If
you aim to expand your knowledge of an area that interests you, learn a new
language, or enhance your repertoire of professional skills, you’ll need to
dedicate time and effort to that endeavour in order to make significant progress.
But if you work full hours, and particularly if you’re an entrepreneur looking
to grow your startup, your spare time is probably scarce. Thus, you’ll need to
focus on managing whatever time you do have, while always devoting your full
attention to the task at hand.
Take
the following considerations into account.
Don’t
underestimate the time commitment.
Even
part-time schooling often involves homework or extra-curricular assignments.
When you’re considering night school or part-time skills training, be honest
with yourself: depending on the frequency of the sessions, you may need to set
aside 10 hours per week or more. Unless you’re confident that your schedule can
accommodate that, you may want to hold off on your academic or vocational ambitions
for now, or contemplate auditing a course rather than registering as a
full-fledged student. Aim for one course at a time, especially if the
experience of trying to balance work and school is new to you.
Online
courses may be more opportune from a time perspective, although you’ll perhaps
have to forgo the considerable benefit of discussion with instructors and
fellow students.
Let your
boss and/or team members know what you’re up to.
If
your boss and/or colleagues in the office are aware of your situation, they may
be sympathetic and enable you to adjust your work schedule around your studies.
If the skill you hope to cultivate is relevant to your current position, your
boss may even be willing to help you with tuition. (You shouldn’t count on this,
though.)
Even
if you are the boss, be sure to communicate proactively with your team so that
they know when you’ll be away from the office and why. Your studies may require
you to leave early or arrive late on certain days; identify a team member to whom
you can delegate the responsibility of holding down the fort while you’re away.
Get the
most out of your time by planning and organizing in advance.
Set
aside dedicated blocks for homework assignments, and isolate yourself from
distractions like social media and your smartphone during those periods. Make
lists of the assignments you need to accomplish, and populate your
homework-area in advance with all the tools and materials you need. This will
save you the trouble of hunting around for the requisite items while you’re
trying to get work done.
You
may experience some late nights/early mornings, especially if you have an exam
or deadline coming up. Even if your studies occasionally keep you up until the
wee hours of the morning, make sure you still get enough sleep during the week
to maintain your performance at work. Avoid procrastination (the midwife of
all-nighters) by budgeting your time, and get cracking on major tasks right
away.
Reach out
to classmates and instructors.
One of
the most effective ways to fully grasp and retain information is by discussing
it with others; you have to have some awareness of a topic before you can have
a serious conversation about it. Group discussions also afford you the
opportunity to explore areas where you feel your knowledge is inadequate.
Make
use of the resources at your disposal within the educational institution,
including your instructor’s office hours and contact information. These tools
can save you time and energy, and help to make the learning process more
fruitful and enjoyable.
