Juggling Roles

What Are you Juggling?

Topics to Cover?

• What are you juggling?• What is out of balance?• Coping with the juggling act: priorities, time

management, realistic expectations, believing you have control, support.

• Practicalities/simplify your life• Your Action Plan• Resources

Are you out of balance?What balls do you drop?

Work and Family Balance Quiz

• Do you successfully allocate time in your day to the things you want to do with your family?

• Can you participate in meaningful activities with family without feeling anxious or talking about work?

• Do you participate in family activities without the gnawing feeling of so much work being left undone?

The Advantages of Being an Older Student

• You can focus. • You've got a head start. • A new career is as promising to you as it is to a

20-year-old. • You know what you want (Part 1). You've been

out in the big bad world. You've held jobs and paid bills.

• Negative experiences can benefit you

• You know what you want (Part 2). • You can handle (and cut through) the red tape.

Younger students are used to others telling them where to go and what to do. You are more used to solving your own problems, and this can be an asset.

Time Management/Priorities

• How do you plan your time?

• Planner?• Calendar on Fridge?• Time Management Chart?• Calendar on phone?

Coping with the Juggling Act

1. You can’t do it all, so set priorities• Assess responsibilities…what can I leave out?• No magic formula on how to balance.• May depend on where you are at in your life…

Life has seasons

Have Realistic Expectations

• Drop expectations of perfection• Be honest about capabilities and limitations• Burn-out results from too high or unrealistic

expectations

3. Reevaluate Priorities

• Reassess situation frequently and make changes

4. Easier to cope with juggling school, work and family if…

• Supportive/flexible work environment• Good Child Care• Role models

5. Believe you have control

• If you believe you have no control…will give up• Draw on self esteem to help you see situation

as a challenge. The more control you have over your destiny, the more likely you are to cope positively

6.Find/Keep Support

• Isolation breeds negative attitudes and negative outcomes

• Talk with others in the same situation

7. To Relieve the pressures of demands take a SAUNA

• S = Set Goals• A = Accomplish• U = Unwind• N = Nurture Yourself• A = Accept Your Limits

PRACTICALITIES…SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE

The Morning Dash• Develop a Routine that works & stick with it.• Lay out clothes the night before.• Evaluate “getting Ready” time…can you be

more efficient?• Store keys, backpack, etc. near the door.

Decluttering• Assign everything a place.• Use bags/baskets for each person for things

downstairs that need to go up.• Use clear boxes, jars, bags.• Sort mail out over recycle bin.• Check out broken stuff…fix or get rid of.

SPEED CLEANING• Assign some things (dusting?) as “company

only” tasks• Let go of rules for cleaning• Clean top to bottom• Only clean what is dirty

LAUNDRY

• Buy plenty of underwear and socks• Sort laundry as you take it off• Fold as things come out of the dryer• Reduce need for ironing and drycleaning

SHOPPING

• Find 1-2 stores where you can buy it all• If you don’t love it, don’t buy it• Develop a standard grocery list with columns

for “need” and “coupon”

Your Ideas to Simplify Your Life?

• ????• ???

YOUR Action Plan

• Areas where I am out of Balance• Things I must start doing• Things I must stop doing• People I need to communicate with in order to

create change…

Resources

• BLUEprint Workshops• TRIO• Child Development Center at CSCC• Action for Children• On-line Workshops• Adult Learner Newsletter• Center for New Directions