Workin' 9 to 5 (and Then Some): Staying Sane While Working During the Semester

My alarm goes off at 5:30am, and I wonder what would happen if I slept for just a few more minutes. My mind tells me that I need to get up, but my heart says my bed seems extraordinarily comfortable this morning. Eventually, I follow the advice of the Queen herself, Dolly Parton, and I tumble out of bed, stumble into my dorm kitchen, and pour myself a cup of ambition. Finally, I yawn and stretch and (somewhat) come to life. Dolly Parton's character in the movie 9 to 5, Doralee, only had to work – you guessed it – from 9am to 5pm. But as a full-time college student with two side jobs, I have to prepare myself to be on the job from 6am to 9pm. Working during the semester is enough to drive you crazy if you let it. But I'm going to give you some practical tips for staying sane. 

Prioritize your sleep. 

I know what you're thinking. “You just told me that your alarm goes off at 5:30, and now you want to talk to me about sleep?” Yes. Getting good sleep does not always mean sleeping in. It means ensuring that you get at least seven hours. For me, that means going to bed by 10pm. I prioritize my early bedtime above everything else. If it's getting late, don't stay up mindlessly scrolling through your phone, be selective with late-night McDonald runs with your friends, and ask yourself if you have time to address any unfinished homework tomorrow before class. You need adequate sleep because of the demanding nature of being both a full-time student and an employee. 

Time is money. 

You've probably heard the phrase, "We all have the same 24 hours." It means that everyone has the same number of minutes in a day, we just utilize them differently. How we utilize our time affects how much we can get done. That seems obvious, but sometimes we forget that simple truth as we scroll through TikTok or spend an extra hour at lunch talking to our friends so that we can put off our work. I've been guilty of some of those things, but it always bites me in the butt later. Make time to eat three meals a day, see your friends, and maybe even have a social media break, but be intentional about blocking off a specific amount of time for each thing. You can also be efficient in your work by finding creative times to fit some in. What if your professor has assigned you a podcast? Try listening to it on your drive/walk to work. Is the line for Chick-Fil-A extra long today? Pull out your phone and do any reading that is available online, or use the Google Docs app to start writing down ideas for your next essay. There are so many ways to be efficient in completing your homework!

Communicate with your professors and employers.

I made an effort to let most of my professors know that I was working on top of doing school so that they would better understand my needs and my anxieties. Making your professors know about your circumstances can be very beneficial because they may be more empathic to your struggles and connect you with campus resources to aid you in your journey. It may also be helpful to ensure that your employer(s) know you are a student so they are also more understanding of your needs.

Are you in the Same Boat With a lot of Your Friends? 

Being a student and an employee is really difficult and sometimes lonely. It can feel like you're entirely alone in your experience/struggles. It can be even harder to elevate this feeling because having a job (or two) means less room in your schedule for hanging out with friends. I do not have a guaranteed solution for this. But I would suggest making an effort to surround yourself with a mixture of people pursuing school alongside work and people focused only on school. Making friends with others who are simultaneously working and doing school can be freeing because you realize that you are not alone in your struggles and that you have people who understand you. Making friends who are not working is equally beneficial because they may have more space to work around your schedule, which means you get to connect with them more often. 

In Conclusion 

Lastly, I want to give you a big shot out for all the hard work you do, and I want to emphasize the need to take care of yourself. You put a lot of work inside and out of the classroom. If you begin to feel as if things are getting to be too much, don't feel bad for taking time for yourself to rest or do something you love. Grades are important, but they're not everything. We're all about hard work, but continuously pushing yourself to burnout is not sustainable. So, make sure to schedule out time for yourself to recoup and recharge, even if that means getting a B instead of an A. Finally, it's 100% okay to reach out to your support system (friends, family, significant other, professors, or counselors) for help. Working alongside school is enough to drive you crazy if you let it, which is understandable. But, hopefully, you utilize some of my tips, take care of yourself, and tap into your support system so that you can be resilient and stay sane.