Fitting it all in: it can be done!

‘Normally I miss deadlines like a stormtrooper misses Jedi,’ Patrick Rothfuss, Unfettered.

Even when we think our lives are already busy, we can usually fit new and additional things in, particularly if we have an ambition or motivation and can visualise an outcome to all the extra work and commitment involved.

Knowles (1970) reported that:

Adults are life-centered (task-centered, problem-centered) in their orientation to learning. They want to learn what will help them perform tasks or deal with problems they confront in everyday situations and those presented in the context of application to real-life.

When making a potentially life-changing decision to return to study, we need to work out what our priorities are, what are essential things like keeping a roof over our heads, and having enough money to pay bills and buy food, or the time and cost involved in commuting.

We also need to make the harder decisions about the ‘nice to haves’; seeing friends may not be as often as it used to be; dropping time consuming hobbies, but keeping those that bring a sense of well-being such as gardening or volunteering, or making time for those key friends and family members that keep us on track.

You may even be able to link your interests into your studies. We have students who are keen volunteers, so they have volunteered to become a ‘buddy’ to new students at university.

There is lots of information out there to help us get organised in preparation for study, which then helps other aspects of our lives. Check out the link to Dr Stella Cottrell’s guide to self-management from one of her many study skills books, The Study Skills Handbook.

Remember, although learning can be lifelong, the type and length of course you choose, will have an influence on how much you have to adjust your current lifestyle.