Tips for a healthy work-study balance.

6 Simple tips to help balance work and study life.

In today’s day and age, multitasking is the key to  living a successful, well balanced life. With more and more students opting to work and study, and more corporate professionals starting to understand the value of executive programmes, the need to balance studies and work has become even more vital.

Prof. Mary Joyce, a senior lecturer of note, has this to say, “While it is commendable, that young students are actually learning more about work life, by taking up part-time jobs to fuel both their education and pocket money, when their job becomes their first priority, their college work really suffers, and that’s why while I per se, do not discourage the practice, I insist on a proper, job-study balance.” Similar sentiments are also expressed by HR managers of firms, who report that many a times employees become so caught up in their college assignments that their performance on the job really goes down.

This therefore shows the importance of being able to strike the right balance between work and study life. Here are 6 tips that should be able to help you do just that.

Be organized: Organise your school materials in one place so that it would be easy to find them. Mark your calendar with upcoming deadlines of both course and work projects. Start school projects early to allow sufficient time to complete them. In case other things come up in the meantime, be flexible and accommodate them into your schedule, you will be able to simply because you started your project early and are ahead of your classmates.

Create a flexible schedule: Certain parts of your schedule like class times and workdays are going to be inflexible. Fit homework and studying in when you're either not in class or not at the office. Build an easy to follow routine. Allocate non-negotiable time to both homework and studies. As a working student, you have to be ready to adapt to new assignments, unexpected errands, and sudden work crises that need to be addressed immediately. Make enough studying time in your schedule so that if something comes up, you can shift it into another slot during the week.

Communicate your schedule to your employers, friends, clients and family: Make sure that important stakeholders in your life like your employers, parents, clients and family members know your schedule. Sign up for an online calendar and send the URL to the people who depend on knowing where you are and when. Not everyone you work with will understand the demands of being a student and, similarly, not all of your classmates will understand the additional responsibilities of working while in school.

Manage stress: Stress is an inevitable part of being a student and professional - combine both together and you can expect to be stressed out. As much as you may try to prevent stress, you're going to have to learn how to relieve it as well.

●      Take breaks. Give yourself time to collect your thoughts when you need it the most, so you can re-approach things with a clear head.

●      Be active. Stretch. Swim. Run. Lift. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps relieve stress and you'll find that the more you get out and exercise, the easier work and school will seem. Exercising is commonly known to reduce stress.

●      Live. Don't forget to enjoy life. Don't get bogged down by nuisances of the demands of your academic and professional life. Take time to experience the world around you and appreciate your relationships in life. See movies, read books, watch sports. Don't forget to squeeze in the things that make life worth living into your schedule.

Be realistic: There’s never going to be enough time in a day to do everything. Get your priorities straight and don’t harrow yourself if you don’t accomplish every single task you've on your agenda on any given day. Stay positive and be thankful that you have the opportunity to make a living and get an education - two things many people in the world go without.

Remember why you're doing it: First of all don’t ever be down on yourself, and if by chance you feel demotivated or just mentally unable to cope, remember the reasons you are taking on work and studies at the same time. Sure it is like accepting a Herculean challenge that most people don't dare to attempt. You too wouldn’t be doing it if you didn't have strong reasons and motivation. Whether it's the desire to earn your own keep, pay your way through school and remain debt-free, or because you want to get ahead in your career (or switch to your dream career), or simply because you know that life is short and you want to make the most of it -- keep your goals in mind whenever it starts to feel like too much.

Following these easy to remember tips will definitely help you strike the right kind of balance in between your work and study. Remember there are a few people who can do, what you are doing, and that itself is something you ought to be proud of!