The Life of a Part-Time Grad Student

I always have good intentions when it comes to blogging, and then life happens and two weeks go by without a word. Before I started graduate school it was a lot easier to find the time to blog, but now I find I'm always up against time constraints and have to decide what to prioritize. It is not easy to balance, work, school & a personal life, throw in a wedding and it gets even more complicated. I can't say that I have found that perfect balance, but I have found ways and tactics of helping me get everything done.

1. It is all about time management
   Scheduling makes a difference. I'm naturally a planner so this comes easy to me, but I know it does not for a lot of people. Taking the time to look ahead in the semester and figure out when things are due and deciding what weekends you need to keep free to do school work pays off. It allows me to plan actual fun things on the other weekends and know when I have to start working on something. Because I'm working 40+ hours a week and taking class 3 days a week I find I have to start working on assignments earlier than I did when I was in school full-time. Knowing what is coming up makes a big difference. And don't just schedule school work, schedule in time for errands, and for fun. Most importantly, make sure you leave time to relax. If you don't you will exhaust yourself.
   
   
2. It is okay to feel overwhelmed
   I always feel overwhelmed. Between things being incredibly busy at work, plus school work, plus wedding planning it seems like I will never get everything done. This is where scheduling pays off. Sticking to that schedule is not always possible, but at least it gives me a goal and a focus. Trusting in my schedule helps me feel better and keep those feelings at bay. One thing I've learned after a year of full-time work and part-time school, things always get done in time. Somehow it happens. I just have to keep reminding myself of that.
   
   
3. Learn to say no (i.e. you can't do everything)
   A part of making sure everything gets done is by saying no. You can't do everything. You especially cannot have the exact same life you had before starting school, something has to go. I would love to be more involved with events happening at my graduate school, however it often doesn't make sense because it would come at the expense of spending time with my fiance.
   
   
4. Don't forget to prioritize your loved ones
   This one is particularly important, because it is very easy to take advantage of your family and loved ones. Make sure you find time to continue to do things together. They will probably be a big support during this process, so make sure you say thank you. It is not as easy as it sounds because once those feelings of being overwhelmed start to hit it is easy to focus on school and work over family, friends and loved ones.
   
   
5. Let go of the little things
   If you didn't get the house cleaned this weekend like you wanted to, it is okay. If you can't make it out every Saturday, it is okay. This holds true at work as well. If you have to delegate more work so you can be out by 5:15 to make it to class, then delegate. Don't be afraid to let people help you and don't be afraid to ask people for help.
   
   
6. Know where your employer stands
   My final piece of advice is to find out how your employer feels about you going back to school. Some are much more supportive than others. Some employers may allow you do to school work on your downtime, others may not. Technically I work a 9-5 job with an hour lunch break. In reality I come in a little early, work through lunch, and run out at 5:15pm to make it to class. I find I have to be more efficient at work to get everything done since I can't rely on staying late if I need too. I almost never do school work at work unless I have too (for example I have to read a chapter before class today-so I will be taking my lunch break).

It is not easy, but if you enjoy what you are doing it is worth it. And once again, I'm determined to blog again in the next four days. Only time will tell if other things, once again, have to be prioritized.

Rising Costs

And not unexpectedly, though unfortunate, my costs continue to go up as my salary stays the same.

As you may recall last year we has a salary freeze. This year we actually got an increase, of 1%. There is still the opportunity of merit increases, but not until October.

Meanwhile my costs have continued to increase. Not only are the added costs of a wedding, but the maintenance on my studio has increased by 12%, this is after an increase of 15% last year.

As my salary has stayed the same over two years, my job has become increasingly busier. And so lately I'm feeling overworked and underpaid. Now, I'm not overworked in the sense that I'm working past 8pm each night (it is impossible I have to go to class). However, I do feel as that for the work I do, I'm underpaid. Especially considering the city I live in.

I know I should be happy I have a job in this recession, and I am. However, I would by lying if I said I wasn't frustrated as well.

10 Tips for Group Travel Planning

This is a guest post from Lindsey. Lindsey has been a travel blogger for over 4 years. Most recently she is blogging for Airport Parking offering travel tips & tricks for travel and getting around airports.

Traveling with a group of friends and family members can be a wonderful, memorably experience. It can also produce a lot of headaches and tension is you don't plan it properly. After all, the more people you have involved in a trip the more opinions you have and the more room there is for conflict. The following ten tips can help you to reduce the conflict and increase the fun. Use them to simplify group travel planning.

1. Choose a group organizer. Although everyone may have a say in the details of the trip, there should be a group leader that gets the final say. This person can be chosen in any manner that suits your group. Examples include selecting the eldest member of the group or choosing the leader randomly out of a hat. This person takes responsibility for mediating arguments, making decisions when the group is at a standoff and disseminating information to the group.

2. Designate roles and tasks. The group leader should make a list of the things that must be done in order to get the trip planned. The leader can then ask for volunteers or designate those tasks to other group members to break up the work. There should be a deadline for each of the tasks. If the task isn't done by that time then the group leader can take over the task's completion.

3. Ask everyone to make a list of concerns and needs before the trip is planned. Each traveler will have needs that the others may not think about. One may require vegetarian-friendly restaurants, another may be concerned about the safety of a hotel and yet another may absolutely hate taking early red eye flights. Of course, there may have to be some compromise but it's a lot easier to accommodate everyone's little peccadilloes if you get a big list of them before planning the vacation.

4. Use a planning guide to organize your trip. You don't have to reinvent the wheel here. Other groups have planned the same types of trips that you're planning and have worked out the kinks. Use other people's trip guides to get you started on your group travel plans. See trip planning guide examples here.

5. Pick a short time frame for the trip. Groups tend to get restless after more than a few days together. Stick with a short time frame for the trip. Members of the group who want to stay longer can always extend their own part of the vacation if they so choose.

6. Schedule times for the group to break apart during the trip. When putting together your group itinerary, make sure that you leave chunks of time for the group to easily break apart. This allows everyone in the group to do some of the things that they want to do but the rest of the group doesn't. It also breaks up any in-group tension by giving everyone a break from one another if they want it.

7. Plan your restaurant meals in advance. Large groups may have trouble finding restaurants that can accommodate them without warning. If your group will be eating together at restaurants then you should plan in advance and research online to find out which restaurants can meet your needs. Make reservations as needed. If you need to get an unplanned restaurant meal either break into smaller groups or look for pizza joints, buffets and other spots that are group-friendly.

8. Avoid splitting into same-age groups. Don't assume that the kids will have the most fun if they spend time with their cousins. They may actually enjoy hanging out with their grandparents. Of course, there are exceptions to this. For example, the kids might like to run off together to the hotel's game room and the young adults may head to the hotel bar together. Nevertheless, don't assume that same-age activities make for the most fun during group travel.

9. Use a group travel planning site to stay organized. The easiest way to make sure that everyone has access to the trip's information is to put it in one place online. There are travel planning websites specifically designed to facilitate both the planning and sharing of information. TripIt is a good example to start with.

10. Be flexible. It should go without saying but it is worth mentioning because it's so important. The more flexible that you can be during the trip, the more you'll have fun regardless of what's going on with the rest of the group.

Looking Ahead / Goals

I can't believe September is here already. Only two months until our wedding! Even though it is almost 100 degrees out today, for me, the summer has officially ended. I've started classes again and things will start to get even busier at work. There is a lot going on and therefore I need to stay organized to keep on top of everything. I'm using the upcoming three day weekend as an excuse to get organized for the next few months.

The next few months are going to be tight for F and I, so I also need to be very careful how I spend my money. If at all possible my goal is to stay under budget, something that I have always found difficult to do.

My goals are simple this month, but focused:

• Stay within budget
• Purchase a few fall dresses/skirts for work (I cleaned out my closet this summer and my work wardrobe is pretty limited)
• Get organized when it comes to school work so I don't have to do any the weekend before and after my wedding.

Photo by WTL photos