3 Steps to Balance Work & School Like a Boss

Katy Boyles |
Katy is our Social Media Manager at Snagajob, where she loves talking to hourly workers and employers all day long. Her first hourly job was as a hostess.

Managing a school schedule is hard enough. After a long day of classes, homework, papers and extra curriculars, all you want to do is chill and binge a little Netflix. I totally get it. Unfortunately, binge watching Stranger Things won't pay the bills. So you've got to figure out how to balance working a job on top of the cray schedule you already have.

Don't worry though, I've got a few tips to help you handle the challenge. As a student, I pushed it to the limit. I took a full course loads, worked 5 days a week and loaded on the internships. And after a few semesters of missed classes, running late to shifts and pulling an insane number of all nighters, I mastered the balancing act. Now I'm here to help you.

3 steps to balance work and school:

1. Get your priorities in check

You're not going to successfully juggle work and your other responsibilities unless you exercise some discipline and make a schedule. Before you take on a new job, write down all of your priorities and the amount of time they take each week. Estimate on the high end and include a little buffer time for hanging with friends and Netflixing. Then, crunch the numbers and see how much time you can dedicate to work.

Once you figure out what kind of schedule you're working with, use an agenda or calendar to keep track of everything. Trust me, this will make your life so much easier.

2. Make your work schedule work for you

Seriously, don't over do it. As someone who’s gone overboard working until exhaustion, I'm telling you to find a job that's flexible. School comes first and there are plenty of part-time jobs that can accommodate a busy student schedule like yours. Restaurant and retail jobs are great places to look because they offer a variety of shifts to choose from. The most important thing to remember is don't stress yourself out by taking on too many shifts.

Overworking could lead to burnout. Trust me, I've been there and it ain't pretty. It's okay to work fewer shifts until you're comfortable with the balancing game. Once you've got it down, you can always pick up extra hours.

3. Keep your eye on the prize

I'm not going to sugar coat it--balancing school and working to pay the bills can be hard. Every morning you reach for the snooze button, remember that you can't afford to push it. Why? Because... money.

While your friends are hunting for quarters in the couch cushions, begging for allowance advances and donating plasma to make an extra buck, you'll be earning money that can be used for vacation, rent, tuition and non-dining hall food (yum). Not to mention, you're also absorbing skills and experience that'll come in handy down the road.

Playing the balance game with school and work is always tricky and requires patience and accountability. But, it all gets easier once that money hits your bank account.

Do you have any tips for balancing a crazy schedule? Tell us below.