Evaluate your work, study, and priorities

Working while studying can be challenging. The most important thing to do is to prioritize and to follow through with your plan. The following video goes into more depth around these concepts and gives you some strategies to try as you use your 168 hours more effectively each week.

Click on the video below to learn more.  If you prefer reading to watching videos, scroll below the video to find a transcript. After you have watched the video, answer the questions on the next page to continue down this pathway.

Our next section will consider ways to use smaller blocks of time to ensure that all of your priorities are given time and attention.  Click the next section arrow to move ahead.

Video Transcript:  Work, Study and Priorities

Work, study, family, friends, healthy living…how do you make everything fit?

In this video, you will consider strategies to evaluate your personal schedule to determine whether it is aligned with your life goals.

We all have the same 168 hours of time each week.  How do you want to budget that time?

• Consider your goals for your study program. What grades are you hoping to achieve in your courses? Think also beyond grades – what are you hoping to learn?  What difference do you hope that learning this will make in your future?

Many students become stressed because the amount of time they have allowed for study doesn’t allow them to achieve these goals. A typical student will require 2-3 hours of study time outside of class for every hour spent in class. So, if you are taking 3 courses, you would want to budget 27-36 hours each week for study.

Perhaps your main goal is to complete your program quickly. In this case, you’ll want to budget more time for study.  Perhaps work or family commitments are more significant at this point in your life. You may wish to take fewer courses, in order to achieve your learning goals while keeping other elements of your life in balance.

• Working part-time, or maybe even full-time is a fact of life for many students. However, you’ll want to consider realistically what the best balance of work and study for you will be. Re-taking a course and paying tuition a second time can be a costly mistake – it may be better in the long-term to work fewer hours so that you can achieve your study goals. Also – consider that scholarships and bursaries may be an available funding source in addition to work.  Another option is to choose to work on campus.  In addition to having an easy commute between classes and work, you’ll also develop a stronger network of relationships at school.
• Create a time balance that is sustainable in the long term. Maintaining friendships, social activities, hobbies, and time for exercise all contribute to your life success in the long term.

So, how do you determine whether your time budget is serving your goals?  Estimate how much time you are spending now on each area of your life.  The next activity in the workshop will give you the opportunity to do just that.

If your current time budget isn’t quite working, keep listening.  You’ll discover some practical strategies for managing the time you have more effectively so you can achieve your goals while maintaining a balanced life.

Now that you have an idea of your time budget, we will now look at how to find time for independent study in your busy schedule.