5 Tips for Balancing School and Work

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By Lisa Hutchinson

Topics: Job Search

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5_Tips_for_Balancing_School_and_WorkNow that summer is over, and your employer has agreed to keep you on as a part timer to accommodate your school schedule, you should be planning ahead. Balancing school and work is key to living a healthy lifestyle, and you certainly don’t want to fall behind.

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What can you do to balance school and work successfully? There are many things you can do, including working with your employer to create a schedule that works for you, communicating with your support group, improving your time management, and making sure you still take time for yourself.

These tips can help you balance school and work more easily.


1. Plan Ahead

The best thing you can do when it comes to balancing work and school is to plan ahead. You can’t plan for everything, and things will still go awry every now and then, but the more you plan, the better prepared you’ll be.

If you know the due dates for major assignments and which days major tests will be held on, be sure to prepare for them well in advance. If you can, ask your employer for the time off. Keep in mind that you probably won’t be able to take time off to study for every test.


2. Talk to Your Employer

If you’ve stayed on past the end of the summer, it means you did a good job and proved yourself at your job during the summer months. Your employer is happy to have a well trained staff member on board going into the fall, and that’s why they’ve agreed to keep you on, on a part time basis.

Given this, your employer is likely willing to help accommodate your needs as a student. While they may not be able to give you very short shifts or all the time off you feel you need, talking to them can help you work out a schedule that works for you.


3. Talk to Your Friends, Family, and Teachers

Communicating with your employer is an important part of balancing work and school life, but you should also talk to your friends, family, and even your teachers. They may also be able to help you achieve a better balance.

Friends and family may be able to pitch in and help you with non-school and work related things, such as chores or appointments. Teachers may be able to assist with extra help or extensions for some assignments.


4. Take Time for Yourself

When you’re trying to balance school and work, you may feel you’re too busy for anything else. When someone suggests you should take some time for yourself, you might wonder how you’re supposed to squeeze that into your busy schedule as well.

Taking the time to relax and unwind has benefits for your mental and physical health. In turn, this can help motivate you to do better at both school and work. If you plan ahead, you can make sure you work in time for yourself.


5. Prioritize

You can’t do everything yourself, and no one expects you to. You’ll need to choose what tasks are most important on any given day. If you’re scheduled for a shift at work and can’t find someone to take it for you, that should be your first priority.

What other tasks are lower priority? There may be some things you can put off until later. Identify the tasks that can wait, and you’ll find yourself much less stressed throughout your semester.

Balancing your school life with your job can be challenging, but it isn’t impossible. Use these tips and you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever the school year throws at you.


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Lisa Hutchinson

I started with Liberty Staffing in 2004 as the Regional Business Manager of the London office. I have over 20 years of experience in the customer service and retail sectors, as well as leadership experience including Store Management, People Development and Recruiting. In 2016, our London location moved to a larger office in order to accommodate growth of our business, which included adding a Clerical Division.

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