The matter of time is of huge importance. This is one of those rare things nobody is able to control. It’s not even material, but it is associated with real objects. Many people seem to waste time the entire or, at least, most of their life. What are the reasons? They have poorly developed time management. This is a trouble for people of different background. However, the age plays its role as well. Every life period has its peculiarities, difficulties, and obligations. Thus, people above 30 face their own problems with management. Moreover, the difficulty multiplies if such people are the working students.
This is no novelty that people study at different ages. 30 years is not the last example. Some attend colleges and university after 50. Nevertheless, we would like to focus on students who are over 30 and who simultaneously work. The combination of work and learning is complex. It seems that time management steps in front of professionalism, learning, and practical skills.
The time we have always slips away. Nevertheless, this is an evaluable thing. We can decide what to do with it. If we plan everything wisely, we can manage a lot and achieve what we wish. If you want to become the master of your own will, you should recognize all the typical mistakes and avoid them in the future. Make allowances for the next common mistakes:
- No plan. Unfortunately, many people underestimate the importance of planning. This is a great drawback. A plan helps to organize the entire day, and you don’t waste important hours on something unneeded. Working students tend to act spontaneously because they seem to never know which difficulties they’ll face the next day. It’s an ineffective method.
- No stability in life. People ought to devote time to family, health, personal, physical, and spiritual development. The adult students face the issues of maintaining financial stability and professional promotion. They find it overly difficult to combine all these aspects effectively. As the result, they live in a constant chaos.
- Lack of sleep. Every person has a natural and essential need for appropriate sleep. Nonetheless, being employed and learning at an educational institution deprive them of the sound slumber. Consequently, they poorly manage their activities fulfilling them slowly or ineffectively due to abnormal and frequent tiredness.
- A poor self-discipline. Working students are overly messy. They don’t follow a reasonable schedule and don’t organize their life. This negatively affects their advancement. They lose too much gaining almost nothing.
- No personal objectives. It’s important to set personal goals. All the actions should be wisely organized. People fulfill different duties, go to work, study, etc. in order to achieve something. Individuals with no clear understanding of what they need are doomed to fail and waste their life.
- No prioritizing. Oftentimes, working students simply do not know what is more important for them. They start one business, then drop it and switch to another one. Accordingly, they don’t spend enough time to reach the final goal.
- Failing to manage distractions. Another crucial aspect is the inability to avoid distractions. Different noises, disturbing members of the family, neighbors, technical devices, the Internet, smartphones, etc. just take away a lot of time. We really may manage a lot if we simply put aside all other (less important) undertakings and concentrate on the things, which are essential.
- Multitasking. One more time-consuming aspect is being busy with multiple tasks at once. Working students are busy with their education and work. They try to manage all their tasks and responsibilities but fail. As the result, they cannot complete even one aim.
- Lack of rest. Finally, we forget how important rest is. Our body and mind become steadily exhausted. Then, all the actions slow down. We think slowly and ineffectively. This leads to the occurrence of new problems. They compile and create mental pressure, which cannot be eliminated easy.
Picture these mistakes in your memory. After you know them, you can create an effective strategy to overcome all the impediments.
Possible Solutions
Any problem can be solved. What are the special recommendations for working students above 30? Let’s check them:
- Refine your objectives. One of the initial steps to manage time properly is to prioritize your objectives. Evaluate all the necessities you need. Put them down on the paper and reread. Determine which ones are of the first-need and which can be accomplished later.
- Create a to-do list. According to your main objectives, write a “to-do” list. Plan what things you are going to fulfill first. These may be critical reading, writing assignments, resolving some problems at your work, etc.
- Set deadlines. You should be strict about everything you are going to undertake. Don’t play nice with yourself. Set the strict deadline for every task and try to accomplish it during that period. Once the time runs out, you’ve failed, but you should switch to another liability.
- Delegate responsibilities. There is nothing to be ashamed of when you ask somebody’s support. Wise people delegate the part of their tasks to others who can help you. This lessens pressure and buys some time. Be sure that those helpers are competent and dependent.
- Rationalize your schedule. Plan your actions step by step. Prioritize essentials and think how and when to accomplish them. Leave out the business of lesser value. Escape procrastinations in any forms. Do not delay and undertake the most important liabilities and tasks.
- Reward yourself. Every student who works should understand that life isn’t all about learning and working. Otherwise, you’ll never feel the happiness and pleasures of your life. It can give you much. Therefore, find time to rest and reward yourself with something special. Buy some clothes or sweets, go on a journey, hiking, and something of the kind. Put off some burden to escape the burnout.
Try to remember all these recommendations. They are very effective and will help to save heaps of time. Spend it only on the things, which really matter.