4 tips for managing your crazy busy life

I live a life where I am always on the go. If I’m not at school, I’m working. If I’m not working or at school, I’m at my internships. Although it can be hard to handle at times, I’m generally able to manage all the craziness.

A typical day for me is waking up in the morning and getting ready to go to Harper College. After my classes are finished, I get in my car and drive to my internship. There I work on different assignments ranging from updating websites to writing articles. After a few hours at my internship, it’s time for me to head over to work. I work for patient relations as an information assistant at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Ill. Once I get off work, I either head to the gym or home to relax. As you can see, I have relatively long days that start at about seven in the morning and generally go until about nine pm.

So how do I manage my busy life? By using these simple tips:

1. Organization. The best thing I could have done for myself was buying a planner. This way, I never forget when something is due, where I am supposed to be, or any upcoming events I’m supposed to attend.
2. Finding a way to relieve stress. My workload can become overwhelming at times, so I try to find time in my day to relieve that stress. My main method is working out. I love going on a run to clear my head, and sometimes even walking around for a bit can help when I need a quick break.
3. Eating healthy. It may not seem important, but eating healthy will keep your body energized throughout the day, and it will make you feel better about yourself in case you can’t sneak that workout in with an extra busy day.
4. Prioritizing. Creating to-do lists is a must for me. It is easy to get overwhelmed when I have a lot on my plate. Arranging my work in order of importance, what needs to be completed first, and what can wait is crucial for my day to day. It also helps me focus my full attention on the most important task at hand so that I can get through all my ‘must do’s’ each day.

“While eating healthy helps one build the energy, relieving stress helps maintain it, and organizing and prioritizing prevents the wastage of this indispensable resource,” says Dr. Chandragupta Vedak, a psychiatrist at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Ill.

Using these four simple rules, I am able to manage my crazy busy life, and even able to have a social life in my downtime.