Work/Life Balance

[chatnoire]

I work 40+ hours a week, I’m taking 6 credits (one is a seminar, one is a studio) - I already get up at 5:30 in the morning, and I cut off all my hair so it takes less time to get ready. I leave the house at 7. That means I have 45 minutes to spend on work in the morning. I get home at 9 on M, T, W, and by that time, I’m too exhausted to sit

Comments

[poorpiers]

I agree with the other commenters who've suggested that you're probably trying to do too much. Two graduate programs plus a more-than-full-time job is an impossible schedule. I strongly recommend cutting your working hours if you can, even if it means taking out loans.

To be blunt, there's no point going to graduate school if you're not able to devote the time to do it right. Skipping or skimming readings, turning in hastily-written papers, etc. are false economies. They'll cost you more in the long run, by hurting your grades and your intellectual development, than they will save you in time and sanity.

Oh, by the way, having a clean house is overrated. Don't worry about the vacuuming. :-)

[aiwanakademie]

I am in the exact same boat!

I work M-F 8am to 430pm, have class Tues 720 to 920 and Wed 520 to 720, and am an RA for a faculty member.

I have a routine that works fairly well. I cut out food prep time by using my crockpot a lot. I use having to do laundry as a "take a break" timer and I actually get quite a bit more done with taking breaks every 45 minutes from reading and such. I also have a cleaning lady that comes in once a month to do the major things. The $60 are worth every penny! I also have two roommates who do part of the chores.....well one of them isnt very cooperative, but that is an issue unto itself.

I sleep about 7 hours a night --- something is due. I try to take time out for myself. I find that I am more productive after a facial or massage...or working out.

My social life has suffered. My relationship fell apart (many reasons why, but the time constraint was a major factor). I try to maximize productivity so that I have more time for other things.

[vlion]

work 40+ hours a week

There's your problem right there.

[aiwanakademie]

I clocked 55 hours last week. For some people its just reality. There isnt much of a choice. I work full time and carry a full time course load.

[vlion]

I'm just saying, there won't be a good balance between work and school when you work 40+ hours per week, and things gen'r'ly won't go well. That's the reality, too.

[poorpiers]

There isnt much of a choice.

I'm not trying to be mean here, and I don't know your personal situation. But often, there is a choice. I got through graduate school with no financial support from parents or a spouse/partner, and I never did outside work of more than 20 hours a week. That meant I took out loans, which I'm going to be repaying for a long time. But that was the choice I made so that I could concentrate on school.

You say your spouse is working full time, so perhaps you could work part time for a while?

Edited: Quitting work or school is not an option, so any tips on how you cope/achieve balance would be *awesome*

What you seem to be asking here is "How can I achieve balance without actually making any changes?". And I don't see how that's possible--as you've explained it, you're already stopped spending time on anything but school and work. There's no place left to take time from to achieve balance. If you want more time for school, you're simply going to have to spend less time doing other work.

[wannaxdisco]

I agree with the other posters, who say that you are doing too much; I am going through the exact same thing, however, and have to do it because I have no choice. My department doesn't give much funding at all, and so to make ends meet, I just haven't found any other means than working 40 hours a week. I live in a city where the cost of living is pretty high, and I have to make enough to pay rent. I'm lucky, in some ways, because most of my jobs are freelance - in some ways, that fact makes them much worse, though, because I'm constantly working both on my jobs and on schoolwork. I don't have any great solution. I cried for about an hour yesterday (and I'm not a crier, nor have I ever been) because my apartment was such a horrible mess and I had so much to do at once. If it's any consolation, however, you're not the only one. I always just remind myself that I only have X amount of time left and then I'll have some time off. And, when I go back to school, in a new program, hopefully I'll get funding.

[delenda_est]

One of the ways I maintain balance is that I don't really vacuum or do laundry or dishes . . . I have probably the nicest boyfriend in the world who wants to help out since I'm so busy with school.

However, it sounds like your husband is in the same boat. In my opinion, since you are both so busy, the only way to stay sane is to cut down on your work and take out some loans. Seriously, look into those government loans that you don't have to pay interest until you're done with school. Alternatively, work less and cut out some of your expenses, such as cable, that aren't necessities.

In the end it seems like you really need to decide what's most important right now. If you can't be in grad school without working 40+ hours a week, maybe you need to put of school for a few years? Or find some ways to cut corners at work? Because it sounds like the situation right now is not working out for you.

It's a really tough situation, I really wish you the best!