how to manage my school work

School Life Balance , Tips for Online Students

12 Best Tips to Balance School and Work

Updated: June 19, 2024

Published: December 12, 2019

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Learning how to balance school and work is exactly that — a balancing act. Choosing to further your education at college requires both dedication and perseverance. This is especially true when you have to hold down a job. You’ll have to find ways to get schoolwork done and tend to your work responsibilities, all the while avoiding burnout.

For some students, you will also have to take care of your family. It’s very clear that with all the different aspects of life, finding alone time and time for friends is also necessary.

That’s why learning how to balance college and work is a strong skill to hone as early as possible in your academic career. There are a variety of ways to achieve doing so.

Let’s take a look at some strategies and ideas.

Source: Unsplash

Tips for finding balance, 1. learn time management.

Perhaps the most important tool, which may seem obvious, is learning time management . Time management is defined as the “ability to use one’s time effectively or productively,” and for the most, it’s easier said than done. That’s because many people fall into the habit of procrastination, or putting off what has to be done for later.

Responsibilities like school and work are hard to prioritize when fun alternatives exist, but once you manage your time, you will be able to alleviate stress and be more successful.

Some useful tools for time management include:

Update Your Schedule: You don’t have to have a type A personality to learn how to schedule your time. Start by leveraging a digital calendar or buying a planner to divide up your time in advance of your week. That way, you can schedule your time in to get the things you need to do and then also make time for fun activities like socializing, sports, hobbies, and more. Keep it up-to-date so that you don’t miss anything important and can plan ahead.
Break Up Your Tasks: When you have a lot of tasks to get done, try to break up your to-do list into smaller and more approachable bits of activity. For example, if you have to read four chapters of a textbook for a test, read two chapters a day for two days, or one chapter a day for four days. Do whatever it takes to make tasks more approachable so that you limit procrastination and reduce feelings of being overwhelmed.

2. Do What You Enjoy

While it’s not always possible or financially feasible, you should try to find a job that you actually enjoy. Although this is not always in your control, train yourself to see the good in whatever job you do so that you can approach work with a positive mindset.

Love What You Study

In the same way, you should learn about things that you are interested in learning about. More often than not, you have the opportunity to major in and study what you actually like. If you’re not pressured by family to major in a particular field of study, choose what you are interested in so that learning piques your curiosity rather than squanders it.

3. Communicate

Although it seems intuitive, many people forget to take this step. If you are a student who has a job, be sure you tell your boss that you are in school. Most business owners and managers will be accommodating to this situation and help you to create a schedule that works best for your school time, too. Additionally, they may even be willing to provide you with time off during exams or big projects.

Depending on the type of school you attend, you can also create a flexible schedule around your job. This is especially doable if you attend an online school like the University of the People, where everything happens online. As such, you can study whenever and wherever you choose, which makes it easier to hold down a job while you learn.

4. Support Circle

One of the most important things to remember, especially when you inevitably feel overwhelmed, is that you are not alone. A lot of people are in the same situation as you, balancing work and school. By connecting with people who are in the same boat, you can learn tips and tricks from your peers.

Ask For Help

Additionally, by having a support circle, you can lean on people for help when you need it and offer help when you have the time and energy to do so.

5. Use Time Wisely

Going hand in hand with time management is learning tips and tricks to maximize the use of your time. This can happen in several ways, including finding jobs and schools that are near where you live (or online). That way, you can cut out the time it takes to commute which can add up to a lot of extra hours in a week.

Additionally, when you cook meals, cook extra on purpose so you can save some for the rest of the week. This tactic is known as meal prepping.

Furthermore, when you set time limits on social media, you will be able to allocate the time wasted to completing more important tasks, like studying. There are tools on most phones that can help you set application limits and refocus your time. You need to know your limits and trust your abilities when you are using your time wisely.

Importantly, listen to your body and mind and know when you need to take a break and hit reset to avoid burning out.

Leverage Your Natural Tendencies

Get to know yourself. If you tend to be a night owl and have most of your energy at night, then dedicate that time to learning material that is more challenging. If you’re a morning person, get up early and knock off tasks from your to-do list. Spend the time that you’re most productive working on the most challenging work, or subjects that require extra energy and effort.

6. To-Do List

A really simple strategy to master your time is to create and use a to-do list. Oftentimes, you can forget a task because you didn’t write it down. You can reduce feelings of the stress of having to remember everything when you write down what you have to do.

When you are writing down things you have to get done, you can also create a distraction to-do list. This is done by writing down things that are causing you to lose your focus when you are working on a task. When you take a break, you can revisit your distraction to-do list and go through each line item. This tactic helps to keep you focused.

There are optimal ways to structure a to-do list, and this includes organizing it in numerical order based on priority. Your priorities likely constantly shift, so be sure you keep your to-do list up-to-date. For school tasks, a simple method for prioritization is to base the list off of the nearest deadlines.

7. Procrastinate Productively

Procrastination is bound to happen, but you can procrastinate strategically. If you don’t want to perform a specific task at a specific time, try another one that you have to get done.

For example, if you are not feeling focused enough to get reading done, cross something else off your list by cleaning or organizing.

Our moods and the time of day is bound to affect our concentration levels, so it’s okay to not feel ready to do something you have to do. But, rather than wasting time, shift your focus to another necessary to-do on your list.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is working ahead. If you have the extra time and energy to get something done, even if it’s very early in the timeline, this will free up time in your future. It can also help to alleviate stress during your busy weeks. Whenever possible, working ahead is like buying extra time for your future self.

8. Overlapping

Whether your job is directly related to your school or not at all, try to find the places in which work and school overlap. In these cases, you can apply one skill to another area of your life and reap the benefits.

For example, if you work in a marketing department, you can use the skills you learn for presentations and communication to study better and/or create more interesting school projects.

9. Take Breaks

Burnout is a side effect of chronic stress related to school or work. It is characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and feelings of reduced ability to function. In order to avoid or reduce such feelings, you should know how to take effective breaks.

Make Time for Yourself

You can schedule breaks into your weekly planner or use techniques where you focus for 25 minutes straight and then break for 5-10 minutes — this is known as the Pomodoro Technique. When you take a break, do something you like or go for a walk. Try to let your brain rest and reset before jumping back into work.

When you don’t have to get anything done, spend time doing things that you enjoy and removing your mind for work and school. Whether that involves pampering yourself at a spa, going on a hike, reading, being with friends, etc.m you need to take time for yourself.

If you are tired, it’s hard to be productive and have good energy for anything. When you sleep, you give your body and brain the time it needs to recuperate. That’s why sleep is so important. It also helps to regulate your hormones and body functioning. Of course, there will be times when you are not getting 6-8 hours of sleep per night, but it should be your goal. If you properly manage your time and make the most out of your hours of productivity, you should be able to get to sleep at a decent hour and then wake up early to get to work the next day!

11. Your Work and Study Space

Your environment is of utmost importance when you study. You want to be sure that you set yourself up in a comfortable setting with everything you need to be productive. From ensuring you have food and water, to adequate lighting and distraction-less work space, these considerations will play a big role in your ability to stay focused.

12. Remember Your Goals

When the going gets tough, it’s especially important to remember why you started and remember your goals. It may help to write these down somewhere you can see them, like a whiteboard or on a post-it on your mirror for extra motivation.

Celebrate Small Wins

Consider setting up a positive feedback loop through the form of rewards for yourself. When you complete an assignment or get positive feedback from work, take the time to celebrate these wins by doing something you love.

High School and Part-Time Work

If you’re still in high school and you have a part-time job, the aforementioned tips can help you, too.

However, as a high school student, you may need to rely more on support from your family. Talk about your schedule with your family and ask for their advice. Also, consider starting with less hours per week until you get into a flow and can be sure that you can balance both work and school. If you feel you are able to take on more work, talk to your boss about adding more hours to your schedule.

The good thing about working part-time during high school is not only that you will be on your way to financial independence, but you will also be honing skills like time management and responsibility that will help you when you start college.

Online Opportunities

Working and going to school takes dedication, perseverance, time management, and importantly, a positive attitude. Although it’s a challenge to balance both, there are online universities that can make this balancing act easier to manage.

The University of the People offers a place where students can earn their degree in four subjects on their own time. Students can choose to major in Computer Science, Business Administration, Health Science or Education. With online education, you have the power to choose when and where you study.

In fact, 98% of our enrolled students also work while attending school. Therefore, you will be able to lean on the support of peers who understand your situation and can help share effective strategies for balancing school and work.

The Choice is Yours

However, you decide to balance school and work is up to you. From setting a schedule in advance to asking for help, you are capable of managing all your responsibilities! By practicing a positive mindset and using your time wisely, you will set yourself up for success in all aspects of your life.

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At UoPeople, our blog writers are thinkers, researchers, and experts dedicated to curating articles relevant to our mission: making higher education accessible to everyone.

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How to Balance Life, Work, and School

A coffee mug and a pen on a napkin that shows words related to work life balance.

How to Balance Life, Work, and School: A Guide for Busy College Students

Working full-time takes a significant portion of your week, added to the time and stresses of home and family responsibilities. If you're thinking about going back to school as a means to change or advance in your current one, the burden increases.

The U.S. Department of Education reported in 2017 that 43% of all full-time undergraduate students and 81% of part-time students were employed while enrolled. Graduate students have it harder, according to a study cited in The Atlantic . It says 76% of graduate students work at least 30 hours a week. Nearly 20% of these students have children.

If this is you, you’re probably wondering: "Where will I find the time for college, a job, my family, and a life?" The answers lie in planning and organization. You can create a work-school-life balance that helps you maintain a healthy life and positive relationships.

>> Read Health and Wellness Guide for Busy College Students

The following 8 steps can help you plan for a healthy and happy work-school-life balance.

1. Consider an Online Program

Earning a degree online offers the convenience of studying from practically anywhere at times that make sense with your schedule. For example, ask your employer whether you’re allowed to tackle coursework during your lunch break. Or, wake up an hour earlier each day to focus that time on assignments.

With a little time management, you can complete your studies without missing the important things happening at the office and home.

>> Read Classroom vs. Online Education: Which One Is Better for You?

2. Build a Support Network

Going back to school while working full-time is a big decision. Before you register for classes, have a serious conversation with your family, mentor, friends, and manager. Ensure you have a support network that can help you through this next phase of your professional journey.

An employer who understands your goals may help you arrange a flexible work schedule. Your partner, extended family, or close friends can pitch in to help you with housework, children, and other obligations when you are studying.

When you start classes, build a network there, too. Keep an open dialogue with your instructors and connect with other students. Also, take advantage of school resources that can help you in your journey.

3. Schedule Time Off for Studying

Don't be a hero when it comes to managing course requirements, work, and personal obligations. As soon as you get your course syllabus, evaluate how much time you will need to prepare for important exams or assignments. Schedule time away from work so you can study.

Experiment to find the best times for you to study and to find how often you need breaks. Also, figure out the best place for you to focus where all your materials are accessible.

Here are more ideas for making the most of study time:

Dedicate each study session to a single subject
Have a study goal for each session
Plan to study when you’re most alert, whenever that is

4. Manage Your Time Wisely

Every minute counts. Do you usually sleep in on the weekend? Give up that luxury and use the time for classes. Enjoy binge-watching the latest new series on Netflix? Do a half binge instead; the show will still be there next week. Spend some of that time getting coursework done.

Here are a few more ideas for prioritizing your time as a college student :

Break up large tasks into smaller components
Keep an up-to-date schedule
Make a weekly to-do list
Plan time for relaxation and seeing family or friends
Set deadlines for yourself

Remember the goal you're working towarda promising future and greater opportunity. Once you've attained your goal, you will be able to take more time for other activities.

5. Minimize Distractions in Your Home Environment

The flexibility of online learning allows you to be at home with your family rather than commuting and sitting in a classroom. Nonetheless, you are still attending college, even if you aren't physically going anywhere. Make a space for yourself where you can concentrate. Ensure your family understands that your study space is sacred. You need a place without distractions, so you can focus and learn.

Also, remember that minimizing distractions isn't just about preparing the right space for your studies . You also need to ensure you've limited all desktop and mobile distractions. Close social media platforms and messenger apps. Don't check your texts or email until you've finished studying.

Here are some more tips to relieve distractions:

Don’t fret what about what you’re not doing
Stay focused on the task at hand
Don’t let work intrude on school, and don’t let school intrude on work

6. Access Your Online Classroom Regularly

When you take an online class, you may be tempted to take it a little easy. Maybe you don't log in to your classroom very often. If you let too much time lapse between checking in to the student portal, your next visit may leave you feeling overwhelmed.

By checking in regularly, you’ll be less likely to miss an assignment. You’ll also have a chance to discover resources and tools that can help you complete assignments and continue your progress.

7. Don't Wait Until the Last Minute

You've got a busy life, and it's going to be even busier when you start working toward a degree. Don't let other things get in the way of your education. If you don't prioritize school, you will end up waiting until the last minute. If you manage your time well, you will be able to manage professional and personal concerns that may arise.

To that end, plan ahead to avoid the stress and anxiety of trying to beat a last-minute deadline. Take time to revise and edit your work, which will also lead to a better finished product.

8. Take Time for Self-Care

Your basic needs often get lost when you're balancing work, school, and home. Ignoring your physical and mental health can have serious consequences. Try to find ways to take care of your health while you pursue your degree. Among the things you can do to help yourself are:

Eat a healthy diet
Get enough sleep
Practice positive self-talk
Relax through massage, meditation, or breathing exercises
Take a walk

If you need it, don’t hesitate to ask for extra help from friends or family.

Balancing Life, Work, and School is Possible

Do you have concerns about work-school-life balance? Request more information today, and learn how an online program with Purdue Global can help you grow your opportunities.

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6 Tips and Tricks to Manage School and a Full-Time Job

Trying to figure out how to get your school and work life together? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Managing school can be tough on its own. But throw a job (or two) in there and you may find yourself drowning in a sea of stress. Over the past three years, I’ve made mistakes and learned […]

Trying to figure out how to get your school and work life together? Don’t worry. You’re not alone.

Managing school can be tough on its own. But throw a job (or two) in there and you may find yourself drowning in a sea of stress. Over the past three years, I’ve made mistakes and learned from them. Now I have some new habits that helped me manage both work and school. To help you take advantage of your time and keep your stress levels low, I’ve compiled my best tips!

Stay Organized

While this tip may seem like an obvious one, it can be challenging for someone to learn how to keep everything in check. Before university, I never would have guessed that an Accordion File Folder would be my best friend. To stay organized for school, I purchased a five-section expanding file folder. And, let me tell you, it’s the best thing I ever bought! I dedicate each section to a different class. Each section includes the following:

Class Syllabus

Assignment guidelines and rubrics, citation guide specified by the professor.

This structure keeps you organized because everything is located in one place. Ergo, you don’t have to scramble to find things last minute. Did I mention that Accordion File Folders are super cheap? I purchased mine from Amazon for just $13 and it arrived the next day! Not a bad price for a life-saving product.

Keep a Calendar

How I ever survived without a calendar, I honestly have no idea! At the start of each semester, I input all assignment deadlines and midterms into my calendar. And add my work schedule as I receive it. My preferred calendar is Google Calendar. For starters, you can colour code each event. I have a different colour for each type (ex. red for work, blue for personal). This hack helps me stay on top of things.

Also, Google Calendar can set reminders. I set reminders for each of my assignments—when I think I should start them or when they should be completed. Lastly, you can view your calendar on all devices and share it with other people! I find this necessary because I can see my schedule on my phone when I’m out and about. Or I can share it with my parents, so they know when I’ll be home.

I used to be someone who thought that keeping a calendar and planning were the same thing, and boy was I wrong! A calendar keeps everything in one place. However, planning allows you to organize each day so you can manage your time. My favourite planner is the Hourly planner by Recollections (a fantastic dupe for an Erin Condren planner!). For those of you who don’t have a planner addiction as I do, the Erin Condren Life Planner is the queen of all planners. The issue is that fancier Life Planners can cost up to USD 75 before taxes, shipping, and duties. Thankfully, the Recollections planners look almost identical and only cost CAD 19.

Additionally, I prefer an hourly planner because I feel like I make the most of my day. I begin planning when I wake up, have classes or work, and assignments that need to be completed. Work your schedule around what you think you can handle and it will make a world of difference! Recollections planners can be found at Michaels (online and in-store)!

Get a Head Start in School

While syllabus week can be all fun and games, I prefer to get a head start on class readings and assignment drafts. To be successful, you need to work smarter rather than harder. Start jotting down ideas for assignments at the beginning of the semester and make a rough outline throughout the term. When the assignment deadline surfaces, you already have part of your paper done instead of cramming 2,000 words into one night.

I scan the outlines provided by professors and assess when to begin my assignments. Generally, I aim to have assignments done a week in advance. This allows time to review and reach out to professors with last minute questions. The key to remaining sane throughout the year is to stay on top of things and work on assignments as soon as you can!

One of the most important tips I could ever recommend would be to set aside downtime for yourself. I’ll admit it, sometimes I feel guilty when I take some ‘Me Time’. But if you’re all work and no play, you will burn out quickly. My favourite way to spend alone time is to take a nice bath and read a book, or catch up on my favourite series! The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson may sound a tad aggressive, but this book teaches you not to worry or stress the small things you have no control over. It has positively changed my outlook on life.

A benefit of reading while in the bath is giving your body a break from your computer screen. A nice soak is relaxing and can help you get a good night’s sleep because they calm your body’s nervous system. So, when you’re feeling stressed, take a bath or pick up a hobby. You need to take care of yourself if you want to stay healthy and energized!

If you’re going to add some life to your bath, take a look at my favourite bath products from Lush:

Milky Bath Bubble Bar – (one of my new favs!) This product adds lots of frothy and moisturizing bubbles to your bath!

Big Blue Bath Bomb – (an oldie but a goodie!) This smells incredible and eases sore muscles you get from sitting at a desk all day.

Get Some Sleep

Lastly, but certainly not least, you need to ensure you’re getting proper sleep . If you’re only averaging a few hours every night, you won’t be able to give 100% to your work and schooling. Before you head to bed, shut down all electronics and relax. Take a bath or read a book before bed—whatever eases you to sleep.

Getting 8 hours of sleep is crucial. It will keep you energized for your busy schedule the next day. I use a fitness tracker to help me sleep. Most fitness trackers can monitor your sleep in addition to reminding you at night when it’s time to start winding down. I find this extremely useful because I often lose track of time and go to bed later than I should.

Additionally, sleep tracking is used to determine whether you sleep well. The tracker (or associated app) will show you a chart that represents how you slept. The chart shows you how long you spent in the following categories:

Use these categories to determine whether or not you should incorporate a nap into your day. Because I lead an active lifestyle, I have invested in my fitness tracker and Fitbit. If you’re someone who would only wear a tracker at night, there are more affordable trackers out there. Amazon has some great choices, including the Aneken Smart Bracelet .

These tips will help you in your present-day school struggles and future endeavours. Life is hard enough, so utilize tips that will help you succeed. With that said, I’m going to shut down and run myself a bath before I settle into bed. After all, I have a big day of planning tomorrow.

*Opinions expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily those of Student Life Network or their partners.

Serena Madden

Serena is a fourth-year Legal Studies student, focusing her studies on Information and Privacy Law. She loves to travel and has an extreme Iced Coffee addiction.

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How to Balance Work & School: 7 Strategies

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25 Apr 2023

Managing personal and professional commitments while furthering your education can be difficult as a working professional. It requires balancing your coursework with job- and family-related responsibilities.

Fortunately, there are strategies to do it successfully. Here are seven to consider.

Access your free e-book today.

7 Strategies for Balancing Work and Study

1. take an online course.

You can pursue an abundance of learning opportunities as a working professional . While your employer may offer benefits like tuition reimbursement , the time commitment of attending classes can be challenging to manage.

Online courses help solve this problem and offer several benefits , including:

Flexible learning options
Affordability
Networking opportunities
Skills development

Online learning's flexibility is a major draw. The skills you obtain can help you get ahead at work without committing to full-time study.

Online courses come in two formats:

Synchronous: You join a virtual classroom with other participants simultaneously—like an in-person class—with lessons focused on discussions and group activities.
Asynchronous: You learn at your own pace with lectures and assignments available at any time. You may also have the opportunity to connect with fellow learners through platforms like the Harvard Business School Online Community .

When balancing education with work, asynchronous courses can provide flexibility that synchronous courses can't.

Related: 9 Tips for Taking an Online Course While Working Full-Time

2. Schedule Effectively

School and work require a lot of time and energy, but balancing them is possible. Effective scheduling is vital.

Prioritizing tasks based on urgency is one of the most effective methods to ensure timeliness. List all the tasks you must accomplish for each commitment, then break them into small, manageable chunks.

You can proactively stay on top of your workload by familiarizing yourself with your course’s syllabus, which outlines its objectives, topics, grading criteria, policies, and deadlines. Knowing what's expected of you can help you prioritize and schedule your assignments in advance.

3. Manage Your Time Well

Managing your time can help you stay on top of work and school while still having a life outside of them. Here are tips for managing your time effectively:

Avoid procrastinating: Complete assignments before they’re due instead of waiting until the last minute. This is particularly important if you work full time. The last thing you want is to stress about deadlines after work.
Own your work: Most online courses’ workloads and academic rigor are similar to in-person options. Take an active role in your work and be responsible for your progress.
Establish a dedicated study space: Create an environment conducive to your learning.
Remove distractions: Avoiding distractions is particularly important with a full-time job because your time is limited. Try not to multitask since it can negatively affect productivity .

Time management can be challenging, but it’s essential to balancing work and school.

4. Communicate with Your Employer

Openly communicating with your employer can enable them to better understand your needs and how to help you achieve your goals.

Your employer may also be able to assist in determining how much work you can realistically handle while enrolled in school. If your employer offers flexible working hours, adjust your schedule as needed, such as when you have exams or need extra time to complete assignments.

5. Stay Organized

Staying organized is key to balancing work and school. Tracking tasks and deadlines via a planner, calendar, or list can ensure that all your responsibilities are completed by their deadlines. Account for study time as well to avoid cramming at the last minute for an exam or assignment.

Being organized also means managing your materials. Make sure all class notes and important documents are backed up and stored somewhere easily accessible.

6. Practice Self-Care

It’s crucial to preserve your mental health and find time for self-care when juggling your commitments. Here are tips for maintaining a healthy balance when working and studying:

Create a schedule: In addition to work and school, fit personal time into your daily routine to prevent burnout. Relaxing and pursuing enjoyable activities can help you maintain your overall well-being and spend time with friends and family.
Use your time wisely: Overworking is detrimental to mental and physical health , so take short, regular breaks throughout your workday.
Establish boundaries: Set boundaries for how much time you're willing to spend on work and school to stay focused, lower your stress levels, and avoid working too hard.
Get enough sleep: Staying up late to study or finish work can negatively impact your focus and productivity. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adults need at least seven hours of sleep each night to function properly.
Set realistic goals: Setting achievable goals that don't put too much strain on your time and energy levels can enhance your motivation. For example, finishing a paper before the weekend is more achievable than completing a semester-long project a few weeks early.

By pursuing self-care, you can stay organized, productive, and healthy.

7. Know When to Stop

The biggest barrier to work-life balance is perfectionism . While it's important to ensure the quality of your work and assignments doesn't suffer, you must also know when to stop a task and move on.

Overfocusing on assignments can result in burnout. Be realistic about what you can accomplish and complete tasks at a reasonable pace, rather than trying to do too much in too little time.

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With careful planning and preparation, you can successfully balance work and school. When selecting a course, it’s critical to find one that aligns with your job responsibilities, career goals, and personal interests.

Enrolling in an online course specifically designed to accommodate working professionals can go a long way toward striking an effective balance. For example, HBS Online's certificate courses are designed to help you obtain valuable in-demand skills while growing your career.

Are you ready to find the right online course for your career goals? Explore our online course catalog and download our free guide on how to advance your career with essential business skills .

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5 Ways to Maintain Balance Between Work, School, and Life

March 9, 2015

With the pressure of completing coursework, paying for school, and trying to enjoy your college experience, sometimes life can feel a little overwhelming to say the least. Between working, schoolwork, and maintaining a social life, it can seem like a daunting task to get everything done without feeling stressed, and we often have trouble maintaining a balanced schedule.

Luckily, there are steps you can take to make sure you feel like a human, even when you’re actually a stressed-out college student. Here are 5 easy tips to help you attain—and maintain—balance throughout your college life:

Keep an Updated Schedule

This is a great way to make use of the calendar app on your phone. Take the time to add your class schedule for the semester as well as any due dates for your assignments. Set aside specific times throughout the week to focus on things like homework, laundry, and the gym. If you work in retail and have a schedule that moves around each week, it can be difficult to stay consistent with plans. If this is the case, try to design your schedule when you find out your work hours each week.

Work Ahead (or just Don’t Procrastinate)

By procrastinating you are allowing your to-do list to grow and grow into an intimidating amount of work. Once all that work has piled up, it will be even harder to motivate yourself to get started. Getting ahead on readings, papers, and other assignments will help reduce procrastination-based stress while allowing more time in the future for hanging out with friends or just relaxing with a weekend of Netflix binging. Resources like Course Hero —which offers study resources, online tutoring, and digital flashcards—can help you study ahead and compare notes to past students who’ve taken your exact courses before.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

We regularly hear about the benefits of getting more sleep, from maintaining a strong immune system to improving our moods, but we seldom manage to actually implement this advice. Sometimes we get so entrenched in our work that the high amount of stress and large workload can keep us from getting enough sleep. If you really take the time to improve the quality of your sleep,your stress levels will go down and you’ll be able to think more clearly and make fewer mistakes in your work.

Prioritize Your Work

Organize your work in a meaningful way based on when projects, papers, and other work events are due. Recurring things like homework and studying are easier to schedule ahead of time, but sometimes papers and projects tend to sneak up on you. Make sure to check your syllabus to see how different assignments are weighted. Important assignments like papers and exams can make the difference of a full letter grade (or two!) for a class. Prioritizing assignments will allow you to focus on what is most important first, and then knock out smaller assignments afterward. Knowing you’ve completed a major project and don’t have to worry about it hanging over your head can also help you to feel more balanced and relaxed.

Make Time for Yourself

Whether this means spending time with friends, visiting family, or even just taking a moment to relax by yourself, it is important for your well-being to have some time set aside away from work and school. Once you have finished important tasks, be sure to find some way to treat yourself and clear your head.

Following this simple advice might not melt all your stress away, but it will help you stay sane while still maintaining a busy schedule. And remember, you don’t have to go through it all alone! Be sure to take advantage of all the resources at your disposal, including Course Hero ’s homework help and study resources.

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How Students Balance Full-Time Work and School

Returning to school has its challenges. Here we explore how students balance it all.

Earning a degree is one way to get on a path toward a more gratifying career. But it presents a dilemma for those who need to maintain full-time employment. A job is necessary to pay for school (and life), but school may demand some of the time you typically dedicate to work.

In this Article:

The Challenge

Pros and Cons of Working While Attending School

Advice from Alumni

Balancing work and school is a common problem. In a New York Times Opinion column, grad student and writer Rainesford Stauffer detailed the challenges she’s encountered throughout her college career as someone who has always had to work for a living.

“Collegiate life became an impossible riddle. Which should I quit, the thing that would advance my personhood and career prospects or the thing that enabled me to pay for it?” wrote Stauffer.

The writer funded her undergraduate degree with a combination of student loans and work. But she was surprised when her graduate school professors weren’t more understanding of her need to maintain a job, which sometimes meant missing seminars, workshops, and office hours.

“By working, am I missing opportunities to enhance my education? Undoubtedly. But the truth that gets stuck in my throat every time someone encourages me to leave my job is that my work actually enables my learning. If I hope to complete my education, I can’t ignore paying for it,” wrote Stauffer.

Loans can ease the burden of paying for college, But many are hesitant to live on borrowed money, particularly if they have dependents. Scholarships, even full rides, still leave most students with housing and other costs to bear.

A report by Georgetown University titled Learning While Earning: The New Normal illustrates the problem of college accessibility for people who can’t pay for college outright.

Study Shows Pros and Cons of Working While Attending School

Statistics show that access to higher education is further complicated for those with families or obligations outside of work and school, which often tighten financial and time constraints.

The Georgetown research indicated that a significant proportion of working students with dependents are living below the poverty line. That includes 66 percent of employed learners aged 16 to 29, and 39 percent of those aged 30 to 54.

And though those who remain employed while attending school tend to take out less in student loans, they certainly don’t graduate debt-free. Among students with more than $50,000 in student debt, 22 percent did not work during college, compared to 14 percent of working learners. Still, more than 40 percent from both cohorts have student loan debt.

These statistics underscore the need for many people to maintain full-time employment while they attend school, either to help pay tuition or simply to keep themselves afloat.

The upshot is that after graduating, working learners in most fields are more likely to move into a managerial or professional position than those who only worked or attended school without a job, according to the Georgetown report.

Plus, research from the Pew Research Center shows that the earning potential of people age 24 to 34 with a bachelor’s degree has risen 13 percent since 1984, while the average income of those with master’s degrees has increased by 23 percent.

The numbers show a degree is worth it, but that doesn’t negate the personal struggles and financial hardships that students often have to endure just to afford the cost of living while going to school.

Harvard Extension School’s graduate and undergraduate programs are designed for part-time, non-residential learners, so we see our fair share of people with families and careers in full swing who want to pursue their next chapter without disrupting their lives.

We asked some of them how they do it, and here’s what they had to say.

I took one course at a time. We tend to want immediate results from our invested efforts. The more courses you take, the earlier you will graduate. I had to learn that for someone in my position, with a full-time job and two children, I had to take one course at a time.

I was able to balance my studies with work/family/exercise by multi-tasking. … Anywhere there was overlap with work and school, I would try and use that to my benefit.

My determination in earning a degree from Harvard Extension School drove me to meet all my obligations for my education and career. It took a number of sleepless nights and long hours of hard work. … I also give a lot of credit to my amazing circle of family and friends who have supported me.

I scheduled my class and study time into my calendar each week and then stuck with the plan. I treated time with my family as sacrosanct, and that motivated me to do my school work during the scheduled school work times and to stay focused.

Look at all of the courses offered at HES and design a personalized curriculum to get the most of what you want out of the experience.For example, I was granted some exemptions to study entrepreneurship and organizational behavior.

Organization and having realistic expectations is key (for you and all around you). The support of my loved ones was incredible, and the empathy of the people I work with was always so motivational. … Random acts of kindness go a long way in this process, and a vacation does too!

Sticking to a schedule allowed me to balance my work and school life. I found that if I scheduled time to study and made a commitment to get that work done, then I finished all my work on time.

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How to Balance School & Work

Last updated September 11, 2023

If you’re a high school or college student who has a job, you may find balancing both a bit stressful sometimes. However, by incorporating some good habits and strategies into your routine, you can successfully manage both! Here are some tips on how to balance school and work.

Five people sit around a table. They all have computers in front of them - How to Balance School & Work

Stay organized

Maintaining a busy schedule requires a good amount of organization, planning, and time-management. A good way to stay organized is to use a calendar or app on your phone to schedule all of your daily and weekly tasks. We recommend scheduling or noting everything you have going on, like your work schedule, upcoming homework assignments and exams, plans with friends, etc. Having a centralized place to look at all of your responsibilities in a week can help you plan a schedule that works for you!

Practice prioritizing

Knowing how to prioritize your school and work responsibilities is an important skill. Review all the tasks on your daily schedule and identify which ones are urgent and must be completed immediately, and which ones can be saved for later. There will be days when you can’t tackle everything on your list, and that's totally okay! Focus on the most urgent and important tasks first– everything else can wait.

Take care of yourself

When you’re juggling work and school, it can seem difficult to take time for yourself, but it’s important to help manage your stress and avoid burning out. Try to always get a good night’s sleep and fresh air, and take downtime from work and school to refresh. If you have a hobby that helps you destress, make time for that, too!

Ready to recharge? Check out our self-care resources for high school and college students!

Lean on your support system

Having a strong support system is important when working and going to school. When challenges arise, you don’t have to face them alone! Reach out to your support system– like friends, family, trusted educators, or co-workers– for advice and support.

Know when to make adjustments

Balancing a packed schedule can take time to adjust to. However, if you start to fall behind in school or are working too many hours at your job, talk to your boss and teachers immediately to explore ways to get back on track. If your responsibilities feel overwhelming for a prolonged period of time, it might be time to reevaluate your schedule.

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10 Tangible Tips to Balance Working Full-Time and Going to College

By Jess Scherman on 10/29/2018

The notion that attending college is some leisurely stroll through four(-ish) years where students’ only concerns are completing coursework and figuring out what fun things they’ll do on the weekend is changing rapidly. While that description might still fit the experience of many students, the truth is that a sizeable portion of college students need to work full-time to make ends meet.

Economic restrictions can be a huge deterrent for college hopefuls—particularly when the student has a family to support and/or and full-time job to maintain. When the hurdle that stands between you and your career dreams is a degree, however, many find ways to make it happen regardless of the factors working against them.

If you’re unwilling to let anything block you from achieving your career and educational goals, the best thing you can do is learn from those who have walked the path before you. That’s why we canvassed a number of working professionals who experienced the pressures of working full-time while in school. Take a look at their can’t-miss tips.

10 Ways to conquer working full-time while in college

There’s no two ways around it—splitting your attention between the demands of a full-time job and a college education isn’t ideal. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. One thing we learned after speaking to our panel of experts is that working full-time while earning a degree is possible if you take the necessary steps to set yourself up for success. So let’s make some lemonade out of these lemons and take a look at the 10 tips they’re sure will help you.

1. Create a designated study workspace

One way you can ensure you remain productive throughout your schooling is to create a space in your home that can help foster optimum learning .

“Learning spaces should be clean and organized, ideally decorated with warm paint colors and comfortable seating areas,” explains Elizabeth Malson, president of Amslee Institute . “A desk (or kitchen table) and chair is a must for healthy body positioning for writing and working on a computer.”

Malson also suggests that incorporating elements like a bulletin board you can populate with important deadlines, inspiring photos or encouraging quotes can assist in creating a mindful environment that is tailored to your personal goals and motivators.

2. Prioritize organization

When you wear a lot of different hats, it can be easy to lose track of some of the moving pieces from the varying responsibilities you have to juggle. This is where organization can play a crucial role, suggests Candess Zona-Mendola, editor of MakeFoodSafe.com . “You need to know where everything is,” she says. “Put things away where they belong. Charge your laptop and cell phone every night. Keep your supplies well stocked, so you don’t need to stop what you’re doing to [replenish].”

If you haven’t previously utilized planners, now might be the time to buy one. “Planners are extremely useful, but are not used enough—especially for someone managing full-time work and school,” maintains Amanda Raimondi, lifestyle expert and writer for Grapevine . “Most planners divide up the day by hour, making it so easy to make time for homework and studying.”

3. Become a master of your time

Time is never more precious than when you’re balancing the responsibilities of working full-time and earning a degree. “When you choose to go back to college and have a career, you have chosen ‘the path of greatest resistance,’ and your time is at a premium,” explains Scott Vail , owner of C4 Communications.

To succeed within high-stress circumstances like these, he urges students to be purposeful of how they spend their time. “You must schedule everything—class time, study time, recreation—if you want to be successful over the long haul,” Vail adds.

Even if procrastinating has been your tendency in the past, Zona-Mendola advises to avoid it at all costs if you’re also balancing full-time work. “Get stuff done right away. Have a whole semester to write a paper? Start writing it as soon as you know enough about the subject, whether it’s the first week or halfway through. Turn it in right away. The professor will be happy about it,” she says.

4. Leverage your natural tendencies

Malson believes that one of the greatest services a student can do for themselves is to truly get to know their habits as a learner and learn how to use them to their advantage as they work toward earning a degree.

“If you are a planner, make sure you allocate blocks to complete the program work during the time of day that fits your schedule,” she offers as an example. “If you are a night owl or a morning person, plan to use this to your advantage, knowing what hours you are most alert.” Planning to study from nine to 11 at night after a long day of work may work for some, Malson elaborates, but it won’t be productive for others.

5. Take care of yourself

Zona-Mendola worked as a full-time paralegal while working toward her Bachelor’s degree and Paralegal degree simultaneously, and she had a hard time prioritizing self-care when she was in the thick of it all. “I went many nights without sleeping and lived on energy drinks. I would also forget to eat,” she recalls. “Don’t be like me. I wore myself down and got sick often.”

Something as simple as getting a good night’s sleep can make all the difference amidst your flurry of day-to-day responsibilities. “Even though you have a million and one things to do, you need sleep,” Raimondi urges. “When your body sleeps, it repairs itself and gets you ready for the next day. Lack of sleep makes it harder to focus and be productive.” She also recommends scheduling even just an hour a day to destress by reading a book or watching an episode of one of your favorite Netflix shows.

“You may think it’s a waste of time, but having a break every now and then will actually make you more efficient in your daily tasks,” explains Alayna Pehrson, content management specialist for Best Company . “You will have a healthier lifestyle and mindset as you work and go to school. Without this time, you risk getting burnt out and overly exhausted.”

6. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Competent communication skills seems to top nearly every list of tips to be successful in just about any realm. But when it comes to balancing college and full-time work, communication truly is key. “Having an open communication system with your managers and professors can help you,” Pehrson offers. “Make sure you and your professors and managers are all on the same page. More often than not, they will want to help you when you are feeling overwhelmed with your workload.”

Communicating effectively will only help you in the long run. “Your communication skills will pay dividends when you are working and going to school,” Vail maintains, highlighting the importance not only of communicating with managers and professors, but also with family members and close friends whose interactions with you will be impacted during this busy time.

7. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

The first time consultant, speaker and author Masudi Stolard pursued a degree, it took him 16 years and three different universities to complete it. After shifting his mindset, refocusing his goals and learning how to study properly, he was able to later earn his MBA in just two years.

One of the most pivotal changes he made was learning to ask for help when he was struggling academically. “I can’t tell you the number of times I had to swallow my ego, swallow my pride and get additional help from a tutor or through a study lab,” Stolard recalls.

Tutoring services can be an invaluable tool for college students. Through the use of tutors, Stolard was able to better grasp the concepts his professors were teaching in class, and he even discovered a few shortcuts related to his subject matter that he wouldn’t have known had he not sought help.

8. Trust in your abilities

Another element Stolard views as crucial to a successful college experience while working full-time is consistently choosing to believe in yourself. If you doubt your abilities, he says, you’re more likely to burn out.

“Trust in yourself enough to believe you can balance both work and your education,” Stolard encourages. “Trust that you are aware that both are equally important. Trust the decision you made to move forward with both responsibilities is the right one.” He adds that being intentional about keeping your family and close friends tuned into the benefits that await you upon graduation can help them offer you some extra encouragement along the way.

9. Celebrate small wins

Even as you focus on the major doors that could open for you professionally after earning your degree, don’t forget to celebrate all of your small achievements along the way. “Getting to the degree can be a monumental (and time consuming) accomplishment. Stop focusing on the big victories, like completing an entire semester, and instead start to string together small wins, like getting an ‘A’ on your test,” Vail explains.

“Celebrate turning your paper in on time. Celebrate making it through a tough week or month,” he adds, explaining that when we set the bar for our expectations of success too high, we are more likely to quit when the going gets rough.

10. Remember your long-term goals

“This, too, will end,” Zona-Mendola urges, nodding toward that all too common instinct to throw in the proverbial towel when it feels as if this stressful chapter of your life will never end.

“In the moments when you feel like giving up or giving in, remember that this lifestyle isn’t forever,” she adds. When she looks back at her long few years in college while working at her full-time job, she knows how tired she was and can recall the weight of the sacrifices she had to make at the time. But what she remembers most prominently is how hard she worked to achieve a goal—one that was pivotal on her personal road to success.

Power through the adversity now, Zona-Mendola recommends, so you can reap the numerous benefits that await.

Can you balance working full-time while in college?

The idea of maintaining a full-time job while putting so much valuable energy toward earning a degree seems daunting to many. While it certainly won’t be easy to accomplish, it can be an inevitable necessity for those who hope to move their careers forward through the empowerment of higher education.

Heed the advice of the many accomplished professionals who have walked these steps before you as you prepare to transition into life as a working student, and striking the right balance may become easier than you had anticipated.

As you journey toward enrolling in a degree program, you’ll want to be sure you’re selecting a program that best fits your needs and your busy schedule. Take the first step in narrowing your options by determining the type of program you’re looking for. You can learn more by visiting our article, “ Online vs. Traditional Education: What You Need to Know .”

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8 Essential Tips on How to Balance Work, School, and Family Life

July 30, 2020

1. plan ahead, 2. stay on schedule, 3. build a support system, 4. focus on your goals, 5. multitask, 6. set boundaries—for school and family life, 7. ask for help when needed, 8. break the routine once in a while.

One of the hardest things to manage for any college student is time. Time management, proper planning, and a healthy support system can be helpful while dealing with a full-time job and college.

Here are some tips on how to balance college and work without compromising family and other demands.

Mapping out your days is a great way to keep yourself organized and accountable. In a weekly calendar, write down details such as class and work hours, study time, and social activities. Be purposeful about how you choose to spend your time. When you feel like you won’t be able to make something in time, try to find achievable solutions.

For example, if you feel like you will not be able to revise assignments as planned, try to fit it in as a part of your commute to work or school. Also, if your foreseeable week seems to be too busy, plan meal-prepping to maximize your time the best way possible.

Make your schedules interchangeable to see which works best for you. Would it be better to have separate work and school schedules, or will an everything-in-one-place plan keep you more organized? In the long run, the goal is to remain productive without compromising one or the other.

If you tend to procrastinate, write a ten-minute break on paper so you can mark it done after. Overall, make it a habit to get stuff done right away. The trick is to make use of all of the available blocks of time as efficiently as possible.

Full-time work and school can be draining, but supportive friends and family members can lift a weight off your shoulders. Let your close ones know about your schedule and emphasize how important it is to stick to it. Usually, encouragement from people in your life will help you achieve your goals.

However, you need to contribute to relationships too. Communication and compromise are essential in these cases. Negotiate household duties based on your schedule. Spare time so you can spend it with your family or friends throughout the week.

At times you might feel overwhelmed and regret choosing to work and go to school simultaneously. That’s why reminding yourself of your end goals will help you. Whether your reason is to offset student debt or because you’re supporting your family while also getting a degree, remember that the sacrifices you have to make will pay off.

Keep in mind that you can be a high achiever without being a perfectionist. You can strive to do your best; the key is to know your limits.

Multitasking can be a hugely helpful skill if done right. Mixing work and school might not be the smartest move, since it can lead to mediocre results in both. The trick is to maximize your time when there is a chance to do different tasks at once.

For example, you can exercise or go grocery shopping with your significant other or child to catch up and spend time together. While on the ride to work or school, you can listen to audio lectures or read assignments. Another thing you can do is to have your kids do homework at the same time as you.

Keeping your work and school life separate from your personal life—especially if you’re working from home — can help you achieve the best results. This means not studying when you should be working, or let work interfere with quality family time. Setting boundaries comes back to managing your time effectively.

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Manage your study load systematically and practice saying no to hanging out when you have tasks that need to be completed that day. Also, creating a study space will help you complete assignments on time and avoid distractions. This will remind you to not think about school when you should be spending time with family.

When balancing work and college, one of the most important things is communicating with your coworkers, managers, professors, and advisors about all that you have on your plate. You can also get additional help from a tutor or through a study lab.

If you have family obligations, discuss changes in your schedule and vocalize that you might need help with babysitting, getting a paid caretaker, or assisted living. Tune your family in with the benefits that will await them too upon your graduation.

Having a break every now and then will make you more efficient in your daily tasks. Without time off, you risk burning out and being overly exhausted. It’s easy to overlook your wellness when you are balancing multiple things at the same time. Indulge in a self-care day, watch your favorite show, or read a book for fun.

Whether you’re getting a degree in business or working towards a data science degree , being a full-time worker and student requires balance. This task is by no means an easy one. However, with hard work and self-discipline, you will be able to accomplish your goals. We hope these tips will help you on this journey. Good luck!

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Time Management for Working Students

Ann Logsdon is a school psychologist specializing in helping parents and teachers support students with a range of educational and developmental disabilities.

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Image Source / Getty Images

Procrastination

At a Glance

If you are working and going to school, time management will be key to making sure you can meet your goals as an employee and a student.

Students who are also doing work at a job—either to put themselves through college or because they’re going back to school after entering the workforce—often find it hard to juggle everything they need to do in a day.

Time management is key if you’re a working student. It can feel overwhelming, but there are some practical steps you can take to balance your school and work responsibilities.

Let’s talk about time management for students who are also working, including some tips for achieving your goals.

Before you can start planning to get things done, you need a clear idea of what you need to do. You also need to have a sense of the order in which you should tackle the tasks you need to complete.

Start by making a list of everything that needs to be done. Be prepared for it to be long and intimidating at first—but don’t worry, we’ll organize it and break it down later.

Look at the list and note any items that have a due date. For example, is there training at work you have to finish by the end of the month? Do you have a research paper due next Tuesday?

Put the tasks that need to be done soonest at the top. Once you’ve got all the high-priority items in place, look at the items that don’t have a firm “due date” but more of a suggested timeline.

For example, you may not have to get laundry done on a certain day, but you want clean sheets once a week. You may not need to go to the grocery store on Monday, but you will need to get groceries by the end of the week.

Do you have some lower-priority items left over? For example, maybe a hobby or a novel you’d like to get back to? Keep them on a side list that you can skim and fit in when you have time.

Be Ready to Say No

If you’ve got a full list of things to do and many of them are top priorities, keep in mind that you may not be able to take on anything else. If someone asks you to do something or an opportunity comes up, be prepared to say no—or at least “not right now.”

Make a Schedule

Probably the first time management tip anyone would give you is to make a schedule and stick to it. Why? It works! It seems obvious and simple, but a schedule is one of the most straightforward ways to manage your time.

When you think about the day ahead but don’t make concrete plans, you risk forgetting something, misplacing your priorities, or getting so overwhelmed by your to-do list that you just do nothing. Don’t underestimate the power of having a schedule to guide you through your busy days. Order is key for managing time, and a schedule helps get your life in order.

Start by writing out your day in 30-minute chunks. First, fill in all the events that are not flexible, like class times and work. Think about your priority items and fit them in first.

When those times are marked, you’ll be able to see what other time is available for other tasks like studying and taking care of responsibilities at home (here’s where you can work on laundry day and grocery shopping).

Use Downtime to Recharge

When you're planning your time, remember that you also need time to unwind and relax , maybe by watching an episode of your favorite show or taking a long bath. Making time to decompress and de-stress is important to avoid burnout .

You'll also have to accept that sometimes your downtime may have to be cut short. You only have so many hours in a day. When you’re overly stressed, you may want to lean more heavily into self-care—but instead of using it to shore up your reserves, you’re turning to it as an escape.

For example, if you’ve been working and studying all day, reading a chapter or two of a book for fun as you get ready for bed would be making time for self-care. On the other hand, if you binge-watch an entire season of your favorite show because you’re too overwhelmed to start writing a paper you’ve been putting off for a week, that’s avoidance.

You don’t have to take an “all-or-nothing” approach. You just need to balance the restorative power of stress-relieving activities with meeting your responsibilities.

Taking a short break can help you refocus. When you come back to your work, you might even be more productive. But resisting the urge to always choose a “fun” pursuit over the more challenging things you need to do requires self-discipline.

Being able to balance work, play, and rest is key to achieving your goals, but it takes practice and honesty. You need to tune into your needs but also be real with yourself about whether a break will help you or if it’s just a way for you to justify not doing something you don’t want to do.

Try Not to Procrastinate

Whether you’re putting off writing a research paper or doing a required (but boring) training for work, procrastination is something that even the most motivated and well-organized people do.

When you’re thinking about all the things you have to do, maybe you tend to see every single step along the way. Not surprisingly, it all starts to look like too much, and you get overwhelmed and just do nothing. Then, as you start thinking about all the stuff you have to do that you’re not doing, the anxiety sets in.

But instead of getting started on the task, you just keep putting it off. And then you feel guilty. Maybe you even start doing other things that aren’t even on your big to-do list just to feel like you’re doing something. To relieve the guilt you feel about putting a task off, you do other stuff (like household chores) to make it seem like you are accomplishing something.

Sound familiar? Procrastination might be common, but it’s not helpful. It can make it harder to manage your time effectively.

If you feel procrastination seeping in, you'll have to get real with yourself about the consequences of it. While it might feel better in the moment to free yourself from a task, you’re just making the “later” pile bigger. The truth is, if you’ve broken up a big goal into smaller tasks, the time it takes you to “do the thing” is often much shorter than you think. Once you've started, you’ll feel relief at getting it done.

It can also help to think more creatively about the task. For example, does the order of your to-do list matter? Could you shake up some tasks so there’s a little more variety? For example, could you do a few work tasks first, then do some coursework, then do some chores?

If you’ve got a laptop, tablet, and/or smartphone, you’ve already got a lot of tools to help you manage your time. There are apps and programs for everything—from scheduling and setting goals and reminders to enforcing productivity and reducing procrastination.

Here are just a few examples of tools you can use:

Calendars are built into just about any device and can even sync between all your devices. You can track assignment due dates and study sessions and set up notifications and reminders. If you prefer writing things down, a physical desk calendar or planner can still have a digital counterpart—just scan the month or take a photo so you always have it on hand.
Timers can be a big help if you tend to either stare at the clock and wish it would move faster or get so wrapped up in something that hours pass and it feels like seconds. Setting a timer can help you make sure you’re staying on track to finish a task in the time you have, as well as make sure that you’re taking breaks.
You can download programs, browser extensions, and apps that make it harder to procrastinate. For example, you may want to block social media for a set amount of time when you need to work. That way, even if you can’t resist the urge to check (or just are in the habit of doing it mindlessly), you’re prevented from engaging with the time-suck.
Journals and apps that help you track progress can help you stay motivated and give you a visual sense of how close you are to meeting your goals. It’s also a place where you can vent, work through the stressful feelings you’re having, and possibly even uncover some triggers and trends. You might be able to adjust your time management strategy based on what you learn about yourself.

Aeon B, Faber A, Panaccio A. Does time management work? A meta-analysis . PLoS One . 2021;16(1):e0245066. Published 2021 Jan 11. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0245066

Hamid A, Eissa MA. The effectiveness of time management strategies instruction on students’ academic time management and academic self efficacy . Online Submission . 2015;4(1):43-50.

McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning. Principles of effective time management for balance, well-being, and success .

Maslach C, Leiter MP. Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry . 2016;15(2):103–111. doi:10.1002/wps.20311

Boniwell I, Osin E, Sircova A. Introducing time perspective coaching: A new approach to improve time management and enhance well-being. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring . 2014 Aug;12(2):24.

Rozental A, Forsström D, Hussoon A, Klingsieck KB. Procrastination among university students: differentiating severe cases in need of support from less severe cases . Front Psychol . 2022;13:783570. Published 2022 Mar 15. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.783570

By Ann Logsdon Ann Logsdon is a school psychologist specializing in helping parents and teachers support students with a range of educational and developmental disabilities.

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Articles & Advice > Student Life > Blog

Top Tips for Juggling Schoolwork, Exercise, and Activities

Balancing homework, extracurriculars, and a social calendar can leave little time for fitness. Check out these tips from real students on how to make it work!

by CollegeXpress

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2023

Originally Posted: Dec 3, 2014

As we sat here at the CollegeXpress headquarters, perfectly sedentary, munching on leftover Halloween candy (yes, still!), and wondering why we can barely make it up a flight of stairs, we got to thinking about health and fitness. Specifically, we wanted to know what our users think about diet and exercise and how they maintain a healthy lifestyle along with all the other stuff they have on their plates. That's why we teamed up with O2MAX Fitness to survey our readers and get some answers.

Seven thousand students turned out for the survey—thanks again, all 6,977 of you!—and we learned a ton from their responses. We got so much great information, so we’re sharing some of our favorite responses to the question “ How do you balance your fitness and other activities with your schoolwork?” If you’re struggling with your schedule, first, know you’re not alone, and second, keep reading for some great tips and inspiration from high school and college students just like you.

On working out and sports

“Being involved in sports actually helps me a lot because after practice, I know I have less time to procrastinate and have to get started on my school work.”
“Sports have always been a part of my life. It's as routine as brushing my teeth. Including fitness in my routine is not an option; it's a necessity.”
“I find that physical activity actually helps me focus. After coming home from practice or a workout, I know I need to focus on school instead of filling my free time with things that will suck me in and distract me.”
“I use my sports activity to clear my head and to focus on something physical while still stimulating my mind. Right when I get home from my practice I hit the books.”
“I do my workouts just before I shower each night so I am more tired before I go to bed.”
“I make at least a 30 minute block of time to workout because I know it's great for my body. Also, after I work out I focus on school a lot better.”
“I try to eat healthy, and I walk around my campus between classes. I take walks outside whenever I have time.”
“I bike to school and home incorporating fitness into my everyday life.”
“I try to find ways to multitask, such as running from building to building on campus rather than slowly walking.”
“I either do it right when I wake up because I like to get it out of the way, but sometimes when I had a late night studying or if I have early morning classes, I'll do it right when I get back to my room. However, if some days I feel way too tired I know my body needs a break and I'll take a nice stretching or yoga day or a rest day.”
“If I have minutes at the end of the day then I run for 20 minutes; it just depends on how much time I have. If I have say an hour, I might lift weights.”
“I watch TV and exercise at the same time.”
“I try to stretch and do yoga every night before bed and I make sure I have time to play tennis at least once a week by getting my schoolwork done ahead of time to accommodate for fitness time.”
“Its super hard, but I try to do some easy workouts in my dorm, whether it be push ups or crunches when I first get home from class, and then when I finish my homework days later I try to make it to the gym”

On completing schoolwork

“It is very hard. I get so much homework that there is almost no time to work out.”
“School comes first. I'm a student before an athlete and my coach understands that. Mostly I go to school. Go to practice. Then come home and do my homework until late. Then get up and finish it before school. This process is then repeated for every school day after that.”
“Schoolwork comes first. However, I will do some exercising between assignments so that I stay awake and mentally active.”
“After I finish practice I go straight home and do my homework. No TV, phone, computer, or any distractions.”
“I make time for what's important and recognize when something must take precedence. My schoolwork comes first, as it should, but I know that I need to take breaks and exercise is a good stress relief.”
“Schoolwork takes priority. I'm here primarily to learn and, on top of that, I have a scholarship that I need to maintain. But fitness is important, nonetheless. If I can't make it to the gym or don't want to, I'll take a walk or work out in my dorm room.”
“School always comes first, but I always go to practice, never miss it. I put equal effort, time, and dedication into both.”
“I have a study hall at school three times a week so that helps. Also, I do homework on the bus rides on the way to my games. I try to concentrate on schoolwork, though.”

On using your time wisely

“First, I do anything I have to do for school; after I'm done with that, I do my fitness routine until the sun sets.”
“I make sure to use my weekends wisely and plan my days out so I'm able to fit practices and a certain amount of homework in.”
“I have really good time management skills. I work on homework any chance I get.”
“I try to limit myself in certain things, so I have an everyday schedule that helps me have a balanced routine everyday.”
“I do as much work during class as I can and when I'm not practicing something during a rehearsal I do homework. Then I usually stay up later to finish it.”
“Make a schedule and stick to it. It's hard at first, but after awhile it becomes routine. I use my weekend for relaxation or to study for a challenging test.”
“Sometimes I slack on the sleep, but I make both my sport and my schoolwork a priority, so I try very hard not to miss practice, and I never miss an assignment. I'll do almost whatever it takes to get both done, but schoolwork will always be the higher priority.”
“I balance my activities by practicing before school and completing my school work in the afternoon after school. I do not get more than 6 hours of sleep per night, however.”
“Plan, plan, and plan.”
“Try and get as much done in school, so that I don't have much for homework out side of school.”
“I exercise while I study. If I am reading for school, I will read a passage, then think about it while exercising and then return to reading or studying.”
“I have a study hall and do as much as possible during class, as well as carefully manage my time.”
“I schedule what I'll be doing at what time the night before. I find that once I go to the gym to workout my mind is a lot more clear and there's a sense of accomplishment that motivates me to go on with my other activities for the day.”
“I do pretty well with time management, but the key is getting schoolwork done early whenever possible because you don't know what the next days entail.”
“I stay up late to finish homework or do almost all projects on the weekends because I don't have time for it all during the week. I do manage my time very well though.”
“Don't waste any time, hardly at all, ever. Stay focused on my goals and be a little selfish every once in a while. Remind myself that I wanted to be busy and I'm living happily and just how lucky I am to be living.”

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Study Skills

How to Balance School and Social Life

Last Updated: February 27, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Katie Styzek . Katie Styzek is a Professional School Counselor for Chicago Public Schools. Katie earned a BS in Elementary Education with a Concentration in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She served as a middle school mathematics, science, and social studies teacher for three years prior to becoming a counselor. She holds a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in School Counseling from DePaul University and an MA in Educational Leadership from Northeastern Illinois University. Katie holds an Illinois School Counselor Endorsement License (Type 73 Service Personnel), an Illinois Principal License (formerly Type 75), and an Illinois Elementary Education Teaching License (Type 03, K – 9). She is also Nationally Board Certified in School Counseling from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 127,568 times.

When you’re in school, balancing your social life with the demands of your teachers can feel daunting. It feels like spending time socializing hurts your academic career and vice versa; you wish you just had more time. In truth, the real balance comes in being more efficient with the time you do have and better scheduling. You can achieve this by being more efficient when doing schoolwork, setting realistic goals and making your social life feel more fulfilling.

Being More Efficient with Schoolwork

Make sure that you prioritize your tasks according to their importance and due dates. For example, completing your homework for the following day would probably be at the top of your list, while working on a paper that is due a few days later would be next in line.
Choose what classes you’ll work on during each day of the week. This helps you stay more focused within a particular field, and can help you retain information better.
Use a day planner to set up a specific block of time daily for your schoolwork. This will help you build a habit and ensure you have plenty of time to get your work done. Schedule in some fun time as well to ensure that you get a break now and then.

”If I’m on the bus, I’ll work on my math homework.”
”If I finish dinner, I’ll start studying for my next exam.”
”If it’s Friday night, I’ll start my homework for next Monday.”

For example, you might be able to get 15 minutes of schoolwork in while waiting for a doctor’s appointment, or while riding on the bus.

Step 4 Avoid distractions, such as your cell phone or the internet.

Turn off your cellphone.
Turn off the TV.
Find a quiet, isolated spot. People can distract you as well.
Let friends and family know that you will be working on your schoolwork. It is okay to say “no” to invitations when you have schoolwork to do.
Stay off the internet, unless you need it for research. If you’re having difficulty staying on the right websites, you can use apps such as StayFocusd to block the distracting parts of the internet. [6] X Research source

For instance, you could tell your teacher: ”I’ve spent several hours on my math homework and I feel I’m not getting as far as I should, can you help me work more efficiently?”
If you’re having difficulty planning your work, you can ask: ”I’m having a hard time completing coursework for all my classes. Can you help me prioritize my work better?”
For difficult exams, you can ask the following: ”Could you give me tips on getting through this material? I feel like studying for this exam is pretty daunting.”

Step 6 Look into other options for schoolwork help.

Learning or writing centers
Study groups
One-on-one tutoring
Study halls
Academic advisors

Setting and Achieving Realistic Goals

When you schedule time for studying or schoolwork, try to remain completely focused on what you’re doing. This will help you complete your work more efficiently and retain more information.
When you’re spending time with friends and family, don’t start stressing about the test coming up next week or the homework you still have to do.
Trust in your ability to schedule the things you need to do, and dedicate your attention to whatever you’re doing at the time.

Step 4 Tell your friends and family about your goals.

Having a More Fulfilling Social Life

Step 1 Make time only for activities you want to participate in.

Before you start trying to balance your social life with your academics, make sure the things that comprise your social life are activities you actually want to take part in.
Focus on things that bring you enjoyment and a welcome distraction from your schoolwork. Try some new activities. For example, you could try signing up for a Zumba class, or take a watercolor painting class. You can try new activities with friends or on your own.

Step 2 Hang out with supportive friends.

Talk to them about your goals, focusing on finding a middle ground between the involvement they expect of you and your academic schedule.
If they seem more focused on getting what they want and not helping you achieve your goals, you might have to start asking yourself if they’re a real friend .
Try out some new activities to meet people who share your interests and who may also make supportive friends.

Step 3 Join a school club or organization.

If you want to stay in good health, you might want to join a sports team or a fitness-focused club.
Clubs centered around artistic pursuits, such as sculpture or painting, can help you diversify your skillset while expressing yourself.
Clubs focusing on math and the sciences can help you improve your skills in a way that’s directly useful for your schoolwork.
Keep in mind that you can always start a club of your own if you can’t find a club that you want to join.

Step 4 Speak to a guidance counselor or academic advisor.

Guidance counselors are usually trained to help you set academic goals, study more efficiently as well as helping you resolve conflicts with family and friends.
Some guidance counselors also provide therapy and counseling services that can prove helpful as you straighten out your social life. [10] X Research source

Common Questions: Balancing Your Studies and Social Life

How can you better yourself both academically and socially?

Find a study routine that works for you, and create a schedule to prioritize your tasks by importance. [11] X Research source Instead of mindlessly scrolling on your phone, make plans to do something fun with your friends, and stay on top of deadlines so you can enjoy social activities without feeling guilty or stressed.

How does social life affect students?

Building a strong social network can improve your self-esteem and communication skills. By learning how to express your ideas and listen to others, you’ll be able to manage your emotions more effectively—in and out of the classroom. [12] X Research source

Do students need a social life?

Yes, studies show that students with strong social skills tend to perform better. [13] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source When you’re surrounded by supportive people, you’re more likely to be productive and engaged. Connecting with others can also ease loneliness, relieve stress, and help you develop social skills that you’ll need in the workplace.

Listening to music might help you focus while working, as well as making the time you spend studying seem to go by more quickly. Music without lyrics is typically best for this. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

↑ Katie Styzek. Professional School Counselor. Expert Interview. 25 November 2020.
↑ Colleen Campbell, PhD. Career & Life Coach. Expert Interview. 28 March 2019.
↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21749245
↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/take-charge-of-distractions/
↑ https://www.bsmcon.edu/sites/default/files/assets/files/Tips%20for%20Reducing%20Distractions%20at%20Home.pdf
↑ https://jhsap.org/self_help_resources/school-life_balance/
↑ https://www.csuci.edu/caps/individual-counseling.htm
↑ https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/digital/2023/07/31/balancing-academics-and-social-life-in-college/
↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10271819/

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Five tips to achieve your optimal work-school-life balance.

The dilemma of pursuing a master’s degree while working may weigh heavily on your mind. Here are some of the solutions that students and alumni at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies have employed in order to manage a healthy personal and professional life at the same time.

1. Reinforce your personal support system

When you choose to make a life change such as going back to school, it will affect your partner and your family, not just you. Especially if you’re caring for one or more elders or children, speak with your partner before you even apply for your program. Can he or she take on more responsibility at home? If the burden is too heavy for your partner, who among your relatives or close friends can pitch in?

Enrolling in a graduate program is a wonderful way to advance your career. Make sure your partner and your family understand this objective, support your decision, and are willing to lend an extra hand at home.

2. Lean on your professional contacts

Talk with your employer to adjust work expectations. Mention that your studies will ultimately help you add value at the office so that your manager and colleagues are motivated to accommodate your new schedule. Inquire about flextime, delegating responsibilities, or working from home.

3. Shuffle your priorities

One saying goes, “You can have it all, but not all at once.” Consider which of your endeavors will be the highest priority during each semester. Many students structure their course load to fit their work schedule. Devising a strategy for handling work and school will ease these pressures and enhance your performance in both areas.

4. Take advantage of online options if possible

To help overcome scheduling conflicts with classes because of work, check the availability of online programs and individual online classes. The online format removes geographic location and commute time from the equation.

5. Cut yourself some slack

Even though you may be under stress, maintain your well-being, too. Though you may have to pull the occasional all-nighter, manage your time in order to get eight hours of sleep each night and a couple of hours of exercise each week. Every once in a while, reward yourself for a job well done. Indulge in a dinner at a nice restaurant or a day trip out of town.

A rigorous education demands your time and energy, but it shouldn’t deplete your health, your professional life, or your family life. Have conversations with the stakeholders in your life early and often; discuss how you can help each other and what external support you may need. Occasionally, take a break and unwind.

Remember, graduate school is temporary, and the end goal is to advance your career. Let that inspire you to restructure your time as necessary, tackle new challenges, and remain devoted to your future.

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How to Maximize Every Hour of Your Day for Unstoppable Productivity Maximize and win your day with these key strategies that are guaranteed to boost your productivity and help you achieve your goals.

By John Kitchens Edited by Chelsea Brown Jul 2, 2024

Key Takeaways

Your mornings set the tone for your day and allow you to have the right mindset to tackle challenges that may come your way. Focusing on self-care and personal development during this time serves as fuel for your productivity.
Leaders should avoid a "come what may" attitude and instead be clear about their goals. Setting specific, achievable goals helps prioritize critical tasks.
A well-structured calendar is essential for effectively executing your plans. Your calendar should only include tasks that align with your goals and are crucial for your business's success.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Time is one of the most valuable resources for CEOs aiming to win their day. Unlike other resources, time cannot be replaced or gained back. Once it has passed, it's gone forever. And in this age where business has to move at breakneck speed, the ability to manage time effectively is more than just a skill — it's a superpower.

Maximizing every hour of the day is crucial for leaders as they are responsible for making important decisions and driving the success of their business. However, not many leaders have mastered the art of time management, often getting bogged down with endless meetings and tasks that leave them feeling overwhelmed and unproductive. Eventually, this can lead to burnout and negatively affect their business.

The perfect day doesn't exist — unless you create it.

The conditions for winning your day are things you don't want to leave with chance, but rather it's something you actively work towards. Here are strategies on how leaders can engineer and maximize every hour of their day for unstoppable productivity .

Related: 101 Time Management Tips to Boost Productivity Every Day

Your mornings matter the most

Before you get stormed by unending emails, meetings and to-do lists, there's a sanctuary in the morning that's all yours. It's a sacred window where the DNA of your entire day is encoded. This sets the tone for your day and allows you to have the right mindset to tackle any challenges that come your way. During this time, it's crucial to focus on yourself and your well-being.

I firmly believe that to be able to lead others effectively, you must be in the best condition possible. Just like the oxygen mask theory states, you need to put your mask on first before helping others. The same principle applies to winning your day. You must prioritize self-care and personal development to serve as fuel for your productivity. It's a simple yet powerful principle that we often overlook because we dive headfirst into our responsibilities. Remember, we cannot pour from an empty cup, and taking care of ourselves should always be a top priority.

What are you doing to make yourself strong physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually? What are you doing to maintain your level of happiness and become the best version of yourself? With these questions in mind, you should be able to create a morning routine that sets you up for success.

Be clear on what you want and be intentional

One thing that many leaders often get wrong is adopting a "come what may" attitude. We often see this in leaders who are eager enough to finish every task they have on their plate. Speedrunning and completing as many tasks as possible does not equal productivity. It's wrong to think that maximizing your day only revolves around getting things done. In fact, this approach creates the opposite effect. Leaders end up with a day filled with distractions, pulling them in different directions without a clear focus. As a result, they weren't able to achieve what they truly wanted to do. This may sound difficult, but the solution to this problem is simple: Get clear on your goals and set a known direction. Where are you at currently, and where do you want to go? What do you want to achieve?

Simply setting specific and achievable goals for each day creates a process that helps you identify what actions to prioritize and what can be delegated or eliminated. You are now able to filter the critical tasks that align with your goals and categorize them into four groups: High Lifetime Value Activities (HLVA), Non-negotiables, High Leverage Activities (HLA) and Most Valuable Priorities (MVP).

Utilizing this approach helps you create a decision-making filter that dictates if a certain activity should go to your calendar or not. It also helps you to be more intentional with your time and focus on the tasks that truly matter. Remember that those who are successful in the industry know that their time is valuable, so they don't waste it on things that don't bring them closer to their goals. They focus on what truly matters, and this sets them apart from the rest.

Related: Why Most Entrepreneurs Are Terrible at Time Management (and What to Do Instead)

Committing to your calendar

Execution is where many plans perish or thrive. It's the most crucial — yet the most fragile part of the process that people often break. We have to understand that a leader's calendar isn't a mere schedule planner; it's a court of execution where actions are tried and accomplished, where the day isn't bossed around by to-dos, but by strategic moves that determine the progress of the entire organization.

That's why your calendar should not be filled with every single task that you have to do, but instead, a carefully curated list of only those that align with your goals and are crucial for the success of your business. I'm sure there will be unexpected tasks or last-minute meetings that will pop up, but you must keep in mind that your calendar is not a suggestion, it's a contract with yourself. It's a commitment to prioritize what truly matters and make the most out of your time. Learn to say no, and learn to protect your priorities. If it doesn't make it to your calendar, then it doesn't happen.

Have the discipline to follow through with your plans, and make each day count towards achieving your goals.

Pro tip: The flex space advantage

No matter how meticulous we can be, there will always be instances where things don't go exactly as planned. This is why having a "flex space" in your calendar can be a game-changer. A flex space is an intentional block of time that you allocate for unexpected tasks or urgent matters that may require your attention. May it be time for yourself and time for others, this allows you to have a buffer in your schedule that can accommodate any curveballs that come your way.

By having this buffer in your schedule, you are prepared to handle any interruptions without derailing your entire day. It also allows you to have some breathing room and avoid feeling anxious about unexpected tasks popping up.

Related: Time Management Hacks That Very Successful People Practice Daily

As a busy professional, it can often feel like there are never enough hours in the day. With endless tasks and responsibilities pulling us in all directions, it's easy to become overwhelmed and lose sight of our goals. However, by implementing these strategies and committing to a well-structured routine, you are bound to win your day and your week, and ultimately achieve your long-term goals. So, take the time to engineer your perfect day, and always remember: Productivity isn't about doing more — it's about doing what matters most. Let's make each day count!

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CEO of John Kitchens Coach

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The Difference Between Time Management In High School vs College

There is an old saying, “time is of the essence.” As we age, this simple yet insightful idiom begins to hold more weight than it used to as children. As you take on more responsibilities—whether that be friends, work, school, family, or just personal time—the more you will have to divide up your time. But do not fear, you are not alone in this arena.

Everybody must learn the value of time management at some point. College can be a crucial moment in your life to really hone this particular skill. College is the first time that students typically find themselves truly left to their own devices. In college your class schedule does not take up your entire day, and even if it does, you do not have the typical limitations you once did back at home. When you begin your college career, you will see just how much time is afforded to you. The trick is to manage it well. Here at NSHSS , we are devoted to making this better for you. Check out our five tips for managing your time well, no matter your schedule!

Depending on what schools, teachers, and communities you come from, the expectations in college are higher than they were for most people in high school. One of the ways this is expressed is through the semester-wide deadlines given out to each student. Typically, at the beginning of each college course, your professor might hand out a detailed syllabus, including the schedule for the entire semester. This will include due dates for everything from the first major essay, midterms, readings, and yes, even the final exam date. But do not be alarmed. Despite how daunting this might seem at the outset, it can be incredibly helpful for students when they are planning their own semester. By budgeting time early in the semester around each of your course due dates, you will find free time, play time, and even work time if you need to work on the weekends or after class. By blocking out your semester’s schedule early, you have a chance at minimizing your stress later on down the line.

Calendars! Calendars! Calendars!

We live in a digital age, where not only does your phone come equipped with a standard year calendar, there are hundreds of apps devoted to tracking your due dates, your course schedule, and your after school activities. On top of that, any school supply store will have a plethora of different calendars and planners to choose from. Maybe you want a large wall calendar you can decorate like a poster. Or you want something smaller, perhaps spiral-bound, that you can place in your bookbag next to your laptop. Whatever your preferred style, even if that is just using your phone/tablet, it is vitally important to get used to using a calendar. They are a fantastic way to see your life mapped out by the times you need to be here, there, or in the library studying for that upcoming test. If, say, your friends want you to join their volleyball team which practices on Thursday nights, you can add that new time to your existing calendar. This time management technique will help take the stress of timing out of your life, freeing your mind up to just enjoy the time you have.

Set Reminders

We all know that new events pop up everyday in our busy lives. Maybe your professor cancels class due to inclimate weather, or you miss a few days of class after getting a cold, or you decide to go home for the weekend which takes away that time you had allocated for studying in the library before a big test. Whatever the reason, we cannot always predict what may crop up to disrupt the timing we have planned for. This is where your phone might just become your best friend. By setting small reminders on whatever app you choose, you can fill in the gaps that remain when your calendar’s elaborate planning becomes justified. It may just save you in the long run to set a quick reminder for your future self.

Establish A Routine

One amazing advantage to college is the ample “free time” that you are given. Since classes may not take up your entire day, you are free to do what you think is best. But it’s important that you are realistic and practical with how you spend your time. Even if you have your entire afternoon free each day, this does not mean you should do whatever you feel like doing on each of those days. Instead, it is vital to your success as a student to establish a set routine. By relying on your calendars, a preferred reminders app, and your own class schedule, you can easily build a daily routine that works best for your skill set and interests. This routine might include going to the gym, going to church, taking a long walk around the campus, reading, studying at the library, or meeting your friends for late night coffee. The sooner you can learn to live by a daily routine, the quicker your time management skills will come into clear focus. And if you really want to do something wildly out of the ordinary one day after school, like go to the beach with your friends on a Tuesday night, or go to a football game on campus one Sunday morning, that is okay. Always remember, it is much easier to break a routine than to not have one at all.

Be Realistic

Some of you might be reading this and getting fired up at the prospect of creating your own personal schedule. While it is true that college students have a lot more free time than high school students, it is important to understand why this is and what it means. College is a place to try new things in the safety of a supportive community. Universities pride themselves on encouraging students to try out for all sorts of different clubs, or sports, or even just to make new friends. When a student has more free time than ever before, their problem is not wasting that free time completely, the problem usually arises when students overbook themselves and suddenly are spread too thin. This can be where students start to burn out too quickly. If you are a social butterfly, or you just know that you will want to try everything at least once, that is no problem. But keep in mind the importance of mental health. By overextending oneself, a student can become too tired, too anxious, and possibly too depressed to focus on important things like the clubs they signed up for, their new friends, or even their coursework. Therefore, as much fun as it might be to do everything you possibly can in a single day, being kind to your future self by not overdoing it is an even better time management tool than any other you might pick up. And, if you are on the other end of the spectrum and do not feel much like doing anything, try devoting just thirty minutes of your day to trying something new. You never can tell where a little bit of time might lead you.

These time management tips and tricks are meant to prepare you for both the fun you might have in your new life as a college student and to warn you against overextending yourself. Beginning your college career is an important step in any student’s life, no matter where or when. But with this newfound freedom comes a newfound sense of reality. Do not let the boundless possibilities become a burden to you. Plan ahead, embrace the moments of calm, and do not be afraid to scrap your calendar’s dates and try something new. Because that’s what college is truly all about new experiences. So, if you need to plan for anything, plan to be surprised!

For more tips on college life, visit NSHSS to learn what will help you in this next phase of your journey.

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How to Let Your Values Guide You as a School Leader

Silhouette of a figure inside of which is reflected public school life, Self-reflection of career in education

Self-reflection is an essential part of the leadership journey. One of the biggest challenges school leaders face is the disconnect between their actions and core values. When this disconnect occurs, they may find themselves leading haphazardly, without a clear sense of direction or purpose.

Feelings of mental exhaustion and burnout can easily seep into the picture, which is when you most need a mindset alignment. By maintaining a solid connection between values and work, you can ensure you are leading with purpose and clarity.

School leaders are shaped by many rich personal and professional experiences that teach them what effective school leadership looks, sounds, and feels like. As a school leader, you should always look to other principals, assistant principals, deans, and others in leadership positions for examples of what to do and, very often, what not to do.

In this biweekly column , principals and other authorities on school leadership—including researchers, education professors, district administrators, and assistant principals—offer timely and timeless advice for their peers.

Reflecting on past experiences as teachers, instructional coaches, deans, or assistant principals can help principals reconnect with the emotions and motivations that led you to school leadership. Speaking as a former district and school leader, I recognize that our experiences as students in school, how our students’ families felt about school, and our own children’s experiences with school can influence how we engage as school leaders. Those experiences shaped us as people and educators.

These reflections reinforce a leader’s reason why. It can be easy to forget that “why” while immersed in the work, but reflection can help keep us motivated and moving forward, especially during challenging times. Reflective practice is necessary to grow, evolve, and lead with confidence as a school leader.

For example, growing up in a low-income, single-parent household, my family and I were rich in our beliefs about school and the value it could bring to our lives. In my mother’s eyes, school and education were the golden ticket to help break the cycle of poverty, and, as a result, she was very strict about school. She also instilled the importance of commitment. Our belief was that following through on commitments was an indicator of character.

When I became a leader, I found myself bringing a lot of my family values into my leadership and had to sort through the realities of fairness and leading justly. I’ve carried the value of school and commitment throughout my life.

As a principal, I realized how my value of commitment became a challenge with how I led early on in my career. There was a pattern developing in how I reacted to teachers each time one would come to my office to share that they couldn’t handle teaching and “quit” on our students.

I took it personally. I mean, after all, these are our students. How could you leave them like that?

As I became more self-aware of my emotions and the how and why of their existence, I realized those expectations were bringing negativity into the space. My conversations then shifted from judging those teachers unfairly to listening and responding with empathy and support. I led with my personal experiences, which shaped my values as an adult; the personal influenced the professional.

Without developing the practice of reflection and a willingness to receive feedback, I could never have evolved as a school leader.

Reflecting on the values that matter to us most is an important step in that evolution. Sometimes, this can feel like peeling back layers of an onion, and the revelations may be painful. However, the more you ask yourself why and peel back those layers, the closer you will get to identifying your true values—the things that drive you as a person, as an individual, as a family member, or as a leader.

This process can be uncomfortable, but if there are no feelings of discomfort, your self-reflection is not being done right. To begin understanding yourself and evolving as a school leader, I encourage you to start with L.O.V.E.—list, organize, value, and evaluate.

List your core values, the ones closest to your heart and mind.

Organize those values by theme. This is where the discomfort may emerge. Ask the question why for each theme. Get to the root of why the core values are important. This may bring up some painful memories or possibly joyful ones. Understanding the why of your values is important here.

After deep reflection and introspection, think about how those values can show up in leadership actions. For example, after peeling back the layers, you may identify that honesty is a core value because experience has taught you that honest people are reliable and trustworthy. You may then reflect that value in leadership actions with transparent communication about budget, district messaging, systems. It will become an expectation and commitment to be transparent with staff at all times.

Each week, take time to evaluate how your value-led actions and decisions are aligned with core values. How does it feel when decisions or actions are made in opposition to values? Take note. Commit to actions that create self-awareness before taking action or making decisions.

Our values are shaped by our positive and negative experiences, which eventually shape us as individuals. Identifying those core values is essential to establishing one’s leadership style.

As school leaders, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day and forget to check in with ourselves. That’s why it’s important to set aside time on the calendar and prioritize reflection. The more time is prioritized, the more opportunity we have to align our values with our leadership. We have the power to choose when and how to invest in ourselves to let our values guide transformational leadership practices.

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How do student loans work? Guide for new borrowers

A student loan can be a financial lifeline to cover school costs, but understanding what this responsibility means during and after school is key.

Jennifer Calonia

Jennifer Calonia is a personal finance writer and editor who was born, raised, and currently resides in Los Angeles. She believes smart money management starts with making financial concepts and advice accessible to the everyday person.

Renee Fleck

Renee Fleck is a student loans editor with over five years of experience in digital content editing. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, Morning Brew, and Sidebar.io, among other online publications. She is fluent in Spanish and French and enjoys traveling to new places.

Updated July 3, 2024, 4:56 PM EDT

Fox Money is a personal finance hub featuring content generated by Credible Operations, Inc. (Credible), which is majority-owned indirectly by Fox Corporation. The Fox Money content is created and reviewed independent of Fox News Media. Credible is solely responsible for this content and the services it provides.

If you’re heading to college, you might be considering student loans to help cover costs—and you wouldn’t be alone. Students and parents borrowed a total of $98.2 billion in federal and private student loans for the 2022-23 school year as reported by the College Board . These loans can be essential for covering tuition, room and board, textbooks, and other educational expenses when grants and scholarships aren’t enough.

But before you sign any loan agreement, it’s important to understand the different types of student loans and how they work. Here’s what you need to know before you borrow.

How do federal student loans work?

Federal student loans are offered by the U.S. Department of Education. Different loan programs are available to undergraduates, graduate students, and parents of undergraduates. All federal student loans can all be accessed through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA):

Subsidized Direct Loans: Subsidzed loans are need-based loans that are accessible to undergraduate students. The government pays the interest on these loans while you’re in school and during a six-month grace period after graduating or dropping below half-time enrollment.
Unsubsidized Direct Loans: Unsubsdized loans are available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. These loans aren’t based on financial need or credit history, making them one of the easiest student loans to obtain.
Direct PLUS Loans: Direct PLUS Loans can cover up the full cost of attendance at your school unlike subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Grad PLUS loans or only available to graduates and professional students, while parent PLUS loans are reserved for parents of dependent undergraduates.

To take out federal loans, you must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, be enrolled in a qualifying school and degree or certificate-granting program, and meet other criteria.

Interest rates and fees

Federal student loan interest rates are fixed, meaning they remain the same for the duration of the loan. Rates are set annually by Congress and they’re based on the 10-year Treasury note yield. Here’s a look at current interest rates and fees for the 2024-25 school year:

Application process

You can apply for all federal student loan types with one convenient application. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the official form that’s used to determine your federal aid eligibility. There’s no cost to submit the FAFSA and through it, you can access grants, work-study opportunities, and federal student loans. It can be completed and submitted conveniently online:

Gather your personal information. This includes your Social Security number, driver’s license, federal tax returns, documents for other income sources.
Create a Federal Student Aid ID. This is the login you’ll use when working on, submitting, and revisiting your FAFSA online. It also acts as your electronic signature on federal student aid documents.
Complete the FAFSA. Fill out your FAFSA for the academic year you’d like to receive financial aid. It takes approximately one hour to complete the form.

Your school will review your FAFSA and identify the types of federal aid and amounts you qualify for, if any. Be sure to fill out the FAFSA and submit it as soon as annual applications open on October 1st. The deadline to submit the 2024-2025 FAFSA is on June 30, 2025.

Federal Direct Loans are broken down into fixed payment repayment plans and income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. Loan terms can range from 10 years to 30 years, depending on your repayment plan and loan type:

Standard Repayment Plan. This plan divides your principal balance into 120 equal monthly payments (10 years), plus interest. This is the default plan for federal student loans.
Graduated Repayment Plan. Payments start low, and gradually increase every two years or so over a 10-year term.
Extended Repayment Plan. Monthly payments are fixed or graduated, but the loan is paid over 25 years.
Income-driven repayment plans: Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans determine your monthly payment based on your income and family size. There are four IDR plan types including SAVE , PAYE, IBR , and ICR. Loan terms range from 10 to 25 years depending on the plan.

How do private student loans work?

Private student loans are provided by non-federal lenders, like banks, credit unions, and online lenders. Your state or school might also have its own private loan program. Student loans from private lenders might have fixed or variable rates, and loan terms and repayment options vary between lenders.

To qualify for a private student loan, lenders usually require a credit score in the mid-to-high 600s. They also look at your income, employment status, and sometimes other financial factors to evaluate your ability to repay the debt. That’s why a good credit history can be crucial for securing a private student loan.

Since most dependent undergraduates are unable to qualify on their own, they often need to bring on a cosigner, such as a parent or family member, who can meet these requirements. A cosigner is someone who agrees to take on responsibility for the loan alongside the primary borrower. This means that if you’re unable to make payments, your cosigner will be legally responsible to pay back the loan.

Check Out: Best Student Loans For Bad Credit

Unlike federal student loans, private student loans have interest rates that can be either fixed or variable. Variable rates may start lower than fixed rates but they can fluctuate over time with market conditions. Most private lenders don’t charge loan origination or application fees.

Several factors can influence the interest rate you get on a private student loan. For example, your credit score, which reflects your history of managing debt. Higher scores often qualify for lower rates. The length of your loan term can also play a role. Shorter terms generally have lower interest rates because the risk to the lender is reduced.

Private loans don’t have a universal application. Each lender sets its own eligibility criteria — including credit and income requirements — and has different rates, terms, repayment plans and hardship programs. Each private loan is different so compare a handful of student loan offers, before applying.

The application process for private student loans includes a thorough credit check that will temporarily impact your credit score. It’s a necessary step that’s part of the lender’s assessment to determine the risk of lending to you.

Many private lenders let you pre-qualify for a loan to see your estimated rates before submitting a formal application. Since undergraduate students might not have established or positive credit histories, some lenders require a co-signer when applying for a private student loan.

Private student loans don’t adhere to federal repayment options. Private lenders set their own repayment options, with terms typically ranging from 5 to 20 years. Opting for a shorter repayment term results in higher monthly payments but allows you to clear your debt sooner. A longer repayment term, on the other hand, lowers your monthly payments but increases the total interest paid over the life of the loan.

How does interest work on student loans?

How interest is applied to your student loan balance depends on the method used by your lender. Most student loans, including federal student loans, accrue interest daily.

Interest on student loans can also be capitalized , which is a key concept to understand since it affects how much you’ll ultimately pay back. Capitalization happens when the interest that accumulates on your loans is added to your principal loan balance, leading to a higher loan amount and more interest charges over time.

Capitalization typically occurs if you don’t pay interest on your loans during periods of deferment such as while you’re in school and during your six-month grace period. The only exception is with Federal Direct Subsidized Loans. Since the government pays interest on these loans while loan payments are paused, there’s no interest that can be capitalized.

Managing student loans post-graduation

See if you qualify for loan forgiveness.

Your unpaid federal student loan balance might be forgivable if you meet certain program criteria, like working for a nonprofit or government entity. Explore forgiveness programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Teacher Loan Forgiveness to see if you qualify.

Request an IDR plan

If you’re experiencing hardship with repaying your federal student debt, speak to your loan servicer about getting on an income-driven repayment plan. IDR plans re-calculate your payments based on your income and family size, and some borrowers qualify for monthly payments as low as $0. These plans also forgive your remaining loan balance at the end of your repayment period.

Refinance student loans

If market rates drop, it might be in your interest to see whether student loan refinancing is a good fit. Refinancing your student loans might help you secure a lower interest rate than you currently have. Conversely, you can choose to refinance for a longer term to reduce your monthly payments if they’re unmanageable now. This option, however, results in paying more interest over time.

How do student loans work?

A student loan is a type of financial aid option. You can find student loans through federal and state government programs, your school, or a financial institution like a bank, credit union or online lender. The money that you borrow must be repaid with interest. You’ll repay the loan over time, sometimes over 10 years or longer.

How and when are student loans disbursed?

Federal student loans are typically disbursed directly to your college or university’s financial aid office. Federal loan funds are typically disbursed to your school a few days after the start of the academic year. For private student loans, the lender might disburse funds directly to your school or to you; additionally, disbursement dates can vary.

How much can I borrow in student loans?

How much you can borrow depends on the type of student loan you’ve accepted. Federal student loans have annual and aggregate borrowing limits , depending on your year in school. Private student loan amounts are typically capped at your school-certified total cost of attendance, minus any financial aid you’ve already received.

Is a student loan worth it?

Compared to other types of consumer debt, student loans are generally considered “good debt”. A 2023 College Board report found that completing college typically pays off over time, and leads to increased career prospects and earning potential in the long run.

Why are student loans so hard to pay off?

Interest, which is the cost of borrowing a student loan, can result in owing more toward your student debt than you originally borrowed. These interest charges can balloon over time. On top of that, the overall increase in everyday goods and services can make it more challenging to manage student loan payments each month.

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Consider these scenarios:

A manager needs an assistant to monitor a specific folder on his or her mailbox. In this scenario, an assistant is granted the appropriate permissions to a folder in a manager’s mailbox, but depending on the permissions granted, if they respond to a message they can only respond as themselves.

A manager needs an assistant to monitor email on his or her behalf. In this scenario, an assistant is granted the appropriate permissions to a manager’s folder or mailbox, but when they respond to messages, their responses are shown as coming on behalf of the manager . This type of sharing requires Delegate access permissions. For help with setting up delegate permissions, see Allow messages to be sent on your behalf when sharing a folder or mailbox .

Note: Sharing folders or mailboxes can only be done using work or school account with qualifying Microsoft 365 subscriptions, or work or school accounts hosted by Exchange Online.

Select a tab option below for the version of Outlook you're using. What version of Outlook do I have?

Note: If the steps under this New Outlook tab don't work, you may not be using new Outlook for Windows yet. Select the Classic Outlook tab and follow those steps instead.

Share and access a folder or mailbox in new Outlook

There are two ways to interact with shared folders: you can be the owner of a mailbox who wants to share one or more folder or their entire mailbox.

Folder or mailbox owner : You own the folder and decide to share it with others. You set the appropriate permission levels for those you want to share the folder with.

Invitee : When someone shares a folder or mailbox with you, you'll receive an invitation to share a folder. When you accept the invitation, the folder appears in your folder pane. What you can do in a shared folder, depends on the permission levels set.

Owner of folder or mailbox: Share a folder or mailbox with others

To share one or more folders or to share your entire mailbox with others in your organization, follow these steps:

Navigate to the folder you want to share.

Right-click on the folder and choose Sharing and permissions .

Enter the name or email address of the person you're giving permission to, and then select Add .

From the list of names on the Permissions for the folder window, select the name of the person you just added.

In the Permissions section, select the Permission level dropdown and select the permissions you want to grant to this user. If you're not sure what permission level to select, see the section below Options for sharing a folder .

Screenshot showing Permission level dropdown when sharing a folder

Confirm the sharing settings and click OK . The person you're sharing with will receive an email to let them know you shared a folder with them.

Tip: If you want to share a subfolder you need to follow the same process, but also share the parent folder(s).

Owner of folder or mailbox: Remove sharing privileges

Navigate to the folder you're sharing.

Right-click the folder and choose Sharing and permissions.

Select the person you're sharing with, and then select Delete icon.

Invitee: Accept and view a folder or mailbox shared with you

When someone shares a folder with you an email is sent to let you know. You can now add this to your folder pane so you can access.

In the folder pane, right-click Shared with me .

Select Add shared folder or mailbox .

Enter the email address or name of the person that shared a folder with you and click Add .

The name of the person will appear under the node Shared with me . Expand the node to view all folders that person shared with you.

Invitee: Remove the shared folder or mailbox from your folder pane

If you decide that you no longer want to see the other person’s mailbox or folder every time you open new Outlook, right-click the folder, and select Remove shared folder .

Options for sharing a folder

When you share a folder, you can set permissions that define what each user who accesses the folder can do. Selecting an option from the Permission level dropdown, triggers the selection of Read , Write , Other , and Delete access permissions. The screenshot to the right, shows what level of permissions are automatically chosen when selecting a Permission level of Publishing editor .

Tip: If you remove one of those checkboxes associated with a permission level, the level changes to Custom .

Screenshot showing Publishing editor selected as permission level

The table below details the type of permission granted depending on the Permission level you set.


Owner	Create, read, modify, and delete all items in the shared folder. As an owner, a user can change the permission levels that others have for the folder.
Publishing Editor	Create, read, modify, and delete all items, and create subfolders.
Editor	Create, read, modify, and delete all items.
Publishing Author	Create and read items, create subfolders, and modify and delete items that you create.
Author	Create and read items, and modify and delete items that you create.
Nonediting Author	Create and read items, and delete items that you create.
Reviewer	Read items only.
Contributor	Create items only.
None	Can't perform any activity. The user remains on the permissions list but has no permission and cannot open the folder.
Custom	Perform activities defined by the folder owner.

Owner of folder or mailbox: Grant permissions to a folder

In the Folder Pane, right-click the folder you want to share, and then select Properties .

To find the users or contact groups you want to share the folder with, on the Permissions tab, under Permissions , select Add .

In the Global Address List, select the users and contact groups you want, clicking Add after selecting each one. As you add users or groups, they appear in the box to the right of the Add button. When you're finished adding users, click OK .

Screenshot of adding users to share a folder with

Select the user you want to share with, and choose permissions level from the dropdown list.

Permissions descend from Owner , with all the rights, to Contributor , with the fewest rights.

After you choose a permissions level, you can fine-tune the permissions by selecting buttons or checking and unchecking boxes. If you do that, the Permission Level for the user or group will change to Custom .

In the example shown here, Diane and Kim have the built-in Author and Publishing Editor permission levels. Vernon was assigned to the Editor level, which was then customized to allow him to delete his own items.

Set different permissions for other users or groups by repeating steps 2 through 6.

Invitee: Access another person’s folder or mailbox in classic Outlook

If you're using classic Outlook, the mailbox you were granted access to automatically displays in your folder list. In the example below, Adam Barr was granted access to the mailbox of Kim Akers. Kim’s mailbox displays automatically in Adam’s folder list.

Note: If you were recently granted access to the mailbox, it may take a few hours for the other user’s mailbox to display in your folder list.

Shared folder displays in Outlook 2013 folder list

What you can do in this mailbox depends on the permission levels you were granted by the person sharing their mailbox with you.

Share and access a folder or mailbox in Outlook on the web

If you decide that you no longer want to see the other person’s mailbox or folder every time you open new Outlook, right-click the folder, and click Remove shared folder .

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12 Best Tips to Balance School and Work

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2. Do What You Enjoy

3. Communicate

4. Support Circle

5. Use Time Wisely

6. To-Do List

7. Procrastinate Productively

8. Overlapping

9. Take Breaks

11. Your Work and Study Space

12. Remember Your Goals

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How to Balance Life, Work, and School: A Guide for Busy College Students

1. Consider an Online Program

2. Build a Support Network

3. Schedule Time Off for Studying

4. Manage Your Time Wisely

5. Minimize Distractions in Your Home Environment

6. Access Your Online Classroom Regularly

7. Don't Wait Until the Last Minute

8. Take Time for Self-Care

Balancing Life, Work, and School is Possible

Your Path to Success Begins Here

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Trying to figure out how to get your school and work life together? Don’t worry. You’re not alone.

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If you’re going to add some life to your bath, take a look at my favourite bath products from Lush:

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If you’re a high school or college student who has a job, you may find balancing both a bit stressful sometimes. However, by incorporating some good habits and strategies into your routine, you can successfully manage both! Here are some tips on how to balance school and work.

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