So you want to do some more education, courses or training?
It’s not easy, is it?
As we speak my friend is embarking on a new course of study to get where she wants to be in life but does that mean she is happy with all the work and having to try to fit it in around a full time job- absolutely not!
So what can you do if you want to reach that next level or change career but you don’t know where you will fit it in?
Well, after having read a lot of authors’ advice on this and having spoken to numerous PhD students and being one myself I had a few ideas myself. I then spoke with Moiz about how he does this.
- Organisation
Organisation is the biggest thing you can do. Don’t write yourself a huge to- do list just a schedule. It’s important to ringfence time for yourself to do all the tasks you have on your plate. Some people ringfence an hour early in the morning, some take an hour in the morning and one at night or some take their lunch break. Because of the time you need to get into a task, it’s worth noting you need a few minutes to get your mind right before you start your task so make sure you factor this in. You have to be regimented and try to stick to this because, if you are on a course of study especially, you will have deadlines that you can’t miss.
- Tools
What tools will you use, do you need word or can you use Apple Pages? Will you write academic papers and need reference software like mendeley or latex? Will you need creative time or will you be writing factual scientific papers and be researching a lot. Do you know how to use google scholar and the library?
Figure out what you need before you start so that you can hit the ground running.
- Resilience
Not everything is going to work out. You will iss a session, you will get a block, you will put some stuff off (don’t we all) you will have to replan. Be flexible so that when your wold changes around you you can work with it and not rail against it. Have a plan but don’t make it too rigid. Plan out your diary so that you have everything in it. There’s nothing worse than having left out a meal with friends but having scheduled a study session at the same time!
- Hard work
Prepare yourself because whatever you are doing, it’s going to be hard. There will be ups and down, back and forths but ultimately you will emerge the otherside, if a little battered and bruised from the experience triumphantly holding up that certificate!
- Breaking tasks down
Break everything down. Don’t give yourself the task of ‘write a paper’. Trust me I’ve been there and guess what, I didn’t start it because the task was too big. I broke down the tasks into sections that I could write stand alone a piece at a time and I made much more progress. This is because when you break things down it doesn’t overwhelm you as much and you can actually fit it into your study sessions!
Kuinua Coaching – Here for your Journey
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**Podcast Episodes to Note: Moiz Penkar, Ece Kurtaraner, Marlis Huebner,, Haseeena Patel, Kristen Knowles, Chiara Covone, John Robinson, Aden Nepom, Daniel Lee, Mark Missigman, Dennis Mossberg
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