Pursuing a new educational opportunity can be exciting, but it can also be daunting if you’re busy with a full-time job. How do you balance everything to ensure success in both your classes and your career?

I’m here to tell you it’s possible while also maintaining your sanity! For the last three months, I have been balancing both work and my Holistic Nutrition & Health Coach Certification Program with Nutraphoria. With some careful planning and some late nights, I’ve been able to maintain a healthy balance between work, studies and leisure.

Here I lay out my five best tips for success while balancing work and school.

1. Choose an online course

Online courses are ideal for someone who is trying to balance both work and their studies. The biggest benefit is you don’t have to commute to a campus and you can do readings or watch lectures at your own convenience.

Nutraphoria’s program is self-paced, so I have been able to schedule my readings and exams when it’s convenient for me.

2. Study something you love

This might be a no-brainer, but you’re more likely to stick with your course and excel if you choose a subject matter that interests you.

For the most part (excluding exams) my course with Nutraphoria hasn’t felt like school at all! I have learnt so much valuable information about healthy eating which keeps me motivated and focused on my studies.

3. Set a Schedule

I dedicate one hour every night to my readings and studies with Nutraphoria. Luckily, the course is well organized and developed with its students in mind so this has been manageable. I usually carve out one hour after dinner when I have had time to decompress and recharge after my work day.

Create a schedule that includes your study schedule, work and other obligations and see how everything fits in.

This allows you to see potential conflicts in advance and mitigate them. Having either a planner or big calendar helps with this.

4. Meal Prep

What does meal prep have to do with returning back to school?

It is a HUGE time-saver.

My Sunday afternoons are dedicated to preparing my lunches and dinners for the work week. This means when I come home from a long day at work, I don’t have to think about preparing dinner or my lunch for the next day and can focus on my studies instead.

The other big benefit of meal prepping is that I stay on track with healthy, nutritious meals during the weekdays, instead of opting for a quick microwavable dinner. As I get further into my course with Nutraphoria, it’s becoming more clear how important nutrition is for both your mind and body. I attribute my energy level and ability to focus on eating consistent health brain food!

image3.jpeg5. Connect With Others

Nutraphoria has a Facebook group of current students which allows us to bounce off ideas, insecurities and questions with each other. This support system has been invaluable whenever I need confirmation on course-work. Their administration team has also been a great support system, answering any of my questions quickly and thoroughly.

My advice would be to do your research before taking an online course and make sure there is good feedback about the administrative support. This is something that will maintain your sanity throughout your studies.