For many students, being a first-time college student can be difficult. From the workload in the form of assignments to the study sessions and extracurricular activities, college can seem daunting. Now add a family to the mix, and things just get 10 times harder. While being a parent and full-time student sounds incredibly difficult, here are six ways to make your busy life a little easier.
Having a planner is essential, especially for parents. Planners can literally save your life and sanity. Without it, there would be no way to keep up with six full-time courses and a three-year-old, for example. A great planner to start with would be the Happy Planner ($13-$40). This planner can be purchased from their website, Michaels, Walmart or Hobby Lobby. They come in a variety of designs and sizes, and they also have different layouts. The layout that would work best for a busy student/parent would be the dashboard layout. It features sections for errands, calls and emails, bills and things to buy. It also features a section for each day of the week and a full month calendar. This layout helps to keep everything in one place.
In terms of actually planning things, I would suggest using different colors for each course, work, doctor’s appointments, kids and so on. This will help to differentiate things at a glance. Also, using flags such as these Colorful Planner Flags and these Post-it Page Markers are super helpful. Not only are they colorful, but they also are removable, so if a professor changes the date for a test or assignment, all you have to do is move the flag or note around instead of using whiteout or erasing everything and rewriting it.
Using these transparent squares from Etsy on the calendar portion of the planner helps you to not only know when certain classes begin and end (if taking a half-semester course) but also helps visualize what the month will look like. With these tools, you can plan a month in advance or plan for the whole semester once you receive the syllabus, which would be best for busy parents who have limited time available. While all of these things are not necessary, and you could just as easily use a notebook and a pen to plan if you choose, all of these items definitely help with the next topic: time management.
As a parent and student, time management is the key to having a successful college career. All your time can’t be spent studying or going to study groups if you’re a parent because you have a little one to take care of, so prioritizing your time is critical. Using a planner comes into play here as well as either Google Calendar or iCalendar. A great way to manage your time is by block scheduling. Essentially, you would block off your day into time periods. So, let’s say you have work from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and then you have class from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. You would block off the 8 to 4 and 6 to 9 timeslots with those obligations and their corresponding color.
By doing this, you can see what time slots you have available to fit in studying, gym time, dates or time with your kids. This not only ensures your schoolwork is completed, but it makes sure that you are making time for yourself and your family. Without proper time management, one could quickly get easily overwhelmed by being both a parent and a student and begin to neglect themselves, which is why self-care is so important.
Self-care is essential for any college student, regardless of age or responsibility. Self-care looks different for everyone depending on their interests. Parents can get some self-care by utilizing their planners and the time-blocking method to find the best time for them. This time can be spent having lunch by themselves while their kids are sleeping or in school, having a relaxing and uninterrupted bath, watching their favorite movie or show by themselves or with their partner, reading a book, going to the gym, or simply getting their favorite coffee and enjoying the peace and quiet in their home or car before their kids get out of school or having a glass of wine after they go to bed. Being a parent is stressful enough, so taking a self-care day is not only good for your mental health, but it also helps you to be a happier parent and student.
Making time for your children while working and going to school is tough. It’s a big reason why many students wait to become parents until after they are set in their careers. Bonding with your kids is super important as it creates healthy relationships between the parent and child. By using the blocking method, one could see when they have time during the month or week to do something special with their child. This time could be spent doing something educational, like visiting the zoo with younger children or playing laser tag for those with older kids.
While your child is proud of you for going back to school and working so hard, no video game or TV show can replace your presence. While it is hard because you will be exhausted, making even just 30 minutes in your day to read or hang out with your kids outside will make a huge difference in your relationship with them and their mental health.
Meal planning is also a way to utilize time wisely. Meal planning is exactly what it sounds like. One would simply pick what meals they would like to eat that week and either prep the ingredients or make the meals ahead of time and portion it out for easy, re-heatable meals during the week. Prepping can be done on the weekends when you have the most time available. This can also be used as a bonding activity with your kids. You can get them to help you prep veggies or season produce that you may need while discussing your week and things going on in their lives. While meal planning isn’t necessary, it does help ensure that you and your family are eating well and not spending money on takeout every day. The money saved can be used on outings with the kids or dates with your partner or yourself.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for help. The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” is most definitely true. This is even more so true for parents working towards a degree. Going to school full-time, working and being a parent can be tiring, and sometimes you might just want to give up. But in these moments you should ask family and friends for help. Rather than watching the children while you study for an hour or picking them up from school yourself, ask those who you trust with your child for help.
Don’t try to be superman or woman and think you can do everything yourself. You probably can, but what kind of parent or student will you be if you are worn out and running on empty? So, make sure to ask for help if you need it. Talk to professors if you are truly struggling. Many will be happy you spoke to them rather than just dropping the class.
Being a student and a parent is hard. But look at you! You are doing what many other students could never do! Keep going, and don’t give up. If no one else is cheering you on, just know that your child is, and they’re totally proud of the hard work and dedication you are putting in—even if they don’t say it.
