Tips to Balance Work and School

As an adult learner, school isn’t your only priority. While you know you need to finish your high school diploma, you also need to work, spend time with family, and try to squeeze in some downtime for yourself. Staying on track with all of your responsibilities can be a job in itself but with a little planning, balancing work, school, and your life is doable. Here’s how to get started.

Organization is essential for balancing work and school.

Getting organized before you dive into your studies can help you prepare for success - and stay on track to reach your goals at work, in school, and at home. If you’re not normally an organized person, dedicate some time to setting up a study space at home before diving into your first lesson. Your study space should be separate from your bedroom or areas dedicated to relaxing and should offer some privacy - it’s hard to focus when you have friends or family trying to talk to you. Once you have the perfect spot set up, follow these next steps.

• Set goals. Think about when you want to finish your diploma. Use that goal date to figure out how often you should be logging in to study and take tests. Since your online classes with James Madison High School are self-paced, you can decide what schedule works for your life and learn in a way that works best for you.
• Use a planner or calendar. Schedule out when you work and what days or times you can study, as well as any other life events, and stick to that plan as closely as possible.
• Get into a routine. It can be tough to pick up a new habit right away, but if you stick to a regular routine, it’ll eventually become second nature. If you know you study better at night, make sure to schedule time to do that in the evening. After you build a strong study routine, it’ll be much harder to procrastinate and get behind on your goals.

From there, the next big step to tackle is getting better at time management!

How to manage your time when you’re working and going to school.

Time management is a skill that everyone can learn! It’s essential to balancing work, school, and everything else you’ve got going on in your life. Learning to manage your time effectively will not only help you finish your high school program by your goal date, you’ll have mastered a skill that is an asset in any career! A few tips to managing your time well include

• Use technology wisely. As an online student, you know that technology is vital to your success. However, some things can get in the way, such as having your social media pages open while you’re taking an exam. When you’re studying, try to avoid scrolling through Facebook or posting to Instagram. If you can, leave your phone in another room so you’re not tempted to take a peak while you should be working on your courses.
• Start keeping to-do lists. Write a new to-do list for each week or each day - it depends on what works for you - that includes the items you absolutely need to get done. Go through that checklist one at a time, in order.
• Break up blocks of studying/work with downtime. It’s important to rest and have fun in between work and school. Not every hour can or should be dedicated to hard work. To keep yourself on track and happy, make sure you schedule time for things you love like watching movies, reading, or going for walks. You’ll come back to your responsibilities refreshed and ready to go.

Balance work and school your way with JMHS.

While you know that earning your online high school diploma can make a difference in your life, you might be nervous getting started. How can you fit everything in? With self-paced and flexible courses that have no set deadlines or due dates, you can do high school your way. And, even better, James Madison teachers and staff are here to help you along the path to your next milestone. Reach out to today to get started.