Life in the modern world is incredibly chaotic. I realize that live 100 years ago was no cup of tea, but that has been amplified with the invention of technology and the undeniable addictiveness of Facebook. Chances are you have to manage work, school, family, friends, and personal time all at once, which can be quite a feat if you’re not used to it. I have been doing this for about three years now, and I thing I still have a long way to go before my life is fully in balance. Nevertheless, I have picked up on a few things along the way that I want to make note of.
Here are some tips to help you get through the day to day adventures of a busy schedule.
Know Your Priorities
One of the first things you need to do when you have a busy schedule is prioritize your time. The most important things in your life need to come first, and then you can work in everything else. For most people, the priority is work or family, depending on how much they have in savings. If you have a Fillbrught scholarship that allows you not to focus on work much, you may turn your priority to school. This is all going to vary based on your lifestyle, but it is something you really need to think about. That way you can make a plan about how to spend your time and where your energy is going to be most effective.
Work Efficiently
Whenever one part of your schedule gets messed up, everything gets messed up. At least that is what I have found with my experience. I can shove $346 worth of work into about 6 hours if I really focus on it, but that can also take me about 15 hours if I get off track. Little bitty things force me to derail in my schedule, and then I never seem to get back on track. Monday flows over to Tuesday. Tuesday flows over to Wednesday. Next thing I know, it’s Sunday and I have double the work I should. If you can learn to study and work efficiently, you can drastically reduce the amount of time you waste switching back and forth between all of your tasks.
Time Block
Time blocking is a great way to balance a chaotic schedule. In this case, you group similar tasks together and take care of them all at once. For me, that means working for three hours on one project in the morning and then working for three hours on another project in the afternoon. Then I have one or two hours to devote to school, and the rest of the time can be used for whatever I want. If I want to take a bubble bath, I can. If I want to fold laundry, I can. All of this is possible through the use of time blocks.
Rest at Night
You may not think you have time for sleep, but you really need to reserve some so you can be energetic throughout the day. Whenever I miss out on sleep, I am a total zombie. I end up dragging my feet with work, and that just screws up the whole day. You need to get your eight hours of sleep a night or you will never be able to manage a busy schedule. Create a relaxing environment, and just sleep as long as you can. You’ll see a difference in no time.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, you just have to make it work. Set up a time for work, a time for school, a time for family, a time for friends, and a time for just you. If you can do that, you will be able to get through day to day life without going crazy. If you’re already going crazy, this may help you get back to normal. Stress happens. You’re defined by how you deal with it. If you freak out about everything that is happening, it will continue to fall apart right in front of you. Take this as a challenge and conquer it. I’m confident that you have it in you to do so.