Life brings many different things to balance – from work and study to home and family. Getting the right balance for you is crucial to being the most successful version of yourself and feeling the best you can.
Managing everything all at once can often feel very challenging – and when things get too much it can lead to depression, burnout, and a range of physical health problems. That’s why finding a healthy balance is so important.
If you’re feeling run down with everything that you have to juggle, it might be time to think about the changes you could make to your life to achieve a better balance.
This list of top tips is particularly for those who are studying while trying to balance their education with looking after a home or cultivating a comfortable environment for your family. But most of them will be useful for anyone seeking a healthy, stable, and sustainable life.
Feeling overworked or burnt out is sometimes the result of taking on too much in the first place. While you might feel like you have plenty of energy at the start, if your body and mind aren’t able to keep up, it’s only a matter of time before it’s too much to handle.
The first thing to do when thinking about starting a new program of study is to consider whether your current schedule will allow it. If you have children, a partner, a mortgage, pets, and other home and family commitments, it might not be possible to study full time. You may need to look at part-time study options instead, to create a routine that is more sustainable in the longer term.
Many students opt to defer their studies for a year or two. If you’ve been offered a place but are now reconsidering whether it will work for you, ask the school or university if they can offer you the same program to start in one or more years from now.
If you’re feeling like you’re spending too much time studying alone and aren’t able to spend enough time with your family members at home, consider a shared space for relaxing study.
When you need the ultimate solo quiet time, take yourself away from any noisy or distracting environments. But when you have the opportunity of doing some lighter study, such as reading a novel or revising materials you’re already familiar with, being in the same space as others might work well for you.
This is a particularly good way of spending time with others if you’re studying from home, or if others in the house are also studying or working from home. If you’re not distracted by the TV or radio noise, there are even more options to spend time with your family while also getting on with some studying.
If you have children who are at school, try to include them in some of your study time. With younger children, this could be a challenge and you may find that you don’t accomplish much of your own work. But older children are generally able to do their homework alongside any studies their parents are involved in.
Not only is it a great way for you and your children to work together, but it can help to create a better culture and environment for learning. Your child is likely to feel more supported and that their parent is more interested in their education too.
Parents who struggle to encourage their children to do homework may find this is a particularly effective method. It can help children to feel like studying is more ‘adult’, and when it works well, allows both parent and child to be productive at the same time.
One of the most common challenges for parents who want to study when they have young children is childcare. This can be even more problematic if you don’t have extended family or friends in the nearby area whom you can trust to look after your children.
Even if you’re studying part-time, having childcare options as a backup plan can be incredibly helpful. In the run-up to important exams and deadlines, or when you need to stay late for one of your classes, someone on hand to help with your children can make all the difference.
Ask for recommendations on social media or from other parents you know about babysitters or childcare options in the area. Don’t forget to ask childcare providers for proof of their security, registration, and approval documents.
If there is a lot going on at home, finding the optimum times to study is a key element to success. Those with young children can make the most out of the evening times when their little ones are asleep, or during nap times in the day. If your partner works different shift patterns or has a regular pattern of work, this can help in navigating through the week and finding the best study hours to coordinate with them.
Discuss with your partner or others in the home so that they know what you need and when you intend to study. For example, if your partner arrives home in the early evening, you might choose to study until then, to allow you to spend some time with them later in the day.
Splitting your study into smaller chunks throughout the day is often a more manageable and practical way of dividing your time. You could study for an hour and then spend some time on errands or other tasks before returning to your books.
There is a wealth of options to choose from when it comes to online studying. Almost every subject you can think of is available to study online. From science and technology courses to MBA online programs from universities like Kettering Global, if you’ve got a learning goal you can often achieve it online.
The benefits of studying from home mean that you have extra time during the day to catch up on some of the other things you need to do. It also means that you may become less stressed because of the time saved commuting, and the energy and effort of leaving the home every morning and trying to manage additional responsibilities.
While studying from home, you can use break times and lunchtimes to take a nap, relax, and recharge, or go to an appointment that might otherwise be difficult to arrange. You can also spend this extra time with your children or partner, carrying out household chores, or chatting to friends.
Food prepping and planning is one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself when balancing everything in your busy life.
Creating a meal plan for the week will save you time looking around the kitchen and trying to come up with recipes. Look online and create a list of all your favorite recipes and ideas that you can revisit when you need inspiration.
If a weekly meal plan feels like too much, try two or three days. This gives you the chance to experiment with food planning and prepping if you haven’t tried it before. Some people also find a shorter plan more manageable, and food kept in the refrigerator is less likely to go to waste.
Having a collection of meals and snacks which are ready to heat up or eat cold is a great way to save time and take some stress away from your day. If you have children, it means that they can easily have a meal without the need to disturb you too much. And when you’re hungry, you don’t need to completely tear yourself away from any important or time-bound projects.
When you have a lot happening in your life, putting your health first is more important than ever. Without your mental and physical health and strength, it will become increasingly difficult to continue studying, working, and looking after a home or family.
Poor health may mean that you become tired, fatigued, cranky, or depressed. It can have a knock-on effect on any children or family members you live with and can have a debilitating effect on your ability to continue achieving your personal goals and responsibilities.
Good health, on the other hand, means that you’re much more likely to keep up with everything and balance your studies with home and family life in a positive way.
Quality sleep, nutritious food to help power your brain, regular walks, and other forms of exercise are vital to maintaining good physical and mental health. Take supplements such as Vitamin D during the winter months to keep your essential vitamin levels boosted. And don’t forget to make time for the things you enjoy – whether going for a relaxing message alone, a spa day with your friends, or a day out with your family.
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