How To Fit It All In?

tempnam

Hi all,

Just wanted to see if anyone here might be able to offer advice.

I have a full time job, a baby, and I'm currently in year 3 of a 4 year degree. I'm finding it tough to make enough time for anything other than working & studying.

I have very little free time to do anything with my (soon to be) wife and our baby. I don't get any time to see friends or do anything else really.

I am trying to keep up some level of running - and have entered a marathon in the summer to try to keep focused and motivated to make time for running. But it's just not happening! So my physical fitness has taken a nose-dive lately and that's adding to the pressure.

The degree is all through distance learning, with exams having to be sat in person each September. But it's pretty much full-time studying on top of a full-time job.

So the college year format is as follows:

Dec - Jun

• 4 Subjects (A, B, C, D)
• 8 Assignments (2 per subject) due at roughly 3 week intervals throughout the year - in the following order: A1, B1, C1, D1 - A2, B2, C2, D2
• 4 exams (1 per subject) sat in September

Monday to Friday I leave the house for work around 7am. I try to arrive at around 8am so I have an hour of study time before beginning my work day. I then stay late in the evenings in the office to try and get some more study completed. By the time I get home in the evenings it's around 8pm. By the time I have dinner & spend time with my daughter & partner it's already almost time to go to bed.

On weekends the majority of my time is spent studying college material or working on assignments. I generally try to allow time for practical day-to-day things like grocery shopping, running errands etc. But the bulk of my weekend is taken up with college work also.

I'm afraid my study method must be very inefficient or slow, as it normally takes me a couple of weeks to get through the material before having to attempt the assignments. Then the next assignment is due in a couple of weeks later so the pattern is repeated.

I'd love to hear how others cope?

tempnam

Anyone have any words of wisdom

BonkeyDonker

I thought I had replied to this thread before - but anyway. Its tough going - no doubt about it, and as for fitting it all in - you simply cannot. You will need to choose what is important to you, your wife and child and by the sounds of it your study. The rest will have to wait. Perhaps take one evening a week off to spend as you wish. It may even help you by giving your brain a rest.

You said you are in third year so you have just over twelve months to go. While of little help now once it is done you will be glad you did it, and hopefully reap the rewards for years to come.

As for your study methods - it is hard to know as everybody learns differently - but if you have gotten this far you must be doing something right.

tempnam

Thanks. Yes it's definitely tough alright! What's important to me is my family. They come before anything else.

So I'm telling myself that I'm doing this for their benefit, to hopefully provide a better life in the future.

With regard to physical fitness however, I don't think that this can be underestimated. Healthy body: healthy mind! It's just a matter of finding time to exercise!

Reptile_

no you can't do three things.

you can't be a-grade in college
a grade for family and
have an a grade sport/social life. one has to fall down.

BonkeyDonker

About the fitness - could you go for a run or something similar on your lunch? While it may only be thirty or forty minutes the psychological boost may help.

tempnam

BonkeyDonker wrote: »

About the fitness - could you go for a run or something similar on your lunch? While it may only be thirty or forty minutes the psychological boost may help.

I could.... but I work in an office with no shower facilties. So I would be sweaty. I have to wear a suit, go to meetings etc - its not practical really. Most days I do go for a walk at lunchtime though.