5 Time Management Tips for Balancing College and Career

1. Find Your Ideal Schedule

As a working professional, a course schedule that fits seamlessly into your already busy life allows you to better manage your time. Consider class times and the pace at which you want to pursue your degree. For example, at Rollins’ Hamilton Holt School, our course schedules are designed with busy working professionals in mind and our part-time and full-time enrollment options allow students to set their school schedules around work commitments. Once you know your schedule and how much time you can dedicate to work and school, it’s time to set your schedule and commit to it.

2. Create An Integrated Calendar

The best way to stick to your schedule is to keep it neatly organized. While having separate school, work, and personal calendars can be helpful at times, we recommend taking a more integrated approach. One master schedule allows you to anticipate deadlines, prioritize, and plan your to-do list accordingly.

It also helps you notice any schedule conflicts and have conversations with your coworkers, classmates, or professors in advance. You might prefer a digital version such as a Google calendar or maybe a color-coded calendar notebook works better for you—there are no wrong answers! Set yourself up for success by adding significant syllabus dates into your calendar next to your work meetings and children’s sporting events.

3. Prevent Burnout

In the midst of setting aside time for work and school, don’t forget to schedule some “me time.” It can be tempting to let work and school take up all of your time, but staying physically, emotionally, and mentally healthy allows you to perform better in all aspects of your life. Be sure to set aside time to rest and recover—take a relaxing walk with your family or prepare a healthy meal—so you don’t risk burnout.

You’ll also want to surround yourself with a supportive community, such as faculty, classmates, coworkers, friends and family to encourage you along the way. It may seem contradictory at first, but prioritizing self-care and surrounding yourself with a strong support system will help you balance everything and excel in the classroom.

4. Be Present...

Did you know it takes approximately 23 minutes to regain our focus after a distraction? To the best of your abilities, try to be as present as possible wherever you are. If you’re in class, resist the urge to check your work messages.

When you’re at work, don’t bounce back and forth between a class assignment and your job responsibilities. By staying present on the task at hand, you’re able to maximize the time you have and accomplish even more without losing precious time to distractions.

5. ...Not Perfect

The transition from work to school and vice-versa can be challenging at times. There will be moments where something slips through the cracks or you feel like you’re falling behind. This is completely normal so don’t come in with unrealistic expectations that you will be able to execute perfectly on everything. Communicate about your availability during this new season with the people in your life (boss, family, friends, co-workers). Odds are they’ll have a new level of respect and grace for you. You should do the same for yourself too!

You can do this! Just start slow with one or two classes, as you find the right balance. Going back to school as a working professional is a challenging but ultimately rewarding process with the potential to unlock so many possibilities.

Now that you’re equipped with some time management practices for balancing your career with school, it might be time to advance your career by going back to school. Take the next step by sharing your information below.