My schedule is crazy: working full time, being a full time student, a helping hand to my father’s business, being part of a friend group and being in a relationship is a lot to manage at times. That’s why I must have a routine to keep my mental health in check and keep me on track. 

My responsibilities don’t end with attending work and school, I work to save money and pay for bills. I also have a money management routine that I complete every time I get paid. It’s crucial to make sure I’m financially where I want to be, so I can be sure I can pay bills and still save up for my future. 

I’ve been working since I was 11; during the summers I wasn’t at the beach everyday, I was working on my father’s farm and helping my grandmother clean beach houses. I started paying for my own things and bills at 12. I wasn’t given my first phone: I worked two months during the summer to be able to but one  in full and I started making payments from then on out. There have been summers I juggled three jobs; it’s not for everyone, but it helped me get to where I am now. My father taught me that nothing is truly yours if it’s just given to you.

All of this to say, I have a lot of experience juggling work/life balance and managing a busy schedule, which is why I am sharing my guides and some advice to help you get on track as well.

The time to start getting organized is now. We’re buying cars, and with college right around the corner, we may want to save up. We may meet the perfect guy or girl and even meet some new great friends that we want to spend time with, and don’t forget about that deadline you may have to meet. We all have a lot of dreams and aspirations, and it’s because we’re growing up in the short time span of four years. It’s crucial to start thinking about our future, to save up and be prepared for this crazy ride we call life.

Personally, at first it was hard to work full-time and also have the energy to hang out with friends, do school work, and even self care became a burden. This is simply because I didn’t figure out something that worked for me. Now I have a set time to do things, and I plan around my work schedule. I had to learn to be responsible. I thought I was super responsible; I turned in my homework, I was polite, and I did the chores that were expected of me. Unfortunately, now my responsibilities are paying bills, making sure I can afford necessities, and being able to save up, so that I have cash to spend. All this made me realize how the expectations change with age. It’s because we’re growing up and we have to learn how to become responsible adults, not just the responsible kid who turns in their homework. We’re not kids anymore; we have to start adulting now.

What’s the point of working so much and so hard if you can’t have a life because you’re too busy? So try out making a schedule, or creating a routine and stick with it for two weeks to see how you like it. If you don’t, well that’s the beauty of it, you can change it to your liking or comfort.