Studying while working or running your own business... A few hacks I learned along the way

With more and more people considering studying further while they work or run their own businesses, and re-skilling being the in-thing at the moment, adding another ball to the multiple ones you are already juggling may seem impossible. It isn’t. I am almost finished my Masters, which I’ve done the past two years while running my own business. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has happened and the finish line is in sight. Here are a few lessons I learned along the way: 

Studying is a personal journey and you need everyone in your life to support you. There are two sides to this: firstly, you need your family and inner circle to support you on this path from day dot, as you will be saying NO to many, many things. You can not be fighting a battle in your personal life, when you have a deadline to reach, as the stress is simply too great. They need to agree on this dream that you are aiming for, and understand how much it means to you, as it comes with a personal cost that can not be disputed. And of course, it goes without saying, that you have to learn to say no, a lot.

Secondly, as much as they need to support you and stand by you, the hours spent on assignments and studying for exams will be yours alone. You need to get comfortable with spending long stretches of time on your own, and shut down any sense of FOMO you may get when you are missing out on social occasions while you nail your next deadline. Studying is a goal you need to recommit to, all the time.

Your study is your second teacher. If at all possible, dedicate a room in your house to it. Make it your brain cave, a place where you can escape to and focus entirely on your studies. Yellow puts me in a good mood, so that’s the colour I painted the walls of mine. Most importantly, your study must have good light, fresh air, a big desk and a comfy chair. You must be able to lock the door and disappear into it for hours, without leaving.

When the going gets tough, you’re bound to use any excuse to get up and leave. Even a trip to the loo ends up being 20 minutes, and your social media accounts will never be more up to date than when you are supposed to study. Stock your study with everything that helps prevent this - a huge jug of water, a knee rug, hand cream, lip ice, spectacle wipes, loads of stationery in every shape & form, a radio / speaker, tissues and sweets - you will need them late at night. Keep all your books, and files with past notes and papers from your previous studies close at hand. Make this the ultimate place where studying trumps all, and you have absolutely everything you need within arm’s reach.

Buy the text books. Yes, almost everything is online these days, but when you are scrambling to get your head around a tough concept that you need to understand before you can start writing a paper, nothing beats getting the definition that your professors agree with, by flipping through a book right next to you in an instant. It’s also faster than sifting through journal articles. The books will help you when you need multiple references that say the same thing. Soon, you'll get to know your text books and immediately know where to look when you are researching a new assignment.

If you will be studying via correspondence studies like I did, and if you can get access to a local university library, do it. The initial paperwork is a schlep but it is well worth it. Not only do you have the luxury of accessing the most recent (and super expensive) additional recommended books that are not online yet, but a library is an amazing place to hide away when there are distractions, load-shedding or house guests at home and you need to super-focus, or scuttle to a deadline. Libraries are warm and comfy in winter, and if you don’t have the luxury of dedicating a room to this pursuit in your home, they are the next best thing. I got access to the library at Tuks, as I live in Pretoria, but study via Stellenbosch University, and I can not tell you how many times it saved the day!

Exercise. While I am the first one to admit that this is one thing I’ve forgiven myself for letting slip this past year, you physically feel the difference when you are sitting for days on end working on your assignments. It also helps your concentration, focus and patience tremendously. People who work and study need a lot of extra oxygen in many ways. Exercise is one way to get it and keep yourself on top of things.

Eat healthily, and allow yourself to snack a lot. Nuts, fruit, rice cakes, frozen yoghurt, smoothies…. whatever takes your fancy. I’m a firm believer that brains use loads of energy and the last thing you need is to feel hungry or let your blood sugar drop while you are already under strain. But, avoid junk food entirely. It gives you a spike, followed by a slump, and you need consistent energy while studying or working on assignments. If you are setting in for a weekend of studying, stock up on the Thursday, or Friday so that you have all the healthy food you need close at hand.

Sadly, your study is the one place where a glass of red wine or a G&T won’t help you get through the task ahead, ever. It only makes you slower and you loose your sharpness. Keep your poison as a reward for when the assignment is done or to bribe yourself through the next deadline.

Make study buddies in your class. In correspondence courses, you hardly do group assignments, but sometimes you need your study buddies purely for support. They are a wonderful sounding board when you are trying to come up with ideas that match topics and to check if you truly “get it” the same way they do. If you need to moan about an assignment that is frustrating you, they will understand.

Although your lecturers may seem like a species of their own, getting to know them & making them part of your tribe is very beneficial. Their guards tend to drop a little when they know you better too, and they are your greatest ally in this pursuit.

I don’t advocate doing strictly one thing at a time as I am a multi-tasker, so when you are behind your desk, get into the groove that makes you most productive. However, scheduling dedicated slots to work on your studies so that you meet your deadlines helps a lot. Not only will you truly have more time to work on your assignments, but when it feels like it's raining deadlines in your work-life, you will feel less stressed knowing that there is time set aside for studies later in the week. I need my weekdays for my business, so as far as I can, I allocate all day Saturday, and all day Sunday for my studies. I try end early on a Friday afternoon, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. In PR, your time is not always your your own, but that’s life hey. You have to make it work. I keep my weekend days open so that no matter what happens during the week, there is time allocated for studying.

Work ahead. While the old adage that your productivity increases the closer you get to the deadline may be true, the additional stress will affect other areas of your life. Working ahead of deadlines will make you feel more in control, and avoid the panic that comes with leaving things to the last minute. When you run your now business, you need flexibility in your schedule too. You business is not supposed to suffer because you are studying, and it doesn’t have to at all. Stay ahead of the ball, and you'll have half the stress.

Schedule nights out and weekends away. When you look at the year ahead, and your assignment timetable, this may seem un-manageable but getting out will keep you sane, and make you feel like you are still human in between it all. Friends sometimes stop inviting you to things after a few no’s from your side due to study deadlines, so make sure you schedule time with them when it works for you. Your need your support structure now more than ever.

Learn to forgive yourself. Yes, studying is all about ambition, achievement and motivation, and above all, it’s a game of winning over your mind. However, your assignments won’t always be as perfect as you want them to be, you will kick yourself when you get penalised for making silly mistakes, or for missing the elephant in the room, and you won’t always get the marks you wanted. You have to swallow these things quickly and move on.

When I look at most of my industry colleague’s lives, they are already multi-tasking in so many ways, that adding another element like studies would just add another cog in the wheel. I do believe that busier people are good at getting more done but everyone needs to find their groove. Most of the people in my class already have a few balls in the air, and I think it makes you stronger. Your work & life experience also make the course more meaningful in many ways. It’s different for each person, but we all agree, that the feeling you get when you pass each assignment never gets old.

There is no discounting the fact that studying in whatever shape or form is hard work. You take that on when you start and carry it right through till the end. It always seems super tough at the beginning of a new course, but it gets easier and you find your momentum.

Studies are a marathon, not a sprint, and with a bit of grit, you’ll get there. It is also one of the most rewarding journeys you will ever embark on, and I truly believe “The one thing people can never, ever take away from you is education.” I'll never stop learning and I hope you won't either.

-      Jenny Griesel, Founder, Publicist and Media Specialist at Jenny Griesel Communications. January 2020.

#PR #Communications #Studying #Studies #entrepreneur #workandstudy #postgrad