How do you balance school and other passions and interests in life?

Hi Daniel,

It can definitely be challenging to balance your schoolwork and still maintain a strong personal life. My recommendation would be to combine the two! Most universities offer a huge number of social clubs in addition to providing opportunities to meet new people with similar interests. Get engaged right away! Look at what clubs your school has. Utilize social media - many schools have groups on facebook that you can join that are specific to different activities and interests. In combining the two, you can stay on top of your studies while also being able to dedicate time to your interests.

Another thing to keep in mind - don't over-commit. It is reasonable to expect that you won't have as much time to spend on different activities as you did before starting school. Make sure you have reasonable expectations so you don't feel like you're failing at doing the things you want. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize!

College is a great time to get to know yourself and your interests better. Be open to trying new things in addition to what you already know you enjoy.

Hi there,

Fantastic question! Let me start off by saying that the fact that you’re asking how to balance your life already puts you on the right track! When I was 25, I had decided to switch my major and finally pursue a degree in writing. While I’d spent many years writing on blogs or websites, I didn’t have any professional experience behind me. Fast forward about six months, and I was working full time, going to school, and doing an internship with a magazine in New York. I did this for almost a year and as busy as it was, it taught me so much about myself and how you can achieve anything when you’re pursuing your dreams (and twelve cups of coffee!)

What I did was prioritize my day. I worked full time, so those hours between 8am-6:00pm were unable to be used for anything long term but I ended up taking my entire lunch break and dedicating it to my homework. While I may not have been able to complete it all within an hour, that was an hour I didn’t have to waste at home. I would rather be going non-stop during the day when I was my most alert then trying to stay up late after I got home.

I would separate my time in slots. The first hour, I did homework and got that out of the way. If I didn’t have a task due that night, then I shut the book after an hour. After, I would take a break. Maybe have a cup of coffee, run an errand, make a phone call with a friend. The same thing applied to my internship. I would outline specific, achievable goals that night and do them. Once I was done, I stopped.

The biggest way way to achieve work and life balance is to know when to step away from a task and to set time limits. Another thing, is to be sure to not always put your wants to the side. Plan a day during the week where you treat yourself to something you enjoy before you go home. Make dinner plans. Allow for your schedule to breathe because otherwise you’ll get burnt out. I was so tired during those days, but I kept remembering what I was chasing toward. That kind of motivation helps. When you feel that you need a break, take one. Work and life balance seems so far fetched because we often waste time or things that aren’t deserving of our attention at the moment. Listen to your needs.

I think you should give yourself some time to think about your school schedule and your hobby. Sticking to your budget is also important. That is a good idea to plan everything correctly. You should leave some spare time in case something goes wrong and you need to make changes.

Great question Daniel and I believe everyone thinks the same thing about being able to balance school and still enjoying your regular interests in life. The best advice I could give you is over the summer and winter break plan your schedule on traveling and getting away from the school life. During those times you have the ability to have more freedom and it helps to continue to live your life to the fullest even in school. Take the time to learn good time management skills that way your never behind and can stay focus on school and your interests.

Hi Daniel! Great question and I think everyone has given some wonderful advice thus far. This question doesn't stop after school either, you'll want to learn how to balance everything well into your career. No reason to work nonstop if you don't take the time to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

I always focus on ways to maximize my interests into my work/studies. My current career was picked around my passion, my volunteer efforts are also supported by my passion, this helps me to not only enjoy my interests while working but I also feel like a bring more to the table because I'm genuinely passionate about what I'm doing.

For those interests that maybe don't align with programs or studies in your school, don't sideline them, find the time. Give yourself one day a month, where you do something you truly enjoy guilt free. This will help you set a goal and feel rewarded after your hard work.

Wishing you the best in your endeavors!