Q: I’m having a hard time with balancing spending time with my family and school, and my job. I’m finding myself getting stressed out all the time. Advice please?

A: College is probably the busiest time of our lives. In high school most of us only really worried about school. As adults, we will only have our career to focus on. As college students we have to learn to balance the two.

Being a full-time student, working two jobs, being involved on campus and still finding time to have a social life is something I struggle keeping up with as well. What helps the most is staying on top of things. If you fall behind with school work it can get overwhelming to the point where you don’t feel like ever catching up.

It’s the beginning of the semester try and stay on top of your coursework. Keep a planner or journal to mark down when assignments are due, that way you never forget to turn anything in. Most teachers provide a syllabus that says when upcoming major assignments are going to be due and exams throughout the semester.

Just because it’s months away doesn’t mean you can’t at least start planning. I’m not saying you have to start intense researching or studying but at least get in the mindset that you are going to do it. That way your brain isn’t surprised when it comes time to really buckle down.

I don’t know how close you are with your family but I know it’s hard to not see them all the time, especially if they have been your backbone all your life. If you are feeling down about not having them in your life as much set up a time when you can see them at least once a week. Even if it’s just for a quick lunch or coffee, it can make all the difference.

I can’t stress how helpful it is to have a planner and actually utilize it. Write your work and school schedule down at the beginning of each week that way you can plan when you’re going to have time to do assignments and when you’ll have free time for other things like seeing family, friends, or attending a campus event.

I know it sounds silly to find a time to “pencil” people in but trust me it will help you keep a calm mind knowing everything in your life has a place.

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