Managing Work-Life Balance Within Support Work

As a full-time university student, casual support worker, volunteer at both the Mater Hospital and John Hunter Hospital, and a keen Friday-night soccer player, I’ve learned pretty quickly that it’s easy for weeks to become overfilled. Because of that, I’ve come to appreciate the importance of being organised, and the need to be able to adjust to manage competing commitments as they come up.

To me, support work stands out as a role that requires reliability and consistency. It’s not just about organising my time effectively for my own sake, but also recognising that it’s a privilege to be invited into someone’s support circle. When someone has planned their day around your arrival, showing up consistently is vital to building trust over time. I’ve found that this trust develops through small intentional actions - turning up on time, engaging in genuine conversations, being attentive to the unique goals and needs of the individual, and being present. Over time, that’s what creates stability and supports people to work towards their goals and build independence in ways that matter to them.

That perspective has made me more mindful about what I commit to, especially during busy university periods or when other commitments overlap. Showing up consistently and being present matters because it directly affects the support someone receives on the day.

At the same time, balancing support work with study, volunteering, sport, and everything in between isn’t always straightforward. Some weeks everything seems to happen at once, and it becomes less about fitting everything in and more about making realistic decisions around what can actually be managed. When things get too full, it’s usually focus and energy that are affected first.

Outside of work and study, I have found that making time for sport as a means of downtime provides for important periods of rest that in turns, supports me to be present when I am providing support.

Overall, I have found that it’s less about achieving a perfect balance and more about staying realistic so consistency in support work can be maintained, which ensures that people receiving support are being provided with someone who is ready, able, and engaged to support them in their everyday life, in whatever shape or form that may take.