© 2022 Fairygodboss. All rights reserved.
Full time Job+Study
Hey Ladies,
Can i get suggestions on how to balance working and studying while remaining sane!?
Roberta Rosenberg
"Naturalized" Digital Marketing Native in DC
158
08/01/20 at 5:24PM UTC
At 23, newly married, and working FT, I finished my BS attending college at night and on weekends. (No online option then.) At 62, single parent of 3 teens, working FT, I began and completed an 18-month MS program - this time online. So I feel uniquely qualified to offer you some hard-earned advice in addition to the excellent advice you've already received.
#1 - Treat the school work like a paying job. This means you're taking it seriously and there are consequences for you not doing your work. Otherwise, it's a hobby that you pick up and put down. If your education is an avocation, that's fine, but understand you'll probably never finish it. (I have a bin of half-finished cross-stitch pieces...) Define your schedule and keep to it. This is a promise you've made to and for yourself.
#2 - Tell the others in your life that school is your other job - and they need to respect your time when you're doing your work. This can be especially hard with spouses and kids. But my children quickly learned to respect my 'school hours' - usually early am and late pm - and I built in their needs accordingly. But this also refers to friends and others. I used the phrase, "Sorry, it's a school night" a lot.
#3 - Look for ways to incorporate your school work into your daily life away from your desk. I used to commute/travel with articles to read and a chromebook pc for drafting/editing papers and assignments. If my husband and I were taking a long drive somewhere, I'd do the same. (I usually said give me one hour or some other time limit.) When I took a 3-week vacation trip around the world, I kept to my same early am/late pm schedule. I can still remember the satisfaction I felt looking out at the sun rising above the Tokyo skyline, a steaming cup of tea on the desk, as I pushed ENTER on my pc to send off a final paper.
Lastly, there really isn't any such thing as pure balance when you're juggling work and school (with or without a family.) So embrace that reality. That said, it doesn't mean you need to make yourself crazy either. So set yourself some frameworks - when do you want to complete your education - 6 months, 24 months? You want to do it short and intense or long and more leisurely? What are your goals? Do you want to get all As or is doing solid B work enough to get you where you want to go?
By adding some structure to your approach, you'll see the path becomes just a bit clearer. Good luck!
Rachel NeiheiselTeam Builder | Sales Champion | Book Nerd
29
08/01/20 at 4:46PM UTC
You are probably going to think "well, duh"...but I promise it works. Plan out your day on paper. If you write it out it and check things off as you go (can be in your phone), you will feel more organized, productive and accomplished. Think of it as a 30, 60, 90 day planner. I personally prefer to write it out on paper so I may refer back to it if necessary.
Here is an example of a 90 day planner from an entrepreneur group I follow, though I am not endorsing nor do I get paid for sharing any of their information. I am simply giving an example, there are less expensive ones at Staples/Office Depot. I hope this helps and gives you peace of mind.
https://thebossbabeplanner.com/?_fs=b28ce065-0b78-4bfb-81c3-ec1a3c13d221
Bernice AvingtonHR Profressional
97
08/01/20 at 4:56PM UTC
A couple of keys to success that I used when I was going to school: Set up a routine.- Decide what day and times you are going to work on school. Set up goals- Determine how long the school work will take and divide it up into mini goals- for example if you have to read a chapter and respond to answers- you can determine how much of the chapter you will read each day, then how many answers you will answer each day (working backwards from the due date to ensure you set up reasonable goals each day). Reward yourself along the way for hitting your mini goals- I used to buy myself earrings, ice cream treat when I hit goals. Don't be too hard on yourself- if its not working - go back to the basics, make sure your schedule is realistic (If Mondays are an especially hard day at work, maybe plan not to do school work that day- things like that.) MOST IMPORTANTLY- do not fall into the trap that I am not in the mood to do schoolwork right now- I will do it later. You will rarely be in the mood-- putting it off only ensures that you will fall behind and then have to stress out. If you aren't in the mood- make yourself do it for 30 minutes at least- most times that can kick you back into the mood and if it doesn't at least you have 30 minutes less work to do later. Good luck to you!
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