More and more people these days are Starting to work over and beyond their usual 9 to 5 jobs. Trying to keep up with the ever increasing cost of living, many have resorted to working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. Most of the time this consists of your usual fulltime work day, plus extra freelance or part-time work on the side. If you’re willing to put the effort in, working two jobs can be quite beneficial, especially with the extra cash flow coming in. Below are a few ways to help you juggle this, often complex, working arrangement.

Plan Your Week
Time management is a key skill that you’ll need, as well as learn, while working two jobs. Having to swap between different projects while still managing deadlines can be a tricky task. It’s easier if you take some time before work starts to properly plan the week ahead so you won’t be spreading yourself too thin. This way you can allocate your time evenly amongst your numerous tasks. Remember to take into account surprise deadlines as well as things that could be re-scheduled to a later date if things do go wrong.

Take Time Off
The importance of this must be stressed. If you don’t take a break every now and again you will burn out. It doesn’t have to be a full week at a time, but at least a few hours a week to yourself is necessary to regain your energy and your thoughts. You’ll often feel a lot better if you’ve been particularly stressed, and it can also help you to focus when you do go back to working.

Socialise
When you become overwhelmed with work, it’s sometimes a good idea to get out of the house and see some friends or family. When you’re busy working all the time, you can often feel guilty for taking some time to yourself. Don’t. Take some time and go grab a drink with a couple friends, go see a movie or just get out and treat yourself to something nice.

Getting paid the extra cash can almost always be worth working two jobs. But remember to consider the stress risks and the workload before starting those extra endeavours. You don’t want to bite off more than you can chew.