how to work two jobs

Whether you supplement your full-time salary with a part-time position or you rely on multiple part-time positions for your income, juggling more than one job is challenging. Managing your time, stress, and energy levels effectively for success takes conscientious lifestyle changes.

From maintaining your physical and emotional health to balancing your personal life with your professional goals, working two jobs can take a toll on your financial and mental stability.

Finance experts, lifestyle bloggers, employers, and even college students agree that enhancing your organizational and planning skills can help you keep a healthy perspective while also staying on task. Here are the top recommended principles to help you work two jobs:

1.Make a Daily To-Do List

Aside from keeping you organized, the advantage of list-making is learning how to prioritize the importance of each item. In as little as 15 minutes at the beginning or end of each day, you can stay task-oriented and focused. "I've worked a full-time job while maintaining several freelance contracts on the side, and the critical advice I can give is to stay organized," said Glenn Carter, author of the personal finance blog The Casual Capitalist.

2. Begin Each Day with One Easy Task

The first action you take in the morning sets the tone of the day, so an easy micro-habit of accomplishing one easy task, such as taking a walk or watering the plants, can set your mind in a "proactive" mode rather than a "reactive" mode, according to Nick Loper, founder of the Side Hustle Nation.

3. Communicate Well with All Your Employers

After assessing the time and energy commitments each job requires of you, divide your availability responsibly between employers. Clearly communicate to your bosses when you are available in order to avoid conflicts of interest that would cause your performance to suffer. Generally, the highest-paying or most stable job should take precedence, so be realistic about your motivations for working for each employer. At BalanceCareers, they urge, "Do not let the second job encroach on the quality of your work performance of your first job," because ideally you've picked your second job carefully in order to best suit your availability and skill sets.

4. Have Clear End Goals

Ultimately, working more than one job is rarely tenable. Stay reflective and self-aware about your reasons for balancing two separate work schedules. Bobbi Rebell, financial expert and author of How to Be a Financial Grownup, urges people who work multiple jobs to have a strategy for accomplishing their final goal. "For example, to earn money to pay down a debt," she says. "Or to save for a vacation. Or to acquire a new skill that can expand your professional options. Or to explore whether a business is financially viable. You have to be careful not to just work two jobs for the sake of it, because that can be exhausting,"

5. Do NOT Neglect Yourself

Sleep needs to remain a priority, even if it seems counterintuitive to optimizing your productivity. Jeff Proctor, finance expert, reminds his clients, "Missing sleep can quickly compound into less focus and decreased productivity at work, which can actually lead to depression. Moral of the story: get your sleep." Eating well and exercising are equally important in order to ward off avoidable illnesses and physical burnout.

No one makes perfect plans the first time around. Balancing your personal and professional well-being is an ongoing process for every adult. When you're working two jobs, the challenges can seem overwhelming, but these small, daily lifestyle changes can add a sense of structure and stability to otherwise chaotic schedules.

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