Check out this post, from the archives, written by Sidra Siddiqui Feb. 2020. With the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, we never got a chance to give this post the shine it deserves. Sidra is now an Alumna of the HiED masters program.

This year, my second (and final) year in the Higher Ed program, I’ve been balancing a graduate assistant position, a graduate intern position and my coursework for our program. Alongside that, I am learning what it takes to raise a toddler. This year has been a study in balance for me and I’ve curated a few tips and tricks to share with my peers!  

Write Everything Down! I have one Google calendar for myself, and one for family. I put everything on this calendar. I even write down when the trash needs to be taken out. I have three roles, two as a professional and one as a student, and about five emails that I need to be checking in any given work week. There needs to be a place where everything is written down, so that I can anticipate what is coming next. For larger projects, my partner and I use Trello to organize who needs to be doing which task. Sticky Notes are also something I use often to organize my thoughts. You can pull up your personal sticky notes account on different devices as well.  

Use Your Phone: This is not for everyone. I really like being aware of who is trying to reach me, and I like receiving emails on my phone. Because I have 4 email accounts I check regularly, and one I must check semi-regularly, it is nice to know when I have emails to check. The Outlook app is great for this, because it keeps all my email accounts in one place. I also use my phone for calendar reminders, alarms and task reminders.  

Different Learning Styles: I’ve never thought of myself as an auditory learner, but I became one during my years in the program! A few of the books that were required for Higher Ed law were available on Libby, a library app that has e-books and audio books available if you have a library card and a participating library nearby. Because of my long commutes (approximately 2 hours a day), it was important for me to figure out a way I could use that time wisely, and so listening to my reading material helped me focus on classwork and save time.  

Online Access to Documents: As a member of the Minnstate system, I have access to OneDrive, and I use this to save my important/academic documents. This way, I have access to them whether I’m at home, at one institution, or at my other institution. One of the things I love doing is having one To-Do list that outlines all tasks for work (both of my jobs), so that I know what needs to be prioritized. This to-do list also helps me keep my calendar up to date. For my GA position, I work from home one day a week, so having OneDrive has been a great way to access work documents from any space.  

Family + Friends: If you are fortunate enough to have family, or friends like family around you, use them to your advantage! There have been a few weeks during my two years as a master’s student that I’ve had to fly my mother in to babysit because I had no other choice. I tend to travel a lot because of being so far from family, so Thrifty Traveler has become a must-follow. If you have a partner, give them some of your personal tasks or responsibilities because you can’t do everything, even if your Type-A mind is telling you that you can. I have been horrible at that this year, because I tend to want to control every aspect of my life. However, sometimes you just need to give up control. Facebook groups were one way that I connected with people in my community, and where I found my current babysitter. It was important to me for my son to spend time with people who spoke my language and understood my culture, and so a Facebook group for Pakistani families living in the Twin Cities ended up being a great place where I was able to find suggestions for all kinds of things. There seems to be a Facebook Group for everything. 

Schedule time each week to do something that gives you joy! I can’t express how important this has been for me during these two years. Having something to look forward to at the end of a long week has gotten me through so many difficult weeks. This can be a brunch with friends, a movie night, or something bigger like a weekend get away with your partner. It can be something way smaller too, like putting aside time to cook a meal that you love. I also love reading, so I tend to listen to interesting novels through Libby, to give myself some time to de-stress from all the heavy academic content I get from my courses. Whatever it is, make sure it is something you do just for yourself, and your mental and/or physical well-being.

Sidra Siddiqui is was s second-year graduate student at St. Cloud State University, and worked as a Graduate Assistant in the Center for Doctoral Studies office and as a Graduate Intern at Normandale Community College’s Center for Experiential Education during the time of post writing (approx. one year ago today).