Going from having a few hours of class a day to working eight-hour days five days a week can be a huge adjustment for any young professional. Learn how to make your transition easier by reading our advice below.
- Balancing Act:
- The first rule you need to learn is how to balance your work life and your personal life. Both are very important to you, but when they begin to overlap you can find yourself in some very stressful situations.
- Don’t text your friends or check your social media pages while on the clock, wait until your lunch break to check your phone.
- Avoid bringing your work home with you. If you are stressed about a mistake you made at work, leave your problems at the office. Going home in a bad mood is a surefire way to ruin the rest of your night.
- Don’t make personal phone calls or run errands on the company’s dime. Try to schedule appointments over your lunch break or on the weekends.
- Keep it Moving:
- Sitting at a desk for the majority of your waking hours can very quickly begin to take a toll on you. Avoid moving your sedentary self immediately from your office chair to the couch at home.
- Join a gym, sign up for classes, or find a running buddy. Getting even a half hour’s worth of exercise every day will have great benefits on both your body and your mind.
- Put Away Your Paycheck:
- As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, learning how to manage your finances can be a very difficult lesson for most young professionals to learn.
- Save as much money as possible. The amount of money in your first paycheck may be more than you made collectively in high school, but with your new monetary gain you are probably also facing new expenses.
- It’s important to have an emergency fund waiting for you in the bank in case you meet some unexpected expenses or find yourself suddenly unemployed.
- Enjoy the Weekends:
- While you might just want to sleep in late on the weekends and enjoy your limited free time, make sure you keep yourself active and social.
- Your weekends might be the only time you have to see your friends or family, so spend your time wisely.
- You will be in much better spirits come Monday morning after a great weekend with friends than you will be after a long weekend with your couch.
- Don’t Get Lost in the Routine:
- Joining the real world comes with a new level of monotony most young professionals probably have not faced before.
- Living the same routine day in and day out can get tiresome and boring, so make sure you embrace any opportunity for newness or change.
- Try a new restaurant, wake up a little earlier to exercise before work, or try joining a recreational team. Although you may be feeling old, remember you’re still young!
