5 Tips To Help You Juggle College Life

Hi there!

I’m Rachel. I’m a graphic design student currently working as an intern for Laura Lynn Photography.

Laura Lynn recently asked me to write a guest post on her blog. My first thought was, “Oh goodness. I’m not a writer. I’m a designer.” I can make the layout look good, but I’m not your go-to when it comes to content. However, I'm always up for a challenge, so here goes nothing :)

Allow me to tell you a bit about myself. I’m currently in my second year of college at Carroll Community in Maryland where I’m majoring in Graphic Design. I’m also a supervisor at a local Chick-fil-A (it’s my pleasure!). I volunteer at Tender Care Pregnancy center where I do a number of miscellaneous things, ranging from sorting baby clothes to answering phones.

School. Internship. Work. Volunteering. PLUS trying to uphold a social life. It’s a lot. Sometimes it's hard trying to juggle it all. I often wonder if I'm crazy for taking on so much. Maybe I am. Slightly. I wonder if there will ever be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything. I KNOW I’m not the only one who feels this way. I think most college students have a hard time juggling all the different tasks that need to be done, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed or frustrated. So let me share some tips that I have found helpful:

1. KNOW YOUR DISTRACTIONS

We all have those things that prevent us from getting done the task at hand. I’ll admit, social media is a huge distraction for me: Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube. If I find a good Netflix series I’ll easily binge watch one or two or five episodes until I’ve wasted so much time I’m full out panicking to meet my deadlines for school. I’ve told myself “just one more episode,” so many times the phrase has no meaning anymore. SO. I decided to remove all social media from my phone. Except for Pinterest (that’s not "SOCIAL" media, right?) I was amazed to see all the extra time I had to spend on more important things. It helped me prioritize my limited free time and become more diligent with things that matter.

2. KNOW YOUR LIMITS

Let me tell you something, life is meant to be enjoyed. There is such a thing as being TOO busy. Recently, I was telling a friend how overwhelmed and stressed I was feeling. He suggested that I take up running again- one of my biggest stress relievers. “Just run for like 15 minutes,” he told me. “I don’t HAVE 15 minutes,” was my immediate response. That’s sad. A perfect example of someone who is simply too busy and still learning the art of balancing an extremely busy schedule.

3. MAKE A LIST

Lists are GREAT. I have recently discovered how helpful making lists and planning ahead can be - it can definitely help reduce some of your stress too! Here’s a tip for my fellow college students- buy a planner. I went a whole year trying to remember when each of my projects were due. I never missed a deadline, but let me tell you, I was stressed. This year, I bought a planner solely to keep track of deadlines. It makes life SO much easier. I also used it for making lists of what I needed to get done for each day. Oh the joy of crossing an item off a list! Sometimes I’ll even write something down I’ve already accomplished JUST so I can cross it off. I know there are fellow list-lovers out there who understand. But if you don’t, just write a list, accomplish ONE item on the list and cross it out. Maybe then, you’ll understand :)

4. RELAX

This may seem somewhat odd after what I just said previously. However, it is good to relax- in moderation. If you’re too busy to relax, you’re simply too busy. After I deleted all my social media accounts, I found myself thinking that any form of relaxing was “wrong.” I thought I should constantly be doing something that was productive in some way. However, this is simply not do-able. Sit down and watch an episode of your favorite Netflix series. Go for a run, or read a book. Whatever you find enjoyable, try to find time to do it.

5. GET ENOUGH SLEEP

College students, I’m talking to you. We’ve all had the conversations of who has gotten the least amount of sleep. Any 3 hour sleepers out there? I get it. We’re young, and when it comes to meeting deadlines, sleep is the first thing to go. During my last semester, most nights I got around 5-6 hours of sleep. And I was MISERABLE. I decided this semester to not skimp on my sleep… and let me tell ya, it makes a world of difference. I think we all mentally know the benefits of getting a good night’s rest, but actually putting it into practice is the challenge.

I truly hope these 5 tips will help you make the most of your school year. You got this!

(This is Ginger, Laura Lynn's 5-year-old Cockapoo! We became fast friends. She makes a great office pet!)

xoxo, Rachel

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