The Balancing Act

This post is written by Sarah Coffin, Communications Coordinator at CAPS.

It’s no secret that students have lots on their plates these days. From school to work to everything in between, not to mention planning for the future, there is quite a bit to manage. Achieving balance can be tricky, but keeping balance in your life is so important. Many of CAPS staff members were (or some still are) students at one time and remember the balancing act. I asked them their top tips to maintaining balance while juggling everything that life threw their way:

- Find time for yourself. I am putting this suggestion first on my list as especially during stressful times, it is important to take care of you first. Take a yoga class, go for a walk, cook yourself a delicious dinner, meet up with friends, drop into an intramural sports game. Do whatever you need to do to unwind your mind. Taking breaks will make you more efficient when you are tackling your other tasks in the day because you can approach them with a clearer mind.

- Time management. Be realistic with your time. Break out your tasks that you have to do for the week - from school time, to studying time, to work time, to time for yourself.

-  Make use of your agenda or an online calendar and schedule in reminders for yourself as to when stuff needs to get done. Technology can be a great thing, especially when it comes to making life easier for you.

- That being said, don’t get sucked in by online time wasters. It’s very easy when you are checking your e-mail to also check your text messages, Facebook, Instagram etc. and then realize an hour has passed.

- This might seem like a simple idea, but make sure you have enough time in the day to do everything. If your schedule seems too packed, or like there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything…

- … remember you are not superman/woman. It might be time to prioritize what you need to do or ask for help.

- When you are taking on tasks, remember that you can always say no. Being realistic as to what you can do and what fits into your goals is very important.

What do you do to keep balance in your life?