Campus Club ambassador Zach Zeien shares how a consistent routine, a physical planner, and a firm 8:30 p.m. cutoff help him balance a full course load, an actuarial job, and exam success.
Over the past year, I have been busier than I ever have been in my life. I am a full-time college student taking 17 credits, I work 15–20 hours a week in the corporate actuarial department of a mid-sized life insurer, and I also studied for and passed two actuarial exams (PA and FAM) while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and staying involved in various extracurricular activities.
There is no doubt that I am extremely busy, so how do I manage all of these things without burning out?
Start With a Consistent Schedule
The main thing I do to stay on top of my game is keep a consistent schedule. This looks like waking up at the same time every morning, getting the hardest thing on my to-do list done (usually studying for actuarial exams), and then heading to the gym before my first class.
Going to the gym in the morning after getting some studying done is one of my favorite ways to maintain balance in my life, as it helps me calm my mind and get ready for the rest of my day.
Going to the gym in the morning after getting some studying done is one of my favorite ways to maintain balance in my life.
Keep a Physical Planner
While having a consistent schedule is very helpful, another tool I find useful is a physical planner to keep my life organized. Without my planner, my brain would be a mess trying to keep track of everything, and I would 100% end up forgetting things. Having a planner helps me focus better without letting anything slip through the cracks.
Without my planner, my brain would be a mess trying to keep track of everything, and I would 100% end up forgetting things.
Set a Hard Stop for the Day
All of this leads me to my next point of balance: having a set time after which I don’t do any work. For me, that time is usually 8:30 p.m. This helps me shift my brain away from school and work so I can relax.
I like to use this time to socialize with a wide variety of people. Having dedicated time when I know I won’t be doing any work helps me look forward to the end of the day. It also allows me to unwind before bed, which means I can get a good night’s sleep and do it all again the next day!
Having dedicated time when I know I won’t be doing any work helps me look forward to the end of the day.
About the Author
Zach Zeien is a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he serves as the Coaching Actuaries Campus Club ambassador within the university’s Actuarial Science Club. He has passed Exams P, FM, SRM, PA, and FAM. Over the past year, Zach has worked in the corporate actuarial department at Ameritas Life Insurance, contributing to quarterly reporting processes including cash flow testing, risk-based capital, and own risk and solvency assessment. Outside of actuarial work, he mentors a seventh-grader in the Lincoln Public Schools system through the NHRI Peer Mentoring program, takes part in the university’s honors program, and is active in Greek life.