You've found the money--now you need to find the time. Balancing school demands with the rest of your adult responsibilities will be challenging, though not impossible. Here are some tips:
•Map out your life goals (again) to confirm that returning to school will help you achieve them.
•Establish a family/friend support network before classes start, and make sure your family supports your decision to return to school.
•If you have older children, explain your new routine and how they can help out. If you have younger children, arrange day care if necessary--check to see if your school offers it.
•Look for programs designed for adult students (e.g., support groups, tutoring programs, specially trained academic advisors and counselors). (note- my area has a few but they are a bit expensive!! I sure hope Obama makes tutoring etc cheaper for adults trying to return to school! They are also at weird times- mornings- how do they expect you to work and do that??)
•Consider going to school part-time, taking night classes, or signing up for online classes.(this one is definite for me- as a full time worker who only gets off work at 5!) Each option can save you time and money.
•Always keep in mind the financial and personal rewards that will come after your education is complete. (for sure!)
And these tips on Wikihow
Keep work and school separate. Don't worry about work while you're at school, and vice versa. Keep them separate, and focus on one thing at a time.
Find online tools that are useful for time management, such as calendars, reminders, (couldnt live without them!!) etc. Use portal pages to arrange easy access to both work and school related websites.
Plan your academic path. Figure out what steps you need to make it to where you want to go and set goals for yourself. Do you need 5 courses to finish a program? Find out when they're offered and create a multi-year schedule.
Guilty pleasures. Everybody has them, whether it's MTV or getting lost in idle chit-chat with your neighbor. If there's an activity that you tend to get caught up with, but that doesn't further your goals in life, avoid it like the plague. (hard one! You mean DON'T waste time on Facebook at home? Noooooo.....!!)
Work smarter, not harder.
Get buy-in from friends and family. School will limit the amount of social time you have. It's important to keep these relationships healthy while you have limited time for them. Communicate via e-mail on a regular basis.
Create some sort of progress measurement. Cross completed classes off of a list or use a countdown clock to measure time to completion. This will help keep your eyes on the prize
Be organized. Keep your school materials organized and in one place. Mark upcoming deadlines on your calendar and start school projects early to allow sufficient time to complete them in case other things come up in the meantime. If you're taking several courses at once, don't spend all of your time on one course while other deadlines begin to loom on the horizon.2
Create a flexible schedule. Some parts of your schedule are going to be inflexible, such as class times and work days. Fit homework and studying in when you're either not in class or not at the office. Build a routine that you can stick to, but are able to adjust if other important things come up. As a working student, you have to be ready to adapt to new assignments, unexpected errands, and sudden work crises that need to be addressed immediately. Make enough studying time in your schedule so that if something comes up, you can shift it into another slot during the week
Communicate your schedule to your employers, friends, clients and family. Make sure the people around you know where you'll be and when. Sign up for an online calendar and send the URL to the people who depend on knowing where you are and when. Not everyone you work with will understand the demands of being a student and, similarly, not all of your classmates will understand the additional responsibilities of working while in school.
Manage stress. Stress is an inevitable part of being a student and a worker--combine both together and you can expect to be stressed out. As much as you may try to prevent stress, you're going to have to learn how to relieve it as well.
Take those much-needed breaks. Give yourself time to collect yourself when you need it the most, so you can re-approach things with a clear head.Be active. Stretch. Swim. Run. Lift. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps relieve stress and you'll find if the more you get out and exercise, the easier work and school will seem.(and I won't get the dreaded Freshman 15!!) Exercising is commonly known to reduce stress. Live.
Don't forget to enjoy life. Don't get bogged down by nuisances of the demands of your academic and professional life. Take time to experience the world around you and appreciate your relationships in life. See movies, read books, watch sports. Don't forget to squeeze in the things that make life worth living into your schedule
Remember why you're doing it. By taking on work and studies at the same time, you're accepting a challenge that most people don't dare to attempt. But, you wouldn't be doing it if you didn't have strong reasons and motivation. Whether it's the desire to pay your way through school and remain debt-free, or because you want to get ahead in your career (or switch to your dream career), or simply because you know that life is short and you want to make the most of it--keep your goals in mind whenever it starts to feel like too much
Know that it can be done! It may seem overwhelming at times, but remember that other people have gone through the same thing you are, and they have succeeded! You can too
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