Work Life Harmony

One challenge that I’ve noticed when I decided to study on my own is really “studying on my own”. When I started this journey, I created a schedule for the week to balance the classes. I packed the day with two hours for film and music class. The rest of the day was project-based work. This schedule of mine was going well until I realized that throughout the day I was constantly on my laptop without a break except during lunch.

I noticed my eyes begin to strain and my shoulders would be tired at the end of the day. It suddenly came to mind that I haven’t been working in a state where I’m achieving both my professional and personal goals anymore. Things like wanting to work out, read a book, and have time for my dog or even for myself had become things I was neglecting. When my full-time job came up it was even harder for me to find time for school.

There were many occasions I’d simply blame everything on time or that I was too tired, but I learned that everything starts as a discipline and if it’s something that matters to you, you make time for it. So I tried to come up with a schedule where I would wake up early to start classes and switch right to work when the clock hit 10 am. But I noticed I’d be too tired to wake up for classes and end up sleeping in and waking up just for work. I knew this schedule wasn’t working. It was only until someone mentioned, “Why don’t you just start classes in the evening?”.

With that, I started waking up at 8:30 am to work out. After I’d have enough time for breakfast or even time for myself. Then work would begin at 10 am til 5 pm. Once the evening hit, I begin doing classwork. This experience taught me to be more proactive. Instead of making excuses and blaming things like “not having enough time”, I took it upon myself to figure out which schedule fit me best. Finding your work-life harmony isn’t hard to achieve. It starts with understanding yourself and looking for what best works for you.