Attending college as an adult is different from attending school as a child or teenager because adult students have more responsibilities to manage. As an adult, students have to manage jobs, families, bills, and home maintenance along with homework. These responsibilities may seem unmanageable all at once but with a little organization and planning, study time can be created. Tips for time management for adult learners include making schedules and prioritizing homework.
First, at the beginning of each term, look at the assignments for each class. This will give students an idea of what needs to be accomplished each week. Second, obtain a planner, and notate any weekly assignments that are due and when they are due (Time Management). Plan which day to do homework for each class and on that day, write down what needs to be done for which class. The key to successful homework completion is to abide by the schedule that is created.
When scheduling weekly homework, students need to take into consideration when they do their best work and when they actually have free time (Time Management). For example, if a student works full-time by day, then he or she will need to do his or her homework in the evenings or on weekends. If a student is a morning person, perhaps he or she will need to schedule morning homework sessions Saturday and Sunday if he or she works full-time during the week.
If adult learners have children, the adult learners will need to arrange childcare or activities for the children while they are doing their homework (Time Management). It helps to have a talk with the children before starting school and let them know that the parents are not to be disturbed during study time.
When looking through the syllabus for each class, pay special attention to any large projects and their due date. It is best to work ahead on large projects if possible to avoid last minute problems. Examples of unexpected problems include technology failure, difficulty finding research material, and illness in self or family. Planning for large projects is especially important when more than one large project is due the same day (Time Management).
When planning for large projects consider research time, reading the research, organizing the research, planning the paper, and actually writing the paper. Break large projects down into smaller tasks (Time Management). For example, do research one day and organize the research another day. Be sure to record each task in a planner on the date planned to do the work. Notate in the planner when projects are due.
While taking classes as an adult student, some sacrifices will need to be made. Perhaps the house will not be as clean as it normally is. Assign household responsibilities to the children and spouse (Back to School, 2011). Use the time formerly spent cleaning on studying.
Even the children may have to make sacrifices. Instead of each child participating in three or four extra-curricular activities, each child may only be able to participate in one extra-curricular activity (Back to School). If adult learners only have one activity to attend per child instead of four, the adult student will have more free time for studying.
A suggestion for general time management is to plan meals a week in advance. Write down the menu, make a shopping list for each recipe, and go shopping only once a week for everything that is needed for each recipe. If the student’s spouse is talented in the kitchen, surrender cooking duties to the spouse while working and attending school. This will free up the time previously spent cooking for studying.
If adult learners ever seem overwhelmed, they should look back at the goals, motivations, or reasons for attending school (Carnes, 2010). Perhaps the student’s previous position was eliminated and the student responded by researching careers that are expected to have increased demand for workers in the years to come. After doing the appropriate research, the student finds a new career that interests them and that is why they are back in school. Whenever students feel overwhelmed, they should remember that are studying for a new career that will potentially last the rest of their working life. Students need to remind themselves that they do not want to go back to any position that has a high potential of elimination. It helps to remember that attending school will make a better life for themselves and their family.
Perhaps a motivation for going back to school is increasing income by switching careers to allow for traveling several weeks a year during retirement. Students may use reminders of this goal by placing photos in notebooks of the exotic destinations they hope to visit. Students can remind themselves they are working hard to allow the fulfillment of the dream of traveling.
After a few minutes of reviewing goals, students will be able to refocus their energy back on their studies. In fact, schedule breaks into study sessions. Take a five-minute study break every thirty minutes (Study Skills Tips). During the break, get some fresh air or have a healthy snack such as a fruit or a serving of fresh vegetables. Taking breaks relaxes the brain so that the brain is ready to go back to studying.
In order to get the most out of every study session, students need to make sure they have everything needed in their study area such as books, paper, highlighters, and pens (Study Skills Tips). In addition, keep study areas neat and clean. Other ideas to get the most out of study time include getting the appropriate amount of sleep and eating regular, healthy meals (Study Skills Tips). The mind needs adequate sleep and nutrition to function at its highest capacity.
Experiment with some other techniques and see what works. For example, some students concentrate better working on one topic for a long period while others concentrate better switching from topic to topic throughout a study session (Study Skills Tips). Some people like the variety of switching topics and doing so helps to keep their mind sharp and fresh. Other people need to follow a task through to completion in order to concentrate fully on the task.
Some people concentrate better alone while others concentrate better with people. If adult learners study better with people, find classmates to study with or form a study group. Some students need quiet to concentrate when studying while others need background noise such as music or the television. Experiment and see what works best.
The mind is not designed to work non-stop. No matter how busy adult students think they are, schedule time for fun. Go to a movie with friends or family once a week. Go for coffee with a friend or family member once a week. Whatever adult learners consider a treat, they should do it each week as a reward for studying hard. Perhaps students can set a goal in what they want to accomplish each week, after achieving that goal, put the textbooks away, and go for that treat.
In conclusion, as long as adult learners keep their work area organized, schedule study time, schedule large projects accordingly, allow time for adequate sleep, eat healthy meals, schedule breaks, remember goals, and schedule some relaxation, adult learners will be successful in their goal of starting a new career. Finally, remember to ask for help from teachers, classmates, friends, and family.
References
Back to school at forty. (n.d.). [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://backtoschoolatforty.com/tag/time-management-for-adult-learners/.
Carnes, D. (2010, September 2). Goal setting for adult students. Livestrong. Retrieved from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/223415-goal-setting-for-adult-students/.
Study skills tips: Improving concentration. (n.d.). Need Academic Help? Retrieved from Globe
University online http://students.globeuniversity.edu/pv_obj_cache/pv_obj_id_2E8BB7E554738420B5322A15F40C4948ECEF0000/filename/Guide_to_Improving_Concentration.sflb.ashx.
Time management for adult learners. (n.d.). First Steps. Retrieved from the University of New
South Wales http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/firststeps/nsl_time.html.
