4 jobs in one year

Find Quick Solutions to Life's Problems

When work takes precedence, the other aspects of a healthy, balanced life often become afterthoughts. Think it was difficult to cook supper or maintain a regular fitness program when you just had one job? When you add a second (or third!) person, the accomplishment seems practically impossible.

However, in my experience, being active and fueling my body with nutritious foods plays an important role in keeping me energetic. And, although I can't commit to a full-body exercise every day, I've discovered that I can do something. During your lunch break, go for a stroll or climb the stairs in your building a few times. Alternatively, seek for a video exercise that is mindful of your time constraints (30 Day Shred has some half-hour workouts that are easy to squeeze in your day).

You may also discover techniques to make your cooking routine easier. (After one too many Taco Bell dinners, I realized I needed some fast choices at home.) Crock-pot dinners are fantastic—throw everything in before work and supper will be done by the time you come home. Alternatively, create a quadruple batch of your favorite supper dish on the weekend and eat leftovers all week.

Make a plan for your week ahead of time.

Unexpected occurrences might quickly wreck your productivity if you don't keep a careful check on your work schedule (as well as your social calendar). Just when you thought you had a free night to concentrate on your freelancing tasks, your other employer calls to remind you of the charity gala you had to attend that night.

Take a few time over the weekend to plan out your week's itinerary to help you keep your priorities straight. For example, if you need to attend a meeting or happy hour on Wednesday night, you'll need to transfer the bulk of your evening work to Monday and Tuesday.

Once you see how your workload is distributed throughout the week, you can make informed decisions about anything else that comes up—for example, if you need to decline a dinner invitation, you'll know ahead of time (saving you those awkward last-minute "I'm so sorry, but I have to ditch tonight" phone calls). In the long term, you'll be able to get your job done more efficiently—while still making time for enjoyment.

Allow yourself some time off.

When you work several jobs, it is common advise to take at least one full day off each week. And if you have the time and flexibility to do so, by all means, go for it!

On the other hand, your hectic work schedule might not allow you to take an entire day off—and even if you do, you might not be able to shake the guilty feeling that creeps up when you're baking cookies and watching a Real Housewives marathon instead of doing something work-related (I've been there!).

In the end, I don't set out a whole day for myself, but I do try to take at least a few hours off during the week. More importantly, I concentrate on relaxing my thoughts rather than stressing about the tasks I've completed or still have to complete—which leads us to the following point:

Don't Think About Work When You're Not Working

Juggling two jobs may leave your head racing—for one, you're worried about expense reports and sales deadlines, and for the other, you're wondering whether you authorized your workers' timecards. Even if you're not officially working, it's typical for your thoughts to take over and prevent you from really resting, sabotaging the little time off you do have.

There is no magic cure for this, but maintain running to-do lists of what you need to accomplish at each job—and what you've really done—to help you get your mind off work while you're, well, off work. When you physically check "approve staff timecards" and "submit expense reports" off your to-do lists, you can relax knowing that your obligations have been met.

Then, after you've completed your tasks, strive to detach yourself from your job. If you have a work mobile phone or continual access to your work email, leave it at home, upstairs, or somewhere else where it won't constantly alert you to new emails. I'm not suggesting disregard your work—just keep it out of sight for a few hours (and out of mind).

Maintain Focus on the End Goal

Let's be honest: you're not working several jobs and 100 or more hours per week because you're bored and have nothing better to do with your time. You may be attempting to repay school debts or saving for a down payment on a home. Perhaps you're freelancing to attempt to break into a new field—or to launch your own business. Whatever your motivation, this additional work (or jobs) will get you a bit closer to your objective.

So, when you're immersed in the day-to-day of your various occupations, keep that ultimate goal in mind—and remember that it is, indeed, an end goal. That is to say, you will not be working this many jobs indefinitely.

Keep a realistic time period in mind to remain motivated. For example, after you reach a particular income level, you will give up at least one of your side occupations. Perhaps you'll start searching for a full-time job after a year of working part-time and building experience.

But, for the time being, tell yourself that your occupations are just a means to an end—they're only temporary, and if you can persevere for a little longer, you'll attain your ultimate objective.