspects of my schedule such as times for going to the gym and meeting employers for networking. Doing this made it much easier for me to keep track of everything and ensure that I am on track with the things I must accomplish each day.
I have also noticed that the act of crossing out an activity has given me a sense of satisfaction. At the end of the day, seeing that I accomplished each task, or even most of the tasks that I set myself up for gives me the satisfaction of knowing that I set a plan for myself, and I stuck to it.
Rest up and ease your schedule as needed.
To prevent burnout and improve overall mental health, it is important to listen to your body. For instance, when I am too tired to get up early to go to the gym because I stayed up late doing schoolwork, I do not force myself to get that workout in. I sleep in for that extra hour or two and I do not feel guilty about it. Then, I look at my schedule and see if there is another time for me to squeeze that work out in when I am more energized for it.
In addition, if I find myself spending more time on an assignment than I thought I would, but I still have work I planned on doing for another assignment, I take a step back and re-evaluate priorities. I typically will choose which assignment is due first/needs to be done sooner and push back the other assignment I had planned on doing afterwards if I feel overwhelmed with my work.
Utilizing the weekend.
The weekend is a great time to relax, spend time with loved ones, and get ahead of work for the week. I typically keep my Fridays and Saturdays open to spend time with loved ones, and/or to spend some quality time with myself. I made a boundary with myself going into graduate school that unless there is a major project or exam coming up that needs extra attention on Friday or Saturday evenings, I will not focus on schoolwork. It is hard to make time for loved ones as well as for yourself during the week with long classes, work, going to the gym, and more. Giving myself Friday and Saturday evenings (and sometimes Saturday mornings and afternoons, depending on my workload) has helped me balance the more fun aspects of my life with my demanding schedule.
Sundays, much like during undergraduate studies, are my "grind" day. I like to work ahead and see what I need to get done for Monday and Tuesday classes, as well as create in-depth study guides. I also use this time to look at my upcoming school/work week, and write down my academic, professional, and personal commitments for the upcoming week. This gives me a good idea of what my week looks like going into it and helps me stay on top of things!
