Here's how you can manage your current job while pursuing further education or training.

Time blocking is essential. I live and die by my outlook calendar at work, and I live and die by my phone's calendar in and out of work. Block out intentional times where you can sit down and commit in a conducive environment. I recently traveled from the states to Greece, 25 hours across two flights and a layover in Copenhagen. I checked out the lounges beforehand, and allocated enough time to get my work done on time and submitted before the connecting flight took off. It's important to also be aware of where you do your best work . Sure, I could have lied to myself and said "I'll do this on the plane" but have you ever tried to be productive in that environment? I can easily do 5X the work when I am intentional about where I'm working.

Stay Organized and Disciplined. Maintain a Routine. Establish and stick to a routine that balances work and study time. Consistency is key to managing both responsibilities successfully. Avoid Procrastination. Stay disciplined and avoid procrastination. Tackle tasks as they come and avoid leaving assignments or projects until the last minute.

Balancing a job with further education requires careful planning and discipline. Start by setting clear, achievable goals and creating a structured schedule that allocates specific times for work and study. Prioritize tasks and communicate your needs with your employer to seek flexible arrangements if possible. Use productivity tools to stay organized and ensure regular breaks to avoid burnout. Embrace time management strategies and remember to stay focused on the long-term benefits of your education for both personal growth and career advancement.

Typical time management focusess on importance and urgency to set priorities. Both are great and you want to develop a list of those important activities. Could be work, training, family, self-care or whatever. Another element is energy and attention management. You know when it’s on your calendar and you still don’t want to do it? That’s why energy and attention management is so important!

Set priorities in both your work life and your personal life and make those priorities simple and predictable for yourself and for those who your schedule and availability is affected. Once others get used to knowing you're not available on a certain day or time of day then they eventually stop asking for your time and start supporting you.

Communicate with Your Employer. Seek Flexibility. Have an open conversation with your employer about your educational goals. Request flexible hours or the possibility to work remotely to better manage both commitments. Update on Progress. Keep your employer informed about your progress. Share how the new skills and knowledge you are acquiring are benefiting your role and contributing to the company.

Technology is a gift and a curse. The gift is potential energy, if deliberate we can do the same amount of work a village could 200 years ago; the curse is we get bogged down with distractions, emails and meetings that should have been emails. The potential energy is there, but you have to pick up the tools to actualize. Sit down today and plan your tool box. Where are you going to save all your resources? Where will they be accessible? Do you have everything bookmarked? What are some problems you're running into and how can you prevent them with technology? My laptop is prepared with everything. And it's all saved to the cloud in such a way that if it disappears, I will be up and running again as soon as the Apple Store opens the next day.

Keep your eyes on the prize. When you are in an educational program while working, it can seem like one is taking more attention that you feel you don't have. Or you may feel since your work output is now lower because of your educational obligations that you are sacrificing current pay. Find ways to trick yourself into seeing the objective. When you're studying while working, you are basically studying for the future, with an internship. Treat your job like an extension of your educational program, which probably pays better than any internship outside of wall street. Put into practice what you're learning in the classroom in the office. As you see these concepts in real life, you will be energized to learn more, and become more effective.

Balancing a job with further education requires strategic planning. Prioritize your tasks and set realistic goals for both work and study. Communicate with your employer about your educational pursuits and seek flexible arrangements if possible. Use time management techniques to stay organized and minimize stress. By integrating learning into your routine effectively, you can advance your career while continuing to excel in your current role.