5 Tips for Juggling Study and Work

Balancing the constantly conflicting demands of work, study and your personal life is always going to be challenging. Occasionally, your employer, tutor and family members may simultaneously feel their hold on your time is the most important one. But while it can seem daunting, it’s by no means impossible.

Here are our top tips for keeping the various balls in the air:

1. Talk to your employer

Communicate honestly and regularly with your manager, assuring them that you won’t miss any vital deadlines while studying for your financial services exams. If you need to (and can bear to), it may be worth considering sacrificing lunchtimes, holidays or other breaks to demonstrate a serious commitment to your day job. Equally, let them know when the key exams and deadlines fall, and do so well in advance.

Show willingness in this way, and you’re more likely to be granted concessions when you need them, such as study leave.

2. Use your free time productively

Use the time when you’re not at work to balance the day job and coursework as effectively as possible. That may mean listening to recorded notes or reading on the way to work, or grabbing 20 minutes of your lunch hour to study.

How about making it a rule never to leave the house without something to read?

3. Don’t stint on the shut-eye

While it’s tempting to think you can cut back on slumber and set the alarm for 5 am each morning, or regularly stay up half the night, the reality is that a lack of quality sleep will have a seriously negative impact on your quality of life. Performance and behaviour can be significantly affected. But there could be more serious consequences than feeling a bit grumpy or sluggish – NHS advice is clear that poor sleep raises the risks of obesity, heart disease and diabetes while even potentially reducing your life expectancy.

It’s true that not everyone needs the full eight hours’ shut-eye – but be aware of what you need and stick to it.

4. Plan (months) ahead

We’re sure you don‘t need us to tell you about the importance of planning ahead and of using proper schedules, checklists and to-do lists. But if you’re studying and working, you may need to plan months ahead rather than just into next week. That way, you can anticipate the busiest times and shift things around, perhaps booking holiday time if you need it, for example.

5. Know your rights

In organisations of at least 250 employees, where someone has worked there for at least 26 weeks, and training will help them to do a better job, you have the right to ask for (unpaid) time off for this. Learn more here.

Finally, while we know the above tips sound like clichés, like most clichés, they’re true! You really do need to look after yourself, eat properly, take regular breaks and be realistic about you can achieve in a single day.