It is easy to tell others: “Make time for the things that are important to you.”
It’s harder to be the example.
A little about me: I am an Eagle Scout graduating a year early from Rutgers University with majors in Marketing and Finance. I am a teaching assistant for two courses at Rutgers Business School. I have interned in Marvel Entertainment’s Digital Marketing department and Adidas’ eCommerce department. In my free time, I write songs and scripts, record music, and get buckets.
I am passionate about chasing your passions.
When you focus on something you are passionate about, everything else becomes more natural. Almost peripheral. But it can be hard to focus on your craft when you have to balance a full-time class schedule, a part-time job, and family obligations.
I hope to help you with that.
The first step is to organize your kitchen, also known as your work-load. I call it a kitchen because we all have burners and backburners to manage. Once you figure out your priorities, you can figure out how to approach them.
After organizing your tasks and responsibilities, take out the easy ones first. I define an easy task as taking under 15 minutes, like filling out forms or reading an article for class. Getting easy things done as soon as possible allows you to keep your kitchen clean enough to cook the “big meals” or significant assignments.
Now that may seem easy, but the discipline to both organize and finish menial tasks as soon as possible can be hard to maintain. Organization and control give you as much time and a clean schedule to figure out when to attack significant assignments or fit work shifts.
Now organization and discipline can help with a full-time class schedule and balancing part-time work, but it often is not applicable when addressing family obligations. As someone born of immigrants with strong familial relationships and values, all I can say is to be present where you are, when you are. By this, I mean if you are with your family, get off your phone. You might regret not talking to them when you’re sitting in your dorm on your mother’s birthday, 3000 miles away from her.
That got a little personal, I digress. But the idea is still there. Perform work obligations at work and spend your time at home with those who make a house a home. You can use social media on the bus or the toilet rather than the family room.
Now again, performing these actions is easier said than done. Going to the gym is easier said than done, but some people go to work out every day. I find myself lacking discipline or organization at times, even though I am writing this article. I guess what I am trying to say is to be mindful about when and where you do things because if you are finding yourself short on time or missing assignments, it should not fall on anyone but yourself. Where there is a will, there is away. Organization plus discipline equals a game plan.