Forget Balance—2 Suggestions for Managing Your Priorities

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow* kept an audience of grad students from “The Balance Beam,” the first of a new series of workshops developed especially for OCB graduate students—working parents.

More than anything as working parents, specifically working MBA parents, you need to know you are not alone in this triple role. We hope that in joining your peers in the UST MBA program who are also juggling these conflicting demands, you will find like-minded individuals and together share successes, tips, and insights.

Maggie Tomas, from UST's Graduate Business Career Services, opened up a discussion on the issues that impact many graduate students—working, taking classes and attending to family. (Maggie would know! She works full-time and has two young children.)

Managing these demands may be overwhelming and guilt ridden and better addressed by prioritizing. As a graduate student, it may be more about choice than balance. Maggie offered these suggestions:

Make choices instead of trying to do it all.
Students took time to review their daily obligations and the sacrifices made for family members. It is important to evaluate priorities and consider making time for yourself and let go of the guilt.
Create a daily structure and have a plan for each day.
Taking personal responsibility to create satisfaction will lead to becoming a better version of you. Having a plan will help guide you through the day.

And that’s what happened during The Balance Beam session—students took time to discuss their experiences and review their priorities. Meeting with other students who are also juggling a multitude of demands provided an environment to share insights and build camaraderie. More than one student expressed a sense of relief, realizing that others were having similar experiences of juggling family, work and coursework.

Balance Beam events will be held monthly throughout spring semester. E-mail Graduate Business Career Services for details.