Here are three tips for staying organised while studying and working at the same time
I remember the day of my first interview for a place at the University of Sussex. It was all going well until they asked me about my full time job. It was important to me for a number of reasons and I did not want to throw away what I achieved over the years. It was hard to choose one priority and so I decided to stick to both. Firstly, I am too proud and secondly, being a full-time student is way more expensive than you can imagine and we all need the money to pay the bills and fees.
So when they asked me if I am really sure about this, without hesitation, I said yes! And I guess my passion and commitment persuaded them... So here I am working in London and doing a full time PhD at Sussex.
If you cannot decide if PhD is more important than your job I do not think you have to choose between the two. What if you can do both? The key to this is to stay organised and these few things worked for me.
To do lists
These are crucial for me. I tend to write one or two lists for each month containing a mixture of things, not only related to my studies and work but also personal things I need to do. Sometimes I even write things like not to forget to do groceries, change the broadband or buy presents for dad’s birthday. This helps me to clearly see what needs to be done before moving to any other task.
Calendar/organiser/diary
I used to love diaries but now when I need to keep track of both my work stuff and university related activities it can get very messy. I decided to give a Google calendar a go. I use different colours for different activities and meetings. Blue dots for university related events, red dots for work, light green dots for volunteering and yellow is for holidays. I can clearly see what days I am off from work and I can easily schedule meetings with my supervisors and plan everything accordingly.
Have some time off
When doing so much, having time off is crucial for your wellbeing. Such a full schedule can result in burnout and you would not want that. If you are saving money and do not want to spend a lot for going abroad, stay in Brighton or London, there are many amazing places you can visit. Even few days off can help you reset and relax. I always take a couple of days off each month so I can reset my mind.
I know that some of these tips are obvious and you probably know about these, but they are very important when juggling studies and work. Keep organised and you'll see it will be much easier to handle everything well.
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