Do you feel overwhelmed with all the tasks you need to get done? Being a student and working can get intense, especially when you add in the third factor of searching for a new job. Read more to find some time management tips you can use when trying to balance it all.

Working and going to school at the same time are no easy tasks, especially when you are pursuing one or the other full-time. When you add job searching to the equation, things get even more complicated and it can become very difficult when trying to manage your time. Being overwhelmed like this naturally causes you to gravitate towards the easier things and put off the tasks that are more difficult, which is inefficient and often leads to incomplete tasks.

Here are seven time management tips that will help get you on the right track for success when balancing school, work and searching for a new job:

1. Sort your tasks by significance, due date and duration – First, decide which tasks take significant brainpower and which do not. Next, see how long each task will take and when it is supposed to be done by. This will help you decide what is most important to get done and when.
2. Recognize when you are most productive for using significant brainpower – Some people may do their best thinking in the morning and struggle much more in the late afternoon, while for others it might be the opposite.
3. Develop a schedule that matches each task to your productive times – Perform the ones that take longer and require more brainpower in the morning, if that is your significant time, and the shorter and sweeter ones in the afternoon.
4. Mix it up – Intersperse the tasks you like less with the ones you do like. This will be more rewarding as you will have something to look forward to when completing a less-liked task.
5. Give yourself a tight deadline – There are always certain tasks that continuously fall to the bottom of the pile as we don’t prefer to get them done. For those, schedule less time for them than you normally would. For example, if you estimate that the task will take you an hour, give yourself 45 minutes. While this sounds odd, it is actually quite helpful. If you know that you don’t have a lot of time to complete a specific task, you will tend to work harder and stay more focused to get it done.
6. Schedule extra time – There are always things that come up last minute or tasks that don’t get done. Have some time set aside for emergencies in your daily schedule to get these done. For example, if you are applying for jobs, you might have to schedule an interview ASAP. If you have the extra time allotted, you will not feel overwhelmed and you will still be able to complete all your other tasks. If you don’t have anything that comes up or you’ve completed all your tasks, then you will have some much needed extra time to yourself!
7. Stick to your schedule – This is the most important part. After you’ve done all the planning, stick to it! Otherwise, what would be the use in going through all of that trouble?

Staying on top of your tasks and being efficient with your time is extremely important. It helps you stay organized, focused, and on track. If you stick to these tips and whatever else helps you manage your time best, you will be grateful that you have these skills as you continue on your career path. Time is money, after all.