If earning money while studying is seriously affecting your delicate work/life balance, you may be wondering how you can adopt time management techniques to help you to juggle all your responsibilities. Kaplan offers training for financial qualifications, and have put together this simple guide:
Develop an Effective Study Plan
Once you have been provided with your assignment deadlines and examination dates, you will be able to develop an effective study plan. This will aid you in determining the hours and days on which you will be free to study.
Request Flexible Working Hours
If your chosen course of study is relevant to your career, you may be able to request flexible working hours from your boss. If you work full-time, this way involve working longer hours when you are in work but being granted a whole day off in the week.
If you are currently seeking employment, it is wise to seek a job that enables you to work only a few hours each week and then, once you get used to the job and come to an understanding of the amount of hours you will be able to cope with, you will be able to increase your hours.
Refrain From Taking on Extra Hours
While the thought of earning extra money may be tempting, it is important to refrain from taking on overtime hours on a whim. Talk to your colleagues to ensure that they are aware of your study commitments and allow them first refusal on any extra hours so that you can stick to your study schedule.
Use Your Downtime Efficiently
If you travel to work using public transport, consider taking your course materials to read on the way. If you work in an office and regularly spend time on hold over the phone, use this time to read and update your study notes.
Inform Your Tutor and Employer
Inform your tutor and employer about your situation so that they will be more willing to be flexible when you do encounter problems with sticking to your study schedule. Since will undoubtedly require time off for examinations, gaining your employers support and understanding will be vital. Similarly, keeping your tutor in the loop will help you to secure extended deadlines should you require them at any point during your studies.
Seek Advice from Your College’s Student Support Team
Almost all course providers offer student support services. The professionals there will be able to provide you with expert advice that you can tailor to your particular circumstances. If you are finding it a struggle to attend full-time college classes, they may be able to arrange your timetable so that you are only required to attend once a week. Alternatively, they may be able to provide you with recordings of your course lectures on a CD-ROM or send you lecture slides via email so that you do not miss out on essential information at times when you are unable to attend college.
If performing well is important to you, it will be necessary for you to be flexible and willing to make sacrifices when juggling your work and study commitments. While this may mean that you have to spend much of your holiday leave revising for your exams, it is important to remember that your studies will not last forever and you will have an achievement to add to your CV at the end of it.
James Battersby writes on behalf of Kaplan Financial.
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