Work-Study-Life Balance — The Way You Can Make It Work
Imagine yourself maintaining a completely healthy work-life balance in our busy days. Seems challenging? Let’s set the simulation we live into a “hardcore” mode. Now you’ve got to maintain a healthy work-study-life balance.
All jokes, of course. It is easy if you set the priorities right and know some tips on not feeling like you are not managing anything.
Put Yourself First
I firmly believe (and my experience demonstrates it) that my mental health is essential to my actual strength. Mine mostly depends on how much I worry. Worrying too much will cause lots of stress and anxiety, and they will burn me down to ashes. So, I have to track the number of “worries” daily.
Nowadays, each of us experiences stress related to the tempo of life. Everything is too fast, and people are not the fastest creatures. We need time to think, generate ideas, and understand what’s happening. Some people deal with it just fine; some are worried about it — they perceive it as life goes on without them. As we depend on how we feel, the constant state of worrying significantly impacts our productivity.
Here is the paradox — we worry that we will not manage anything and are managing far less than we could if we were in a good mental state. The first thing we need to do to succeed and remain sane — relax! Even if you need more time to do your tasks — it is okay. You do everything you can; that is enough — no need to jump over your head.
Get Your Priorities Right
Universities are different. Some give us a wide range of learning opportunities and let us choose what we want to learn, cutting off the things we don’t. Others, more old-fashioned, tend to give us a “foundation of knowledge” that way, trying to provide us with beginner bits of wisdom in various subjects.
In my case, it’s the second option, meaning I need to consume lots of new information each semester and pick up the required skills as quickly as possible. This scenario generally doesn’t work for me, as I prefer going deeper in my knowledge instead of wider. There are subjects I tend to focus on, and there are those where I make the minimum effort to get a decent grade. This approach helped me not waste lots of resources on things that don’t match my learning priorities, focusing on exciting and/or valuable items, and, most importantly, figuring out my preferred IT domains. Determining these areas of interest is crucial for deciding where to submit your CV when the time comes. The same method keeps me sane this year when I combine my professional growth with getting good grades in university and picking up valuable skills and knowledge. Again, all about setting the right priorities, but this time it’s a little more challenging.
Experience Is Key
Work-related tasks are always the top priority where I channel my energy. And, I have a straightforward explanation why — it is better not just for my professional life but also for me as a professional and a human living in a society. Universities try to prepare us for future careers, but they often can’t simulate real work environments and experiences. Every aspiring to gain real expertise must acquire it in real-life situations.
Finishing the internship and signing the work contract with Crunchyroll has been a source of gaining new experience, hard and soft skills, such as working in a team, efficient communication, and many more.
That was just a little highlight from me — you’ve got to gain as much experience as possible, especially when you start your professional journey.
Well Rested = Not Depressed
The title says everything for itself — after doing my work and university tasks, I need time for myself, family, and friends, a.k.a. to rest well. This can be done in various ways, but my favorite is a nice long walk in the park with my dog. It helps me reconnect with nature, feel more grounded and present. Playing with my pet also reminds me that life is more straightforward than it seems sometimes, and being happy is not hard. Other great options are the basics — watch a good movie (my loved ones are from Studio Ghibli and Marvel), read a good book (a Haruki Murakami lover here), or play a video game (Mortal Combat is my go-to these days).
Famous Last Words
Keeping the work-study-life balance may seem like a survival mode sometimes (turn on Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming by Deep Purple). But in reality, it is an opportunity to gain a lot of helpful life hacks in the shortest time possible and level up your brain. You will be able to learn faster, think faster and more efficiently, put yourself first regardless of the deadlines, and eventually manage to do everything. And, in the end, you will be proud of yourself.
