By Tiaira Johnson, CSU Social and Digital Media Student Co-Creator
Balancing school, work and content creation can be challenging for a full-time student. Oftentimes, content creation becomes draining and school becomes time consuming. Here, I share an inside look at how I balance multiple jobs while being a content creator on CSU’s Social and Digital Media team.
Hey hey, I’m Tiaira.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to balance being a full-time student, having four jobs and creating content, welcome to my life! I’m a double-major student studying journalism and media communications, and business administration with a concentration in human resource management. Basically, I love being creative, intentional interaction and people. But outside of my 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule, sometimes from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. I wear a lot of different hats. Here’s the breakdown:
Residential Assistant (RA): From planning fun hall events to making sure my residents feel at home, this role keeps me on my toes. It’s a mix of leadership, organization, intentional interactions and most importantly TIME COMMITMENT!!!
Okay, so what’s job number two? Great question! I also serve as a Front Desk Administrative Assistant. Every Tuesday and Thursday you will find me there, helping various students within the department connect to their advisors. I also assist with creating schedules and other administrative tasks such as printing, scanning, managing mail, cleaning and more.
Alright so we got down to 2 jobs, what’s the 3rd? Wellll… I am a Social and Digital Media Vlogger & Content Creator for A Ram’s Life. Here, I vlog about my life as a CSU student to attract prospective students to come to CSU! I make day in the life videos and advice videos, but also more fun ones, like public interviews. This job also takes a lot of my time but the final product is always my favorite.
Finally, my 4th job is a Social Media Manager for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Xi Eta Chapter. As our chapter’s social media manager, I get to combine creativity and sisterhood! From designing flyers to capturing the essence of our events, I love sharing on Instagram what makes our chapter shine.
How do you do it all?
Honestly? I don’t know. Just kidding, kind of… It’s definitely taken a lot of time management, prioritizing and scheduling. I’ve had to learn (sometimes the hard way) how to balance it all without completely burning out.
Here are a few things that help me keep it together:
1. Plan EVERYTHING. I love utilizing my Teams and Google calendars. This helps me stay on my feet and remember all the things I need to get done. In addition to using calendars, I also love using the Reminder app on iOS. Honestly, any reminder app is perfectly fine, but having one helps me not forget important tasks and commitments. Aside from planning day to day, I also use my Notes app to plan out video ideas and what it takes to film that video. Content creation can be challenging when it comes to planning videos. However, having a full layout of videos you want to film can be easier when getting it done.
2. Know your priorities. Some weeks, school comes first. Other weeks, I have to focus more on content or classes. Giving myself enough time to shift focus instead of trying to “do it all perfectly” has been a necessity. I usually try to juggle the things that have the most value to me at that moment. It’s so important to understand what matters most to you in order to juggle this lifestyle.
3. Take real breaks. Burnout is soooo real, especially when you’re juggling multiple roles. I try to prioritize my weekends to not be focused on school or work. I love spending my Sundays catching up on shows, planning for the week, but also self care. I am a huge believer in self care. I’m talking about the full thing, such as face masks, maintenance days, all of it. I believe the little things matter, even if it just means taking a nice, hot shower to take a break away from school and filming.
4. Remember your “why.” During my initiation process into my sorority, someone had mentioned the idea of remembering your why. That stuck with me. I had a full realization one day, and realized, “Ok, so why am I doing this?” When I get overwhelmed, I remind myself why I started. I love connecting with people, creating and growing into the woman I want to be. Every role I take on helps me get closer to those goals and finding my purpose.
For future student influencers:
If you’re thinking about becoming a student content creator or influencer, go for it! It’s so rewarding but it takes consistency, time management and discipline. Remember to always be authentic with the content you create. Personally, I love vlogs and I love sharing the things I am involved in. Allow people to connect to you and remember no one’s life is perfect. I know 100% mine isn’t. Remember to manage your time. If you happen to have extra room in your schedule, maybe try creating several videos in that setting so that way you have videos to upload later. In addition, plan out your content so you know what you could be filming.
Finally, like I always say, protect your peace and prioritize yourself. Don’t let your busy schedule consume you. Find time to take a break , allow yourself to take time for yourself. In addition to mental health, know that taking a break is ok. Don’t let algorithms of your videos stress you out, instead create content you are proud of and that you find fun. Balancing school, work and content creation isn’t easy, but through it all, have fun. Remember, it’s your life and I want you to live your best life always.