Managing Life with Multiple Part-Time Jobs Photo source: Freedigitalphotos
September 6 2012

Managing Life with Multiple Part-Time Jobs

 

5:00 am - Work the early shift as a receptionist at a gym

10:00 am - Take the bus into the city and work as a part-time assistant at publishing company

4:00 pm – Take the hour bus ride home

5:00 pm – Begin freelance job managing company’s social media presence online

9:00 pm – Collapse into bed, have a glass of wine (in no particular order)

This is the daily schedule of a friend of mine who somehow finds time to eat and manage six hours of sleep every night. She’s a 23-year-old juggling three jobs, trying to save up enough money to move out of her parents’ house, and land a full time job in this nearly impossible labor market.  And these days, she’s definitely not the only one working a harrowing, hodgepodge schedule.

In 2010, a CareerBuilder survey showed that 19 percent of workers intended to pick up a second job in order to pay the bills.  Now, I imagine the numbers are much higher as recent grads struggle to pay off an average of $20,000 worth of student loans and pick up unpaid internships to acquire the necessary “experience” needed to secure a decent paying job in their industry of choice.

Whether you’re a grad who can’t land a full-time job or someone whose income isn’t sufficient to meet their expenses, picking up a part-time job or two is becoming very common.  And while it may sound exhausting, it is possible and manageable.  Just be sure to keep in mind a few key survival tips.

Never take on more than you can handle
Just like knowing your limit on alcohol, you need to know how much work you can take on before you start forgetting necessities like eating, sleeping, exercising, and well, eating and sleeping.  Starting your post-grad life by working 80 hours a week (much like an investment banker or doctor does) is going to burn you out before you can say “Happy Hour.”  Start out small and work your way up.

Keep a strict schedule
If you’re like my friend trying to keep track of three jobs and hopefully some semblance of a social life, maintaining a schedule is vital.  Keep a daily planner on you at all times. As someone who balances two jobs, having a daily planner attached to my hip is a lifesaver, especially on those long holiday weekends.

Have a life, even if it’s only on weekends
We all know the saying, “Work to live, don’t live to work,” but in this sour economy the lines are blurring and most people need to work multiple jobs just to pay the rent. For your own sake, don’t sacrifice your free time and friend-time. If your jobs are running you ragged during the week, make sure you’re having fun on the weekends.  Find any spare time you can to see your family and friends, join a sports league, and meet new people. Your life shouldn’t be your jobs.

Find ways to save
If you’re in the business of job juggling due to financial issues, make sure that at the end of the day you’re still saving money.  Here are a few saving suggestions I’ve picked up from friends and experts:

  1. If you work in a job that leaves you with tips, stuff those tips in an emptied out (and clean) wine bottle.  That way you can’t get to the money until the bottle is full and you need to break it open to get to the money.
  2. Have a policy not to spend $5 bills and instead put them in a safe spot or container.  Very quickly you’ll notice how fast you’ve saved up.
  3. If you work freelance or at a job that doesn’t take out taxes, instead of putting one-third of your paycheck aside for taxes, start putting half of your paycheck aside.  After tax season, you’ll find you have more cushioning in your savings account.
  4. Use an online budgeting service like Mint.com. This service does all the work of budgeting, organizing, and categorizing your spending for you.

What other advice do you have for people holding down multiple jobs?  If you’ve been there, share with us what has worked for you.

Tags:

Comments