As universities and colleges welcome new groups of students this fall, many professionals are embarking on a new challenge: balancing their existing work life with new study commitments. However, this is easier said than done. According to the U.K.’s Higher Education Statistics Agency, mature students are in decline, as are part-time learners. Similarly, in the U.S., adult learners make up less than one-quarter of all undergraduate students as of 2022.
These individuals face distinct challenges as they try to juggle work and school. Some of the key problems working professionals face are financing their degrees, managing commitments and finding a relatable community and peer support. However, even when facing all these challenges, mature students may actually perform better than their younger counterparts.
Having worked two jobs while studying for my Ph.D., I have plenty of firsthand experience in maintaining a healthy work-life-study balance. It’s no easy feat—but with careful consideration of your needs and some forward planning, it’s perfectly possible to keep a healthy lifestyle while reaping education’s rewards.
Let’s look at four tips for professionals embarking on a new qualification, supported by insight from time management and productivity experts:
1. Plan and prioritize in advance
I’ve been a long-time fan of Cal Newport, particularly his book Deep Work, which states that people generally can’t accomplish more than four hours per day of focused work. This doesn’t include chores, emails or anything that doesn’t fully use your brain and command attention.
Knowing this, I reworked my work and study routines based on my priorities. On days when I needed to sit down and grind out work at my nine-to-five, I spent my evenings organizing my study notes, creating reading lists, typing up notes and loosely brainstorming ideas. Toward the end of the week, I would organize any simple but necessary work meetings and plow through my emails and admin tasks. As a result, I then had more brain power left to write assignments and read dense literature.
With this method, I found it possible to organize the weeks ahead. When I knew I had a large assignment due, I made sure not to take on any additional projects at work (where possible). Similarly, if a big deadline was coming up in my job, I pushed the heavy duty study tasks back until after the deadline had passed.
2. Learn to adapt
Many people fall into the trap of thinking that they have to be equally productive at work and school every day. But life just doesn’t work like that. Your boss might throw you a curveball, or a project might take longer than expected. You may face personal challenges, or you may want to go to a social event.
Learning not to hit the panic button can be hard. While you do need to complete both your professional and academic work, if you keep an adaptable schedule, then you’ll always have room for allowances. I liked to think of my time like a diet. Some days, I might have a pizza for dinner, but then I’ll have a small breakfast and lunch the next day. Similarly, I might not do any reading one night, but I’ll spend the next three catching up on an extra paper.
The more you’re aware of your time and where you spend it, the better you can move your commitments around if and when you need.
3. Embrace rest
As Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith points out in her book Sacred Rest, everyone needs seven different types of rest in order to avoid burnout.
Make sure to regularly check in with yourself. Meditation is a great way to rest your brain, and taking up a creative hobby can help you feel fulfilled outside your more stressful commitments. Being intentional with your rest and treating it as an important part of productivity will help you stay refreshed and level-headed while you take on additional study commitments.
4. Track your progress without judgment
Seeing our own progress is incredibly motivating. However, when you’re juggling multiple commitments, it’s easy to feel like you’re not going anywhere.
During my Ph.D., I quickly learned that every little thing adds up. I used to be highly critical of my progress and beat myself up if I didn’t write at least 500 words per day. However, writing 20 words of my thesis was still 20 more than I’d had at the start of the day. By writing down each baby step I made, whether I considered it an achievement or not, I eventually was able to look back and see how far I’d come.
Whether you want to document the number of words you’ve written, the hours you’ve put in or even the papers you’ve read, after a while, I promise that you’ll look back and be impressed by your progress.
As the famous idiom goes, you just need to put one foot in front of the other.
Photo by Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com
