How to Balance Work-School-Life
Background: The Problem
There is a great importance of a successful
and efficient life balance, especially with college
students who also work (full/part time) and may have a family to take care of
on top of themselves. It can be challenging, overwhelming, and stressful
for any student to ensure good-standing academic success, maintaining
sufficient work relationships and supporting their family all at once. The complications
that could arise if school-work-life balance falls into an imbalance can
lead to downfall in course grades, loss of respect in workplace and a decline
in relationships and mental/physical health.
However, there are many technology tools, lifestyle adjustments and
techniques that will minimize stress and anxiety while also increase success in
all categories.
Students, Work & Mental Health:
Data
|
Percentages: |
|
|
Full-Time
Students & Employed |
43% |
|
Part-Time
Students & Employed |
81% |
|
Graduate
Students &
Work <30 Hours |
76% |
|
Graduate
Students, Work <30 Hours & Children |
20% |
In addition to students who are full/part-time,
employed and have their own personal lives. There is a significant amount of
these individuals who have feelings of stress, depression, and suicidal
thoughts. According to Research.com,
about 54% of clinicians state that U.S. college students have a higher chance
of developing depression, anxiety, and stress. While based on another source, there
are approximately 75% students struggle with these symptoms but are hesitant and
resistant on receiving help. With these percentages being higher than average, the
question is how can we decrease the number of students having mental
health issues by using healthy, consistent, and small yet effective lifestyle
changing ways?
Path to Success: HOW?
The BEST way to help decrease
stress/anxiety, manage time efficiently, and balance all schedules is to keep
them all ORGANIZED while minimizing overlapping or overscheduling
your days.
This can be achieved by creating a
scheduled spreadsheet on Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets with the class
schedule, deadlines of all projects, assignments, exams, quizzes, and work and
family schedules.
There are plenty of other premade and step-by-step spreadsheets
on the internet that are for FREE to use.
Also, there are FREE apps dedicated to making
your life organized and easier with custom to-do lists, due dates, reminder
notifications, and other user-friendly features.
***Both pictures contain hyperlinks to
their individual websites for more information.
Here are FIVE other ways to
decrease anxiety, depression and stress while increasing academic growth, work
relationships and incorporating family activities.
1.
Set Deadlines: Setting specific deadlines and goals for big
projects and assignments to get accomplish on time will minimize working on
them last minute.
2.
Plan To-Do Lists Daily: Obtaining a planner, physical or virtually with
your day planned and needed breaks in between each activity will allow control
for you to check off each accomplishment completed.
3.
Break Down Projects: Projects can be time consuming and have lots of
steps, breaking down each step per day until the day before it’s due to revise
your work.
4.
Custom Study Space: Finding a coffee shop/café, a special spot in the
library or your room at home that you can make into your own safe space for
study sessions and focusing on work/school.
5.
Study Based on You: Everyone has a different sleep schedule, some are
night owls, and some are morning birds, study and get things done based on when
you’re most alert.
Summary: Only Going UP from Here
Overall, this will not only benefit
students with maintaining an organized and balanced school-work-life schedule
but also ANYONE who struggles with keeping all activities, deadlines,
and events on track. There are several ways to achieve a higher level of
organization, though the main ones are creating an organized scheduled
spreadsheet, setting important deadlines, breaking down projects/assignments,
having a study space and studying based on your energy levels. The benefits of having
a balanced schedule are to have continuous academic success, strengthen work
relations and maintaining healthy relationships with friends, family, and other
loved ones
(INCLUDING yourself)!
California
State University, Sacramento