The Mindset You Must Build to Study Effectively Along With a Day Job
Yes, you can do both, but motivation alone will not take you far.
Are you having a hard time studying (for any exam or coursework) while working part-time or full-time?
If you answered yes, then read along.
I have been studying and working simultaneously for the past 6 years and will share my experience with you.
You must embrace a very common yet practical mystery behind achieving big dreams.
Studying and working simultaneously is not painless, and it is a tremendous goal you are trying to accomplish.
The secret is to chunk and dissect your big goal into many baby goals within a given timeframe. Time and plans work together.
I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.
- Helen Keller
A big goal might scare you away, but you will find the courage to handle a baby goal.
Give your very best effort to work on your baby goals.
Achieving a baby goal will give you baby confidence that will add up over time. And you will see your baby confidence become a toddler, an absolute rebel teenager, and a fantastic adult.
Once you understand the enormous task ahead, you can swiftly transform it into many smaller tasks to handle daily.
You look back at the end of your primary goal or sub-goal deadline and evaluate yourself. Self-criticism is necessary, and build a habit of delivering constructive feedback to your work.
To put everything together:
- Understand the goals you have set.
- Fix a deadline for yourself.
- Chunk your goals.
- Work on the smaller goals.
- Evaluate yourself with complete honesty.
Motivation is not your pal.
Motivation will get you excited. Motivation will give you a good kick, but that’s it. Motivation is there one minute and is gone in the next one.
Motivation will not be there for you permanently.
Don’t worry about motivation. Motivation is fickle. It comes and goes. It is unreliable — and when you are counting on motivation to get your goals accomplished, you will likely fall short.
- Jocko Willink
You are not always going to feel like doing your assignment. You are not always going to feel like a winner at your workplace.
If you rely on motivation alone, you won’t always accomplish everything on your to-do list.
Trust me; you won’t always need the push from the motivation.
But you need something different and challenging.
Discipline and Consistency are your life-long companions.
Show up for your lectures at University.
Show up for your work.
Show up every day.
Attending one lecture at University will not help you pass the exam. One day of work will not earn you a full salary.
To reap the full results, you must study all the lecture contents. You must keep working for at least a month to be eligible for a monthly paycheck.
Why is discipline important? Discipline teaches us to operate by principle rather than desire. Saying no to our impulses (even the ones that are not inherently sinful) puts us in control of our appetites rather than vice versa. It deposes our lust and permits truth, virtue, and integrity to rule our minds instead.
― John MacArthur Jr.
Build the habit of sitting down and studying for a few hours.
Work towards increasing your attention span.
Go to your work, learn something useful, and do something useful. Come back the next time and aim to repeat.
Show up for your goals every day.
Isn’t it absurd to think that one can handle all?
It is tough to manage
- all the sub-goals of your studies and work at a time,
- show up for lectures and go to the office on the same day, and
- build Consistency and discipline around two things simultaneously.
But you chose it. You chose it for a reason.
Go for your dreams, but take time to understand how your life is tugged between two different aspects.
Take time to understand where you stand and where your life stands when you pursue something challenging.
Best of Both Worlds: Acknowledge the soft boundary between working and studying.
There is no hard line between when your brain will switch from working to studying and vice-versa. The vital lesson is to accept that both can be done simultaneously, yet one must choose one over the other.
You decide your boundary. You decide when to start studying and when to stop working.
You must self-reflect on the purpose behind pursuing two goals (study and work) simultaneously.
It would be best if you put some time into organizing your mind and calendar to create space for both.
Sit down, take three deep breaths, and pull out your notebook for 1-hour journaling.
Scenario 1: Self-Reflection while Studying Full-time and Working Part-time
You will find my self-reflection guide below, which I prepared almost four and a half years ago while doing my master’s.
These are some questions I had to ask myself to set my mind for the forthcoming challenge. I have also shared sample answers to some of the questions to give you an impression of what my weeks looked like
Q1. Why am I studying?
Ans: I am studying to get a Master’s degree in computer science.
Q2. Do I need to work as well?
Ans: Yes, I must work as it will pay my rent and other bills. I want to see if I can sustain a life without my parent’s help.
Q3: What kind of work can I do?
Ans: I must go for technical jobs as it will also groom my coding skills required for many assignments at my University.
Q4. What is my priority?
Ans: Degree comes first. I cannot neglect my coursework. It is necessary as I plan on doing a Ph.D.
Q5. How will I divide my week this semester for studying and assignments?
Q6: How will I divide my week if I decide to work?
Q7. Can I take help from someone?
Q8. What does my weekend look like?
Scenario 2: Self-Reflection while Working Full-time and Studying Part-time
Now, I will share the self-reflection questions I asked myself six months ago while working as a computer scientist and preparing for my Ph.D.
Q1. Why am I working?
Q2. Do I need to study as well?
Q3: How many hours must I invest in studying?
Q4. How are my supervisors supporting me in achieving my goals?
Q5. How can I delegate some of my tasks and take external help?
Q6. How am I planning to take care of my mental and physical health?
Written goals are more powerful.
Let whatever is on your brain flow through your hands onto a paper.
It works like magic.
Research conducted by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, establishes that one has more than a 60% chance of achieving the goals if written down.
Writing down your goals brings clarity, and you will be aware of the necessary steps that must be taken toward your visions.
In the end…
You can manage a 9–5 and University coursework.
Build a plan. Prepare for the battlefield.
Your current intellectual horizon is composed of thousands of small scholarly achievements and failures you have endured till now.
Believe in them!
