How to Balance Work and Study: the Ultimate Guide

Work and studying coupled together sound like a toxic relationship that is destined to cause students misery, stress and chaos. To help balance your commitments without pulling your hair out and running towards the booze-infested horizon, check out these helpful tips below.

Schedule, schedule, schedule…

This will be your knight in shining armour. Balancing work and study can be made possible when you know what you are doing and when. Upload or pencil in all your lectures, deadlines and shifts to ensure nothing clashes. If scheduling is an oblivious thing then check out this article on how to manage your time effectively This way you can prioritise your actions and avoid succumbing to the horrendous mountain of stress, yikes!

Procrastination

Yep, I said it, the forbidden ‘P’ word. Procrastination is something that all students have in common and it will always be there in the shadows. Allocate yourself some time to procrastinate, but not too much. Another tip is to disable all social media accounts when the deadline season is at its peak. Us millennials love scrolling aimlessly through FB and Instagram, but for now, put the dog memes on hold…

Don’t overdo it

Many students are encouraged to work in order to fund their pot noodle, excessive clothes spending and drinking habits. This subsequently leads to working crazy hours and slowly transforming into the living dead. Do not feel pressured by your manager to take on additional hours, instead focus on balancing your workload. Aim towards working 10 hours a week and see how you get on.

Communication is key

We are all human and sometimes it comes to a time where it gets too much, which is fine. If there are deadlines looming that are impossible to meet or you are feeling defeated; communicate this across. Friends, family not only provide companionship but also a plethora of support. Likewise, your academics can also be a shoulder to lean on if things get a little tough.

Look after your physical and mental health

University is a time of sleepless nights, endless jägerbombs and questionable food choices. Throw work into the formula and your body is screaming for love and affection. Your body is a temple and you need to respect it. Try and maintain an almost normal sleeping schedule, drink green tea, eat fruit and stock up on multivitamin tablets. Slowly, but surely the deadly formula will transform into something quite beautiful. I hope.

Me time

Me time is the golden ticket to maintaining a healthy work and study balance, and oh boy, you deserve it! The options are endless, but sometimes nothing can beat a night in with some good comfort food and an extensive Netflix sesh. By detaching yourself from the more serious commitments allows you to destress and declutter your mind, leading to better university results and a happier lifestyle.

Follow these steps and voila! You will be on the straight and narrow road to balancing your work and studies. Remember, you are doing an awesome job and always prioritise your studies. No one wants to waste the precious £9,250 tuition fees per year!

Megan Bryant is an Online Marketer for StudentJob UK. StudentJob is Europe’s largest platform for part-time jobs, internships and graduate positions!

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