How to Balance Multiple Jobs (Without Losing Your Mind)

How to Balance Multiple Jobs (Without Losing Your Mind)How to Balance Multiple Jobs (Without Losing Your Mind)When the clock strikes 5 PM, its quitting time Well, maybe for everyone else.But if you work multiple jobs, its time to re-focus and get back to work- for the rest of the night. And when you finally hit the hay at midnight, you only have a few short hours before you wake up at the crack of dawn to start all over again.Working multiple jobs isnt all that uncommon, whether youre saving up money, starting your own business, or gaining experience in an unfamiliar industry. But with early mornings, late nights, and way too many responsibilities to keep track of, its pretty hard to find a balance between fulfilling your commitments to those jobs and maintaining your sanity.Ive been working two jobs for several months now, and while I still dont have that balance down pat, I have picked up a few strategies that have made my work-packed life a little easier. If youre on the verge of losing your mind (or quitting your extra jobs), try these five tips to get back on track.Find Quick Fixes for Life TasksWhen work takes over, the other things necessary for a healthy, balanced life often become afterthoughts. Think it was tough to make dinner or have a regular workout routine when you had one job? Add a second (or third) and the feat seems nearly impossible.But in my experience, staying active and filling my body with good fuel plays a big part in keeping me sane and energized. And while I cant commit to a comprehensive workout every day, I have found that I can at least do something. Try taking a walk or climbing up and down your buildings stairs a few times during your lunch hour. Or, look for a video workout thats sensitive of your time constraint (30 Day Shred andInsanity have some half-hour workouts that are easy to squeeze in your day).You can also find ways to simplify your cooking routine. (After a few too many Taco Bell dinner runs, I realized needed to giv e myself some quick options at home.)Crock-pot meals are great- throw a bunch of ingredients in before work and dinner will be ready by the time you get home. Or, make a triple batch of your favorite dinner recipe on the weekend and eat leftovers throughout the week.Plan Out Your Week Ahead of TimeIf youre not keeping a close eye on your work schedule (as well as your social calendar), unexpected events can easily pop up and ruin your productivity. Just when you think you have a free night to work on your freelance projects, your other anfhrer calls you to remind you about the charity gala youre required to attend that same night.To help keep your priorities straight (and your sanity intact), take a few moments over the weekend to think through your schedule for the week. For example, maybe theres a meeting or happy hour you want to attend on Wednesday night, so youll need to shift the majority of your evening work to Monday and Tuesday.Once you see your workload distributed through out the week, you can also make a smart decision about anything else that pops up- if you have to decline a dinner invitation, youll know way ahead of time (saving you those awkward last minute Im so sorry, but I have to ditch tonight phone calls). In the long run, youll be able to get your work done mora efficiently- and fit in some time for the fun stuff, too.Give Yourself Some Time OffWhen you work multiple jobs, youll often hear advice to take at least one full day off during the week. And if you have the flexibility and schedule to do that, by all means- take itOn the other hand, your mega-packed work schedule may not allow you to take an entire day off- and even if you try, you may not be able to shake that guilty feeling that creeps up when youre baking cookies and watching a Real Housewives marathon instead of doing something job-related (Ive been there).In the end, I dont block out an entire day to myself, but I do try to give myself at least a few hours fully off at some p oint during the week. And mora importantly, I focus on letting my mind relax, instead of worrying about the work Ive done or still have left to do- which brings us to the next pointWhen Youre Not Working, Dont Think About WorkJuggling two jobs can have your mind spinning- for one job, youre worrying about your expense reports and sales deadlines, and for the other, youre racking your brain about whether you approved your employees timecards. Even when youre not technically working at any job, its common for your thoughts to take over and prevent you from actually relaxing- which completely sabotages the little time off you do have.Theres no magic cure for this, but to help you get your mind off work when youre, well, off work, start by keeping running to-do lists of what you need to do at each job- and what youve actually done. When you physically cross approve employee timecards and submit expense reports off your to-do lists, youll be able to rest easy, knowing that your responsib ilities are taken care of.Then, once you know your to-dos are taken care of, try to separate yourself from your work. If you have a work cell phone or constant access to your work email, leave it at home, upstairs, or anywhere where it wont constantly alert you about every new email. Im not saying ignore your work- but for a few hours, make sure its out of sight (and out of mind).Keep the End Goal in SightLets face it- youre probably not working multiple jobs and 100 or more hours per because youre bored and have nothing better to do with your time. You might be trying to pay off student loans or saving up for a down payment on a house. Maybe youre freelancing to try to break into a new field- or to start your own company. Whatever your reason, this extra job (or jobs) is getting you just a little closer to that goal.So when youre entrenched in the day-to-day of your multiple jobs, its important to keep that end goal in mind- and remember that it is, in fact, an end goal. That means You wont be working this many jobs forever.To stay motivated, keep a realistic time frame in mind. For example, once you earn a certain amount, youll quit at least one of your extra jobs. Or, maybe once you hit the year mark at a part-time, experience-gaining job, youll start looking for a full-time gig.But for now, remind yourself to look at your jobs as the means to that end- theyre temporary, and as long as you can power through for a little longer, youll reach your ultimate goal.Tell us How do you survive working multiple jobs?Photo of busy woman courtesy of Shutterstock.