Welcome to another blog post. In today’s post, I’ll be sharing 5 ways I balance my university life and my work life. I’ve had a part time job at Costa for over a year now, and so I feel I’ve got some good experience of being able to maintain standards in both of these areas. I really hope these tips help you if you’re in the same position as me. Without further ado, let’s get to it.
Don’t take on extra shifts unless you can
If I know I can’t take on an extra shift because I’m at university, I don’t decide to take it on anyway. I know I’m well within my right to say no.
Make your employer aware you’re at university
It’s important to be open with your employer. The minute I told my manager I was back at university, she scheduled my shifts to always be at the weekends so there wasn’t and isn’t an issue of a shift clashing with a lecture or a seminar. I also think it’s important to make them aware as soon as possible!
Use a planning system to organise your time
I think it’s important to have a planning system for university anyway but using it in connection with balancing your university and work life is a really good idea. I always make sure to make a note of when I’m working was early as possible so I can plan my study sessions around them. If I note them down early, it gives me a chance to prepare, particularly around deadline season and any exams I may be taking.
Try not to do any university work on the days that you’re working
This is likely to vary from person to person but I wanted to share what I do. I work in hospitality which always makes me feel exhausted whenever I get home after a shift. I just want to relax after a long day. I have noticed before that when I try and do university work on these days, the information doesn’t stick with me as well as it normally would. Of course, some people may be able to do this just fine but for me, I prefer to keep these two parts of my life as separate as possible.
Speak to someone if you’re struggling
If it ever gets too much for me, I always remember it’s okay to speak to someone. One time, I cried at work wondering how I was going to cope being at university and my job at the same time. After speaking to my manager, I definitely felt a lot better. There are also people that you can speak to at university if you ever find yourself struggling.
I hope this post is able to help you in some way. Thank you for reading and I will see you soon for another blog post.
Beth
Beth Olivia 