This week on Inspired by Cherisha, I’m answering your questions on Instagram Stories! I thought it would be fun to also highlight the wonderful Instagram friends and fellow bloggers who engage on Instagram. 

I wasn’t surprised when I saw that one of the most popular questions that came in through Instagram DMs/Instagram stories was: 

1. How do you balance blogging and working? 
2. How do you keep up with life, university, and blogging? 
3. What are some of your best tools/strategies for time management? 

Last year, I took a major step in my life by starting a post-grad program while continuing to work on my full-time side hustle (blogging). While I originally thought I would cut back on blogging, I didn’t. I continued to pour my energy into my side hustle by writing and publishing one blog post a month, creating content on Instagram, and adding midterms, group projects and finals. 

So today, I’m answering these ladies questions!

Are you working a full-time job and a side hustle? Are you going back to school while balancing your family?

If so, this blog post is for you! I hope to pass on some advice and hopefully inspire you to challenge yourself in the next step of your life.

Advice #1 for Balancing Grad School, Your Full-Time Job and Side Hustle:

Don’t eliminate yourself from situations you aren’t in yet – especially out of fear.

Which means don’t pass up opportunities or make certain decisions just because you aren’t sure of how it might affect your future.

My mentor gave me this advice a year or two ago when I first started looking into post-graduate programs. I shared with him how I was afraid of how I would balance being a full-time blogger, school, and the rest of my life. He shared his story about how he navigated three side-hustle jobs while maintaining a full-time corporate career. He was worried about the demands of the executive role and how it might affect his family. But his wife encouraged him to take it and let him know that they would figure it out as they went.

He passed this piece of wisdom to me. And now I’m passing it to you. No matter where you are in your life, maybe you’re a new grad or you’re several years into your career, or maybe you’re even contemplating moving to a new city, take this wisdom with you.

As long as your head and your heart are aligned and you know the next step or move is going to help you grow as a person or in your career, don’t be afraid to make those decisions. You will figure it out as you go. You will figure out a new normal schedule. Your family, friends, and dog will also adjust. You’ll also surprise yourself with your capacity level. If you believe you need to take that next step in life, take it. 

Advice #2 for Balancing Grad School, Your Full-Time Job and Side Hustle:

Clearly define 1-3 goals each year

If you understand your purpose, you’ll understand your path. 

You’ll understand the steps you need to take – even if they push your capacity level. For instance, I always get asked: Why do you want your Master’s in Clinical Psychology? What are you going to do with it?

I’m working towards my master’s because mental health has become one of my greatest passions and I want to build a career helping people navigate psychological challenges. Throughout my studies, I’ve become fascinated by psychological assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based interventions.

Blogging has also shown me how much I enjoy communicating complex ideas in a way that’s relatable and accessible. One day, I’d love to combine both passions by educating people about mental health through digital platforms, speaking engagements, workshops, and teaching opportunities. I hope to help bridge the gap between psychological research and everyday life, making mental health information more understandable for the people who need it most.

I know a Master’s in Clinical Psychology will help me accomplish all of these goals.

If you define your goals, you’ll see the steps you need to take to accomplish them. If you don’t know those steps yet, then you reach out to others around you or use Google, YouTube, podcasts, and the online world to help you figure those steps out.

So what are your goals? What do you want to accomplish in 6 months? Or even one year? What steps do you need to take to accomplish those goals?

Advice #3 for Balancing Grad School, Your Full-Time Job and Side Hustle:

Prioritize the MOST important thing of the day.

This past year, my entire focus shifted towards my commitment into studying day and night. What you didn’t see on Instagram and the blog was all the school work that came with it.

Some days, I would have a morning lecture followed by a skincare launch in the afternoon and I would drive back and forth from Kuala Lumpur and my campus on a red eye to balance my side hustle while completing my pending assignments. I do get mental exhaustion. I knew I needed to sleep, eat, finish and turn in my paper, get ready for my content submission to my pr agencies and then meet my classmate for group discussion all by 1 pm.

What did I prioritize? Sleeping, finishing my paper, and of course, the content submission. I didn’t eat so by the time I got back home, I was ravenous… Then later that evening, I stayed up late and squeezed in another four hours of studying. 

I accomplished my school priorities, got my blogging projects done, and then had the rest of the weekend to spend time with my girlfriends and celebrate birthdays with my family.

Advice: As you get busier with life, you have to give energy to the most important things. You’ll realize that prioritizing becomes very clear – especially with deadlines, submissions, and other competing priorities. You’ll cut out things that don’t align with your priorities and you’ll learn how to be more efficient with your time.

Advice #4 for Balancing Grad School, Your Full-Time Job and Side Hustle:

Communicate your goals, objectives, and maybe even your weekly agenda to your support system/loved ones.

People always ask how I manage to see my family, friends, and my partner. Everyone important in my life knows about my goals and objectives. Because they know WHY I’m working towards my master’s degree, they understand my time constraints and hectic schedule.

For instance, I told my mother I wanted to go to undergrad when I was in my late 20s during my first internship with a mental health centre. When I met my partner, I told him my commitment towards my education. He knew the first date that I wanted to go to grad school.

Whether you’re working a full-time job and a side hustle, raising a family and going back to school or work, remember to communicate your goals and next steps with them. They may not be going back to school or pursuing their side hustle, but they will be impacted by the changes in your life.

Relationships may be strained if you’re transitioning to a new role or taking a new step in your career or business, if people perceive you aren’t living up to their expectations. If your family is used to seeing you once a week, it may be an adjustment for them to see you once a month. If your significant other is used to spending time with you every day after work, then it may be an adjustment for them and you when you’re in class until 10 pm twice a week.

What other pieces of advice do you have for anyone going to grad school, working a full-time job and a side hustle?

Thank you to the wonderful ladies who asked this question!