the encouragement lounge: Time management

Monday, January 18, 2010

Time management - Find more time to work

Most adult students also work and many are raising kids, taking care of parents or other family members. And of course we are trying to take care of ourselves (exercise, eat right, sleep, and so on). How, in the midst of all of this, do we find time to add school?

Here are some ideas for carving out addition time to work:

1. Make the most of your commute: If you take a bus or train to work, this is a perfect time to read. If you drive, bike or walk, it's a perfect time to think (review an assignment before you leave and then brainstorm about that assignment while traveling). I often craft my blog posts in my head while I'm walking the dog!

2. Make the most of waiting time: Always carry a book or article with you... you never know when you'll be stuck in line, waiting in a doctor's office, etc. -- this is bonus reading time! This tip was first submitted by one of my former master's students!

3. Ask for help around the house: Ask your partner, spouse, and kids to help clean, cook, or whatever... every task they can take off of your plate, gives you a little more time for school.

4. Get up early or stay up later: Are you more effective with school work in the morning or evening? After you determine this, try to add one or two work sessions a week, accordingly. This will be difficult at first. But I have had various times in my life where I needed to do this and have found that I could do either, work earlier or later... it's like exercise, after you do it a few times, it gets easier. Remind yourself, this isn't forever, but for a time, you will need to (and can!) add these extra work sessions.

Readers -- other ideas?

Cheering you on in your work!

Harriet

2 comments:

Sherri KwenceJanuary 18, 2010 at 8:33 AM
hello all! sometimes i will combine reading and exercise by reading on the stationary bike, elliptical machine or stairmaster. i have even seen studies published about the positive effects of exercising while reading; your brain is sharper and absorbing more info! plus it keeps you awake during some of the more dry readings* AND you look and feel good : )
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Dancing With FeyJanuary 18, 2010 at 1:22 PM
If someone's studying English they can listen to an audio book while they're walking their dog or driving or whatever. I go to my local library for audio books.
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Working adult students, on my mind...

I hope this blog will be helpful to friends and others involved in a variety of endeavors. However, I created the blog with students in mind and continue to develop it with that specific group as my focus.

I believe that with the increase in evening, weekend, and low-residency programs, students are working more and more in isolation. If we were all full-time students on campus, we would have the informal support that comes with being able to go down the hall and talk with a colleague, etc. But instead, we are working late nights and weekends at home in front of the laptop.

With that in mind, I hope the encouragement lounge provides brief moments of respite and energizing connection. This does not at all replace valuable face-to-face contact. Many aspects of the academic journey can only be addressed via in-depth conversations with colleagues and teachers. And I would always rather sit down and talk with someone than to communicate online. Nonetheless, my aim is to give you one more channel for quick hits of support.