Work and school and working out oh my!

[Fightthefire]

Hi so I'm not sure if this is right place to post this but I couldn't think of anywhere else it would be appropriate. I don't have any kids of my own but I do have quite the busy schedule and who knows best on how to juggle multiple activities? Parents!

 

I'm going to be a freshman in college, going to start working full time in August but will hopefully be able to pull back on the hours once school starts at the end of September. I'll be taking 3 classes, each 5 credits so that's a full work load that in itself and my workouts are only about 45-1 hour long and Sundays are my planning/meal prep days. I'll be living at home with my parents so rent free but I do pay for my phone plan and gas for when I get my license and car. So my question is, how do I juggle all of this with keeping stress low and my grades still okay and still work? Thanks!

[Trixie Falsae]

Since you don't have many bills hopefully you can cut back at work. I made the mistake of letting my job get in the way of college and it really messed up my grades for a semester and eventually I dropped out. 

Try to preplan your week as much as possible so you know when you can workout. Does your school have a gym you can use before/between/after classes? 

Make sleep a priority. It will make studying more effective and reduce stress. Make sure you are taking plenty of time for fun and socialization.  Enjoy your college years!

 

[Bean Sidhe]

On 7/14/2017 at 2:28 PM, Hana said:

Hi so I'm not sure if this is right place to post this but I couldn't think of anywhere else it would be appropriate. I don't have any kids of my own but I do have quite the busy schedule and who knows best on how to juggle multiple activities? Parents!

 

I'm going to be a freshman in college, going to start working full time in August but will hopefully be able to pull back on the hours once school starts at the end of September. I'll be taking 3 classes, each 5 credits so that's a full work load that in itself and my workouts are only about 45-1 hour long and Sundays are my planning/meal prep days. I'll be living at home with my parents so rent free but I do pay for my phone plan and gas for when I get my license and car. So my question is, how do I juggle all of this with keeping stress low and my grades still okay and still work? Thanks!

I will be honest with you, I am in college part time, I have 2 Agents of chaos that are my main focus, but I work part time and am very involved in all of the Agents activities as well as their transportation to school or activities. We also do quite a bit of gardening and preserving and not quite homesteading, but close. I will tell you a few things that may or may not help.

A) TIME MANAGEMENT - this is not a drill. I study in the car in the pick up lane, I Study in the parking lot while the kids are coming out. I work on homework while they get ready in the morning. It is all about finding time to get everything in. Schedule your workouts, schedule your work hours, schedule your homework. Your calendar is your friend, make use of it.

B.) My goals or chores are never more than 5 minutes long. I can do push ups in 5 minutes while I wait for something to reheat or we have a few minutes before we have to leave. I may not be able to tackle a big job like cleaning out the garage in a day, but I can spend 5 minutes out there every day for a month or 2 and make serious progress.

C) Know what you need to accomplish and STICK to that. NO SCOPE CREEP. Preplan meals for the week and meal prep is good. Plan your week and days out so you can see when you need to work on that assignment or to study for a test. Also add the dumb things like feed the cat to your daily list so it doesn't get forgotten (Had that happen, cat was unhappy for a day). If you see something that HAS TO get done, add it to the list, but if it can wait, schedule time for tomorrow or the day after to do that thing. Keep a list of "Things you need to remember to do" and reference it when making your daily or weekly lists
D) Remember to sleep. remember to eat, remember to take care of yourself. If you don't do these, no matter how well you are scheduled, you will eventually burn out. Make sure to try (And this is one I struggle with) to find time for things that relax you.

I am sure there is more, but that is what I can think of right now. Good luck in college.

[SkyGirl]

There's a tip I was given in my first year of grad school that I laughed at at the time, but now in my second year, I'm realizing it was great advice: Schedule your sleep, meals, and workouts first, then work everything else around that.

 

Yes, it sounds horrible, and it will make you feel guilty and afraid that you're not devoting enough time to your work. But the rationale behind that is, most of us tend to put just about everything ahead of these basic self-care items, and it's so easy to slip into the bad habits of not sleeping enough (guilty!), eating quick unhealthy meals or undereating, and skipping workouts to do other things. Seriously, make time for these things - college is one long never-ending to-do list, and if we put ourselves down at the very bottom, all those other things will keep us from ever getting there. In addition to making you healthier and more productive, it will also teach you how to work more efficiently, as you practice fitting your homework and study times in before your workout time or after dinner.

 

And congratulations on starting college! What are you studying?  

[Fightthefire]

13 hours ago, SkyGirl said:

There's a tip I was given in my first year of grad school that I laughed at at the time, but now in my second year, I'm realizing it was great advice: Schedule your sleep, meals, and workouts first, then work everything else around that.

 

Yes, it sounds horrible, and it will make you feel guilty and afraid that you're not devoting enough time to your work. But the rationale behind that is, most of us tend to put just about everything ahead of these basic self-care items, and it's so easy to slip into the bad habits of not sleeping enough (guilty!), eating quick unhealthy meals or undereating, and skipping workouts to do other things. Seriously, make time for these things - college is one long never-ending to-do list, and if we put ourselves down at the very bottom, all those other things will keep us from ever getting there. In addition to making you healthier and more productive, it will also teach you how to work more efficiently, as you practice fitting your homework and study times in before your workout time or after dinner.

 

And congratulations on starting college! What are you studying?  

This actually makes a lot of sense! I'm an incoming freshman so I'll just be doing pre reqs for the first few quarters but then I'll be transferring from my community college to a 4 year to study computer engineering or science, something innrge IT field I'm not sure yet there's just so many choices!