How do you balance the demands of nursing school and life

Despareux · Dec 1, 2011

Sounds like you're doing well. Keep doing what you're doing. Just be open to change and understand that anything pertaining to school is only temporary.

BelleNscrubs04 · Dec 4, 2011

I don't really have any advice. Like you, I'm interested in hearing from others about how they manage to balance it all. I'm finishing my first semester and I'm exhausted and already in burn out mode (along with the rest of my class). I'm doing well enough(A's and high B's) but I just don't see how I can sustain a frantic pace of everything in my life revolving around nursing school/studying all the time for another 4 semesters. I've already gained back 8lbs, I lost before starting the program. I'm a mother of two. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm constantly trying to find some sort of balance and always feeling like I'm mucking it up somehow. Like I should be able to get a better grip on things. I'd love any advice/tips others have.

Summers_Off · Dec 5, 2011

Two words..... CROCK POT. Also, I have a monthly meal calendar with ingredient/shopping list. It saves a lot of time when you don't have to expend ANY energy with "what's for dinner?" and "what do I need from the store?". You can also plan around your class schedule. I do prep heavy meals on my light school days and crock pot meals for clinical days.

I do 15 minute cleanups such as these http://housekeeping.about.com/od/timesavingideas/a/15MinuteClean.htm (one or two a day) to keep my house from getting out of control dirty between real cleaning sessions. I have a basket of cleaning supplies on each level of the house so if the urge strikes to clean a toilet real quick, everything I need is a few steps away. Vacuum is downstairs because upstairs needs vacuuming less often.

Here's my theory on laundry. I call it theory because I hate laundry with an ever growing passion so things rarely work out this way for me. I put a load in when I leave and dry it when I walk in (my garage access is through the laundry room). Here's where it all falls apart:down:.... then you put that one load away THAT night. Clean laundry some times piles in my house. I iron a whole week's worth of clothes in one night (because everything is wrinkled from sitting in a basket for three days :smackingf). I have those hanger things where you put five hangers in little slots and then you drop them down and they are all in a line), but that's not really necessary LOL.

I only have one preschooler so I don't have any tips on homework or afterschool activities. Google "working mom organization tips" or something like that. These are all things I did before NS when I was working 40+ hours plus daily commute.

Good luck!

MU Nursingstudent · Dec 5, 2011

not well