Almost every Nigerian student has a side hustle even while still schooling these days. Whether it is to make ends meet and sustain themselves in the university or it is to sponsor the extravagant lifestyle many desire, having a work that brings in steady income has become a necessity for the average Nigerian student.
Both are big commitments and one should not be neglected for the other.
And with a little focus and planning, I’m confident you can manage both without any one of them suffering for the other. Need some tips on how to go about this? Continue reading!
1. Manage Your Time Well
When you’re looking for balance, one of the biggest questions you’ll want to answer is how much time you can devote to what tasks. In managing your time well, you also need to know and understand yourself well to figure out what works for you. This might mean staying up later than other people would or getting up early too. If you are the kind of person who doesn’t get good grades by just crash reading, then you just have to start studying from the beginning of the semester! If you function with more alertness during the day, then you want to ensure you get adequate rest during the night so it doesn’t reduce your productivity during the day. These are just some of the ways in which knowing yourself helps you to manage your time.
2. Prioritize
Decide on your priorities wisely and accept the fact that you would have to let go of some things for the other. Expect to take a pass on the occasional outing or other social activities. It doesn’t mean you cease to have a social life o. But let’s be realistic, with so much on your plate, you can’t do everything. You can’t go everywhere. You’ve got to ensure you’re prioritizing the important things.
3. Schedule proactively
Mark upcoming professional and academic deadlines on a single calendar. Believe me, this singular tip keeps me sane all the time! With so many deadlines and so much to do, it can get overwhelming. But scheduling them either daily or weekly helps to keep it all together. And while you’re scheduling, you can also work ahead of your due dates or deadlines. You can have earlier allowances. This helps to relieve the pressure off you and if something else comes up during the period when your deadline is almost up, everything just doesn’t get too choked up.
4. Manage stress levels
On this one ehn, it’s inevitable. You just have to learn to manage it. Being a student in Nigeria is hard already so my dear, it cannot be easier adding a job workload to it as well. What you need to learn how to do is to keep it in check. Take regular breaks. Get enough sleep, it can’t be overemphasized. Stay physically active. If you dig that exercise thingy go for it. By all means.
Still having a social life amid the overwhelming demands and requirements is so important. Have friends you hang out with often, who can encourage you when you feel exhausted and just be there for you. Let your hair down once in a while!
5. Watch out for signs of you burning out
If your job performance or academics begin to fail, don’t ignore it. Take action. Falling asleep in class, losing interest in your job or studies or becoming irritable and unable to concentrate are important warning signs. At this stage of your life, you are advised to pay close attention to your academics. And so if you notice a continuous and dangerous decline in your academic results, you just might have to let go of the job you’re doing either temporarily, or in favour of a less demanding job.
It’s okay to take a step back when it’s getting too much. It doesn’t mean you failed. It just means you’re wise enough to know that your current game plan isn’t working and you need a new one. When you’ve got it, keep on at it!
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