Are you pursuing your Masters and holding a job at the same time? The key to succeeding as a working student is recognizing the importance of excellent management skills. Time is especially limited, and you must figure out how to make the most of it to keep up other students who are studying fulltime.
Thankfully, there are easy steps that will help you achieve a healthy balance between work and college, especially during busy times.
Plan Your Activities and Commitments Ahead
Planning your studies as soon as the semester starts is a brilliant way of staying on top of your education for the word go. Using a calendar, take note of classes, test dates, and so on. Add your appointments and other work obligations too so that you can know early when two or more things conflict. You can put this calendar on your work desk or anywhere you can see it every day. Once you have identified the key dates, set up a reminder on your phone or laptop.
Schedule Your Weekly Study Times
Outlining your work week before it begins helps you stay in control of your commitments. If you have a consistent schedule, it is possible to set aside study hours at the same time each day to create a habit of studying. It can be at any time of the day. However, make sure you allocate enough time for studying each class.
However, it is impossible to plan every minute. Therefore, create allowances or flexible time in your schedule in case anything else comes up.
Don’t Study at Work
Tempted to squeeze in some study time while at work?Working during study time or studying when you should be working is not healthy. In both scenarios, one will have to suffer. And you can end up pushing yourself too hard and eventually burning out.
So, if you want to have a sustainable work-study life in the long-run, give each the time and attention it deserves. Use your working hours for work and follow your scheduled weekly study hours wisely.
Ask for Assistance where Needed
Even with a good plan and discipline, working and studying can sometimes be overwhelming. Maybe the course is challenging and requires more time than you can give it or your employer might be asking you to put in more hours at work. If you experience this, don’t feel too shy to ask for help, and it could be just what you need to keep going. Talk to your professor, academic advisor, or boss for guidance about your challenges. You could also hire a professional essay writer when you are bumped with assignments and don’t have enough time to do them.
Pay Attention while in Class
When you are working and pursuing a degree at the same time, every hour counts. So, while you are in class, be as attentive as possible so that you can learn the material as it is being taught. The biggest mistake most students make is concentrating too much on note-taking and reassuring themselves that they can always read later. But you may not get this time later on, and even if you do, the material might be harder to understand since you were not listening while it was taught in class. And the less time you use cramming several pages of notes, the more you will have for studying other classes and working. It is okay to take notes in class, but find a shorthand technique to do it faster.
Cut Out Any Distractions
Distractions can waste your time and leave you frustrated when you have not met your goals. That’s why before you begin studying, you must eliminate anything that you take your attention from the task at hand. If it is your phone, for example, keep it away from your study table- preferably keeping it silent or switching it off. If you can stay completely off it for the duration of the study time, you can check it once after each hour. Get off social media too. Also, make sure you find a study area that is quiet and away from friends and family that could interrupt you.
Eat and Sleep Well
Take good care of yourself to achieve maximum productivity during your active hours. What does self-care entail?
- Get at least 6-8 hours of sleep every day or a minimum of 5 hours.
- Go to bed early and wake up early. A healthy sleep routine is important.
- Keep your energy levels up by never skip your meals.
- Find other ways to release steam: it could be meditation, yoga, exercise, etc.
Finding the right balance between work and school will keep your grades up and your boss happy. Most importantly, you will be on track to achieving your goals.
