Speaking as a mother, student, and employed woman, there's a lot I've learned about balancing various demands, but the most important is knowing when to give myself a break. Of course, organizational skills, knowing how to say no, getting enough sleep, and having help are essential. But even so, without having some purely leisure time, I would go insane. Right now, I have assignments, papers to write, several finals to study for, required volunteer hours for my son's charter school, church obligations, not to mention work, and now Christmas shopping to keep me occupied for the next three or four weeks.
So, when I get too frazzled, or begin to feel my temper getting too short, I know it's time to check out and watch some mindless T.V. show, or relax after a hot shower with some hot chocolate, or sit back with some leisure reading. Sometimes, I take Jackson to the local pizza/ arcade and spend an hour or so there playing games and pigging out on pizza and ice cream. It may not be great for our diet, but it's a necessity to relieve stress sometimes!
I will say that one skill has made college classes a great deal more tolerable, and that's the ability to write well. I feel like all I have done this entire semester is bang out one paper after another, sometimes two or even three in one night. Keeping a blog has of course added to the pile. Do not underestimate the ability to turn out decent work in a short period of time! And that is why it is immensely helpful to have strong writing skills and even better typing skills. I just think of it all as prep for grad school. ;)
