14 ways to balance your busy life schedule in college

Balancing life, classes, and a part-time job can be overwhelming as a busy college student—no matter the year you’re in. Even part-time students and full-time workers struggle with creating this balance. Throughout your college years, there will be many different things that require your attention: a full course load, floor meetings and events, clubs, a job, on-campus activities, studying, and maintaining a social life. You may wonder, “How does one truly do it all?”

The short answer? Managing your time well. After all, time will be the most important commodity you have. Learning to make the most of it is vital to your success both inside and outside the classroom. But what if you’re terrible at managing your time right now? What if you’re the master procrastinator? Where do you start to get on track?

If you’re wondering how to balance a busy college life schedule while getting an education, we’ve got you covered! Here are 14 ways to achieve school-life balance.

1. Create a calendar

Writing down your schedule each day, week, and month can really help with balancing life, classes, your current job, and even your future career! Calendars, weekly planners, and even apps on your tablets and phones can all help. For example, using Google Calendar is a great alternative to buying a physical one. It’s easy to add events, assignments, and due dates and write other important things down when you have constant access to it. By creating a calendar (that you actually use!), it’s less likely you’ll forget the important things going on in your academic, professional, and personal life.

If you are someone who prefers to use pen and paper, you could opt for a notebook planner. Use color-coded pens and highlighters to keep track of your important dates to stay more organized. When you haven’t written down what you need to do or when you have to do something, your schedule can feel even more overwhelming.

Here are some examples of what to include in your calendar:

• Due dates, assignments, quizzes, or midterms from your syllabus.
• Any work shifts that you get.
• Student organization weekly meetings or events.
• Any personal activities, including a friend’s birthday party or a night out.

2. Learn to manage your time and do it well

Like we said—time is your greatest commodity. Try different time management practices until you find what works best for you. Not every time management system works for every person, so it’s important to give each one a try during your study time.

• Pomodoro Method: The Pomodoro Method is one of the most popular time management practices that people use for their academic and professional lives. Instead of trying to study for hours on end, you’ll break it up into smaller intervals. To try the Pomodoro study method, you’ll pick the task at hand you would like to work on and then set a timer for 25 minutes. Focus only on that task for the entire 25 minutes, and then when the timer goes off, take a break for 5 minutes. Repeat four times, and then take a longer break before starting from the beginning.
• Time-Blocking: Time-blocking can be more tedious but is worth it if you can’t seem to manage your time well. To try this technique, you’ll schedule out and write down everything you’re going to do for the entire day. For example, if you wake up at 8 a.m., write down when you’ll wake up, have breakfast, and do your morning routine. Then, write down your next task and the exact time you want to work on it. Creating this concrete schedule will help you focus on the task at hand and actually cross off your to-do list.
• Eisenhower Matrix: If you feel as if you’re more disciplined with your time management skills, the Eisenhower Matrix may be a better option for you. This practice prioritizes your most urgent and important tasks by dividing your tasks into four boxes. You’ll have the tasks you complete first, the tasks you’ll do later, the tasks you’ll delegate, and the tasks you can eliminate. For instance, instead of working on a paper that’s due in two weeks, you decide to prioritize the internship application that is due this upcoming Friday.

3. Find an outlet for stress

Feeling stressed out during your college years is very common. A healthy outlet for that stress will ensure you don’t take it out on your work, friendships, or relationships—or by turning to unhealthy outlets. According to Mental Health America (MHA), building a “coping toolbox” can help you manage and reduce stress. Plus more tips on how to create student life balance.

4. Be realistic about your capabilities

It’s important to consider what implications picking up a job or activity will have. Consider the amount of time your job or extracurricular will take from your week. Will there be enough time for homework and studying? Everybody has different capabilities, so don’t make comparisons to another classmate. Do what works for you.

5. Make daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists

Similar to a calendar, making daily, weekly, and monthly lists of tasks will help keep your schedule manageable. These lists can consist of large tasks, schoolwork, dorm or roommate chores, and other everyday life things. If a calendar doesn’t work for you, then a to-do list may be the winner. You can use an app on your phone or write it down on a piece of paper (the old-fashioned way) to see all your tasks over the following day, week, and month. Then, when you’ve finished a task, cross it off your list and take a moment to appreciate what your hard work has accomplished!

Pro Tip: It helps to get into the habit of listing your priorities each week. For example, over the weekend, take 10 minutes to inventory what’s on your schedule for the week ahead. What do your academic, personal, and other activities look like? What needs your immediate attention, and what can wait? Prioritizing your tasks helps you to plan ahead, which usually saves you time and stress in the end.

6. Watch for warning signs of burnout

Mental Health America has created this resource on Burnout, what it is and how to recognize the signs. Learn how to recognize when you’re doing too much.

7. Give yourself a reward

This advice may seem silly, but rewarding yourself after completing tasks is motivating and overall helpful. What type of reward, you ask? Well, that’s your choice! Maybe you want a piece of chocolate or some chips, or to spend a few minutes watching your favorite TV show or going out with friends. Whatever it is, give yourself a break and take time to enjoy life. When you implement a reward system, it feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel while you’re working incredibly hard.

8. Set goals

Setting goals is a great way to get yourself into the right mindset. At the beginning of each semester, write down your goals for that semester. You can set short-term goals for the day or the week, like getting a paper done before the weekend, or long-term goals like getting an A in one of your most difficult classes this semester. You can also have personal goals, like making a new friend, or extracurricular goals, like joining a student organization you’re interested in. When you set clear goals, you are more likely to stay committed to them and get things done. Whatever it is you hope to accomplish, set a goal and write it down. Just the simple act of writing it down will make it more official and harder to ignore.

However, don’t take on too much. When setting goals, try to avoid those that are unrealistic. Don’t pile too much on your plate. That is a set-up for failure that breeds disappointment, and no one wants that. Your goals are supposed to help you grow, but they have to be attainable and appropriate. If you’re not sure whether they fit that description, test them using the SMART method. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. By using this method, you’re able to have an even clearer idea of what you want to achieve and how to get there. You can also measure your progress and make adjustments if need be. So, in essence, it pays to be SMART.

9. Surround yourself with a solid support system

You can’t do it all. More importantly, you can’t do it all alone. The people you surround yourself with can have a major effect on all aspects of your daily life, even if you don’t realize it as it’s happening. Surrounding yourself with people who don’t support your decisions or don’t think you can do something will negatively impact your performance.

The beautiful thing about college is that there are several different resources readily available to support you. The sooner you take advantage of them, the better your experience will be. You can reach out to professors, academic advisors, student health and counseling services, etc. Anything you need help with, you should be able to find on your campus—but don’t forget the importance of good friends. Surround yourself with those who are going to lift you up, not tear you down.

10. Get to know your professors

If you have the opportunity, get to know your professors. Your professors wouldn’t have the job that they have if they weren’t interested in helping their students succeed. Go to their office hours and introduce yourself, ask them to meet for coffee to go over the course material, and if you’re having trouble, ask them for help. Some of your best classes might be because of who taught you, not what they were about.

11. Learn to say “no”

Being involved in college is pretty easy, even if it may not feel like it at the beginning. And if you’re involved in a couple of different groups on campus, it can easily start to be more than you can handle. Using the strategies above will help you keep the overwhelming aspects of college life in check. But, eventually, you’ll have to learn the power of the word “no.”

At first, saying “no” to an event or helping out with a club you’re in will give you a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out) but it will get easier. Plus, you’ll be setting yourself up for better grades, and everyone will understand if you can’t attend something because you need to study—or to catch up on the sleep you lost studying after the last event.

12. Avoid procrastination

This is a big one. Remember how we said organizing will save your life in college? Well, procrastination will do the exact opposite. Now, you might say that you’re a procrastinator, and it hasn’t hurt you yet. However, while it may not have hurt you academically, it has cost you something down the line. For example, sleep or time you could’ve spent hanging out with friends. That’s what procrastination does: it steals time and adds stress.

Avoiding the urge to procrastinate is not easy at all, especially when there are things more interesting than schoolwork or other responsibilities taking place around you. Practice overcoming procrastination by breaking tasks into smaller steps, using tools to decrease distractions, and implementing focused work sessions.

13. Have a backup plan

You’ve likely heard it everywhere: always have a backup plan. This is even truer in college where the unexpected is bound to happen from time to time. So, on the off chance that you’re slammed with schoolwork and can’t seem to get it all done, what’s your backup plan?

First, talk to your professors. Explain your situation and see if they can offer any extensions on assignments or extra credit. If you have a job, have a conversation with your boss. See if they will modify your hours to accommodate your schoolwork for a period of time. Usually, employers and professors are very understanding. Once you’ve established a solid backup plan, do your part and get to work.

14. Bonus tips for balancing a job in school

If you’ve decided to take on a part-time job, good for you! Here are some tips so that this can be something that excites you, rather than something that overwhelms you:

• Communicate with your friends and family about your schedule. Let friends and family know your schedule so they don’t accidentally plan over your commitments. Just a little communication will go a long way.
• Ease into your job. If possible, try to start with a few hours at a time so you can get a sense for how your new schedule will feel. Don’t overwhelm yourself from the beginning.
• Plan as far in advance as possible. This will eliminate many issues and responses such as “I’m not sure, I’ll have to wait to see my work schedule and let you know.” This is unavoidable sometimes depending on your job, but if you can have a regular, set schedule, it would allow easier planning.
• Use your time efficiently. Before you had a job, you might have spent your study time or free moments hanging with friends. Instead, use this time now to focus on completing homework and studying for the next test. This will save you stress so that when you get home from work, you can relax, eat, sleep, or do whatever you choose rather than cram and stress out about school.

Having discipline is key to balancing your life, career, and classes. It’s not something you’re born with, it's something you learn. So, if it takes a while, don’t panic. You’ll get the hang of it with time and consistency. The purpose of college is to make you a well-rounded individual, and well-rounded people usually do a little bit of everything. It is possible for you to do well in school, have a social life, get involved with extracurriculars, or even get a part-time job! We hope these tips help you find balance in your college life.

If you’re still looking for colleges and need help finding scholarships you’re eligible for, use College Raptor, Citizens college planning platform, as your one-stop shop to do it all!