The speed at which the world around us is moving is much greater today than it was a decade ago. Everything is fast-paced, competitive, and needs to be done now or never. This whirlwind of urgency is a natural habitat for common people in the 21st century. You have to breathe multitasking in and exhale efficiency unless you want to be left behind.
The hustle starts just around the time people get into college, sometimes earlier. It can be extremely overwhelming and stressful to have a social life while studying in college and working.
1. Nothing Is Impossible
The amount of workload may seem extremely hard to handle. Yet, while you do have to put in some work, it is nowhere near impossible to do. Case in point – meet John Smith.
A responsible and highly functioning workaholic got his degree in international economics while putting his time in as a content manager for a small PR agency to partially cover his tuition. With some outside help, he managed to pull through the most intense parts of this lifestyle and breezed through the rest combining his intelligence and charisma to climb both academic and career ladders simultaneously.
Today, anyone can be like John Smith, so the first piece of advice is to stick to one point. Nothing is impossible.
2. Remote Work
Remote jobs are rather common nowadays. Not every field has this option, but if you can go for it – there’s no reason to. Remote work focuses on the results rather than on time spent achieving them.
That means you can make your schedule into anything you want. As long as you deliver, in the end, it doesn’t matter if you spend one hour or one day on your assignment. There are many entry-level positions that work perfectly for college students that have neither a qualification nor a portfolio yet.
Marketing and content manager is one of the most prominent examples. But frankly, anything counts if you can make it work via an internet connection. The options are limitless and range from a designer to a system administrator (provided you know what you’re doing).
3. Remote Studying
Sometimes you can’t get yourself a remote job and have to sit in the office all day long. In this case, it may be wise to consider getting an online degree.
Just as with the remote job, not every degree can be obtained online. However, the selection is pretty wide and keeps growing by the year. Chances are you’ll find something that suits you easily. The difference between an online degree and a full degree is pretty marginal unless you’re thinking of building an academic career.
Most of the time, employers aren’t looking for qualifications proof on paper. They seek a qualified specialist. While some sort of proof that you’re competent would be great, it is ultimately up to your portfolio and skills rather than credentials most of the time.
4. Third-Party Assistance
It can be extremely hard to deal with a double workload alone. If you come in late with just one assignment, things can get really messy.
Once your work starts to pile up, you’re in big trouble. In order to be in two places at once, you have to get some help. Using third-party services to take care of some of your assignments while you attend to the rest is a life-saver.
This mostly applies to studying in college, but depending on the job, some paperwork can also be outsourced. Don’t be shy to look for help from various online services if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Once you’re back on your feet, you can return to your regular schedule. This is an easy and reliable way to take care of any academic papers and win yourself some much needed time.
5. The Power of Technology
You’re not really trying if you’re not using any means available. And there are plenty of them available for anyone with any sort of laptop or smartphone.
Use the innovations to your advantage. There are thousands of helpful pieces of software. Some will assist in organizing your schedule; others will remind you of important events or dates.
6. Every Minute Counts
Making the best of every spare minute you have is key when dealing with an increased workload. Using gadgets, you can easily maximize your efficiency anywhere you are.
When you’re on the way to your workplace or out on a lunch break, just look through those diagrams from college on your phone. Use every spare moment to your advantage.
7. The Non-Essentials
If you are having trouble dedicating enough time to study and work, then you’ll have to do some rescheduling. Tracking for a few days which activities take up most of your time will get you a pretty good picture of where to get the extra hours. Cut out everything non-essential.
Watching TV or aimless internet surfing can probably go away in favour of something more productive.
8. Keep the People Involved Posted
Actively juggling multiple tasks is bound to have some impact on your effectiveness and productivity.
This effect may not be constant or significant. Yet, as the tasks pile on, some cracks in your professional conduct may form. You may forget to turn some paper in at college or show up to your workplace late after a night of studying. It’s important for people around you to know exactly what and why is going on with you.
Management, in this case, doesn’t refer only to your bosses. Your college professors should be kept in the loop as well. Once people that count on you understand your situation, maybe they will let you modify some part of the workload and give you some slack.
This will save both sides a lot of frustration. More importantly, it might give you some breathing space without taking a toll on your reputation.
9. Keep It Healthy
Regardless of how hard you work and how much harder, you are supposed to work, you have to keep your lifestyle healthy.
Yes, you may finish an extra paper or a work project if you stay up all night and skip your breakfast. But ultimately, it will bring about severe consequences down the line. Sprinting is not worth it, so settle down for the long run.
In order to prevent both short- and long-term consequences, you will have to follow basic but very important lifestyle rules. These are simple and will definitely save you a lot of trouble:
- Stick to a healthy diet
- Have a good night sleep (8-10 hours)
- Have a consistent sleeping schedule
- Don’t skip your meals
- Exercise regularly
All of these should be followed regardless of whether you’re trying to combine work and study. The importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle is tripled when you are faced with the immense pressure of immense workload – but it still matters.
10. Stop, Drop and Roll
A single most important thing you need to remember when faced with the stress of increased workload and constant multitasking – know when to relax.
Working a full-time job can be tiring itself. Combining it with other activities such as studying in college, can make you burn out in the blink of an eye. Your mental health is just as important as physical.
If you feel like you’re constantly tired, irritated, depressed – take a break. Go on a vacation, relax. Instead of doing everything at once, do nothing for a couple of days. And once you feel like you’re recharged – go back into the fray.
Final Words
Working while studying in college is absolutely doable. There is no reason you can’t try it yourself.
The one thing you have to remember though is that no amount of efficiency is worth dying for. Keep it civil, and don’t over-stress yourself. Making a calculated and responsible effort will get you anywhere you want.
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