This past summer I had two internships. One required 40 hours a week and the other required about 10-20. All I did was work over the summer. I learned a lot about which career route I wanted to pursue and which routes I do not want to pursue. However, I feel like I didn’t really have a summer. Maybe that’s why when I got back to school, I felt like I never left.
Work life balance is something many employers stress, whether the employees listen or are more concerned about getting their hefty paycheck like I once was.
Balancing work and your personal life does not start when you earn your degree and begin your career. It starts now, with things as simple as balancing school work with leisure time.
If you’re finding it more challenging than ever to juggle the demands of your job and/or school work and the rest of your life, you’re not alone.
Balancing everything is really getting to me. Being a resident assitant without a car on campus is probably what makes balancing everything difficult. I feel that I am trapped where I work. I never leave the building so I am at work 24/7, literally.
I know having a car on campus or leaving my college town every few days would be the ideal fix but that’s not tangible. Instead, here are a few tips I plan to implement, and you should too.
1. Build downtime into your schedule.
When you plan your week, make it a point to schedule time with your family and friends, and activities that help you recharge. If a date night with your significant other or a softball game with friends is on your calendar, you’ll have something to look forward to and an extra incentive to manage your time well so you don’t have to cancel.
2. Drop activities that sap your time or energy.
First to come to mind may be sites such as Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. Activities like gossiping and spending extra time at work also drain us and waste time. Take stock of activities that don’t enhance your career or personal life, and minimize the time you spend on them.
3. Rethink your errands.
Consider whether you can outsource any of your time-consuming tasks, chores or errands.Instead of adding email Professor Smith back, just email him back then and there.
4. Get moving.
It’s hard to make time for exercise when you have a jam-packed schedule, but it may ultimately help you get more done by boosting your energy level and ability to concentrate. Exercise clears your head.
5. Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way.
Slowly build more activities into your schedule that are important to you. Maybe you can start by spending an hour a week on your hobby of carpentry, or planning a weekend getaway. Even during a hectic day, you can take 10 or 15 minutes to do something that will recharge your batteries, like listening to music. Make a little time for the things that ignite your joy.”
6. Change your scenery.
Even if you can’t hop in your car and take a drive to clear your mind, you can change your scenery to refresh yourself. Spend leaisure time in different places on campus, do your homework outside of your dorm and spend more time in the natural sunlight.
Even if you don’t have much control over the hours you have to work, you can ask yourself: In what other ways am I bringing greater enjoyment into my life?
Focus your time and attention on things you can control.