Sometimes it’s a bit difficult to manage all of your various commitments, ranging from academics, career pursuits, extracurricular activities, social life, and personal health. At times, it might feel like you’re being pulled in a million different directions with no time to just relax and take a breather. Here are a few tips to help maintain and improve your work-life balance, especially when you start to feel too overwhelmed.
write things down
Coming from someone who until recently preferred to mentally store all my to-do lists, I’ve reached the point where trying to keep everything inside my head simply doesn’t work anymore. Writing things down definitely helps with tracking various assignment deadlines, internship or job application deadlines, meetings, appointments, and more. The busier you are, the harder it becomes to mentally store everything. Writing down all of your pertinent tasks definitely helps with reinforcing your memory, as well as making sure you get everything done in a timely fashion—leaving you with more time to yourself and a better work-life balance.
find a career muse
Though this may seem more career-oriented, finding a career muse definitely helps improve your work-life balance by providing you with a more visible, realistic example of where you envision yourself in the future. It helps to research how he/she got to the position they are in and model your goals after him/her. It provides a clearer path toward your career aspirations and removes some of the uncertainty often associated with the future. This, in turn, will alleviate some of the anxiety and give you more time to relax and enjoy yourself.
give yourself small encouragements
It’s always good to give yourself little notes or messages to help pick yourself up when you’re feeling overwhelmed or down. Little treats or words of encouragement help immensely when you’re having a bad day and it feels like everything is falling apart. Small reminders are great motivating tools, and positive reinforcements help improve your work-life balance.
allocate some time for yourself
As busy as you may be, it’s important to allocate some time to yourself, whether it be for reading, meditating, or even watching Netflix. Take some “me time” to just breathe and separate yourself from your responsibilities. Even just an hour or so a day does wonders for your concentration and definitely helps maintain your work-life balance.
don't forget to live a little
Part of maintaining a work-life balance is having a life! Enjoy all the wonderful parts of being a college student: Go out with friends, try new things, and meet new people. As important as your career is, it shouldn’t take up the entirety of your life, and it definitely isn’t healthy if you’re trying to improve your work-life balance.
What are some tips you have for maintaining a healthy work-life balance? Let us know in the comments below!
Featured photo by Ali Bell.
