hello !! something that I don’t see talked about enough on studyblr is the balance between work and study, which seems mad given how many of us are handling paid jobs at the same time as school or college work.
I’m definitely not an expert, but I’ve had my own part-time job for over a year now whilst also doing a levels, so I’ve picked up on a few bits and pieces that can help!!
prioritising !! is !! so important !!!!
for a lot of us, the priority is study, and unless you urgently need the money or you’re financially independent, I’m guessing this is the case.
so make sure your work fits around your study, rather than vice versa.
for some people, this means limiting work hours. for others, it’s using your free, non-working time more wisely. whatever suits you, man
ultimately, just don’t overwhelm yourself with one thing or the other, and if you’re feeling a little swamped, don’t be afraid to reorganise some things.
if they know you’re a student, a lot of bosses are far more lenient than you’d think; there’s no harm in asking for a change in hours or a day off for college/school work. be polite and explain your reasoning and you might be surprised
at the same time, though, remember that a job is a committment
if you’re working a paid job, its not fair on your employer (or the person who covers your shifts) if you’re asking for a day off every other week. just keep it in mind
i see a lot of posts on here talking about the importance of having a ‘no-work day’ every week to avoid burnout
and as much as I understand that and I fully agree that you need to avoid burnout,,,, sometimes that’s just not realistic when you’re both working and studying.
instead, I prefer the ‘no zero days’ approach.
all that this really means is that you don’t have a single day where you don’t work at all on your studies, regardless of how much little work you do put in.
say you’re working and studying monday to saturday, and sunday is your ‘off’ day
that’s great! chill out! have some fun! see some friends!
but spend at least thirty minutes on some of your studies.
thirty minutes. that’s it. 30 minutes out of 24 hours.
but thirty minutes is better than nothing at all.
the idea of ‘no zero days’ is that you’re getting something done, even if not a lot. the reason I like it is because it makes sure you’re having your own time to relax and not study or work (so that you’re not getting burnt out), whilst also making sure you’re keeping on top of important things.
PLANNING IS SO HELPFUL OK HEAR ME OUT
im not talking fancy bujos and wall planners (unless that’s your kind of thing in which case you do you)
but just !!! having a basic idea of what you’re doing and when !!!
even if you have set work times every week, keeping track of when you’re working (and, in turn, when you have time to study and be in lessons) can make all the difference.
if you know what time you have free, and know what times you need to be working, it can give you just enough pressure to actually get stuff done when you’re studying.
if you’re not into planners and calendars and all that (personally my planner is my saviour buuut), grab a piece of paper on a sunday night and draw out a rough timetable for the week. put in your work hours. put in any pre-planned ‘fun’ events (social, meeting friends, parties, etc), and then put in your study hours.
having just a liiiiittle bit of structure can make all the difference!
USE YOUR TIME PRODUCTIVELY
this is,, kind of building off the last point i guess
if you’re working as a student, its v important that you make the most of your set study time, so you don’t get stuck behind what you had planned to do
some people like to write mini to-do lists at the beginning of the day, or have a rough plan of what they want to get done over the course of a week
whatever your method, make sure you know what you’re going to be doing in a study session. if you sit down to study and have to spend twenty minutes figuring out just what you’re going to do, you’re already wasting time.
within that, know ! how ! you ! study !!!!!!!
if you don’t find rewriting notes helpful, don’t spent an hour rewriting notes god dammit
if you think flash cards are super helpful, MAKE AND USE SOME FLASH CARDS.
this kind of applies to all students, but when your work limits you to a certain amount of study time per week, there’s no point in using all this calligraphy and washi tape and fancy ink unless it’s going to help you get that information into your brain.
oh look its the most important point on here
make !! sure !! you’re getting !! a rest !!!!!
you should be doing this anyway, but sometimes when you’re caught up with both studying and working it can be hard to remember that you don’t have to be busy all the time.
see friends. spend time with your family. watch a movie. read a book.
if you don’t get some down time, you’re going to burn out. and at that point, neither your work or your study will be as good as it could be, anyway.
your mental health has to come before all else, and if you’re feeling overwhelmed (or even if you’re not), please make sure you’re giving yourself breaks and doing the things you want to do.
