Why Your Week Matters More Than Your Free Time

Imagine two people starting the same evening course in the same month. One has a fairly relaxed job, no children and lots of free evenings. The other has a small team to manage, has a toddler at home, and generally works late. You’d be pretty inclined to think that the first of those two would be the one to carry on with the course. That might well be the case.

It’s not so much to do with how much time each person has; it’s more to do with the structure of their week. The second individual is already on a schedule, so study time has its place. The first person has a lot of free time, but it’s very easy to just go and do other things with it. If you are thinking about a part time degree, this is the question worth asking before any other: not whether you have time, but whether your week can hold a fixed appointment.

Free Time Is Slippery Time

Free time is clearly precious, but it vanishes so quickly. An open evening is very easily filled with a dozen errands, a long chat with a mate or another episode of the telly. Before you know it, there’s nothing left over for the lectures or the books.

Having established your study times does make a difference. If you block out Tuesday from 7 to 10 for your course, then you don’t have to make the daily decision of whether to study. You made that decision at the outset, and so you don’t have to spend your willpower each day making that same choice.

Count Your Hours the Honest Way

Do the quick sum. There are 168 hours in a week. Take away 56 for sleep, 50 for work and commuting, and perhaps 25 for meals, chores, and family, and you’re left with about 37 hours, which is a heck of a lot.

Now go back and just look at the hours that come in blocks of two or more that you have under your own control and that you could keep in a bad month. With that restriction, your free time evaporates very quickly. You might end up with just two evenings and a Saturday morning (roughly 9 or 10 hours). That’s your actual study time, and that’s the time you need to plan for.

Before you sign up, ask yourself these three questions:

• Which two evenings could you protect every week even in your busiest month?
• Who’s looking after things at home on those nights?
• What’s your plan if work gets hectic and you miss a class one week?

The Mistake of Starting Too Fast

The biggest mistake is usually made in the first month. You’re all motivated, the stuff is fresh, and studying five nights a week seems absolutely easy. That routine only works while you’re still buzzing.

Everyone’s enthusiasm just dies away, often precisely when the first major assignment comes along, and the work starts to get busy. If your plan is predicated on that initial burst of energy it’s going to fall to pieces at the most inconvenient time. It’s better to establish a rhythm that you can maintain right through to your worst month. It’s a lot harder to start again after you’ve abandoned your routine.

Your Job Is Not the Enemy

It’s so easy to think of work as something that gets in the way of your studies. Work can actually enhance your learning. A management module is going to be a lot more real if you’ve been managing three people this morning. A budgeting module is going to make a lot more sense if you’ve got a budget meeting on Thursday.

This works best if your subject is something to do with your current job or the job you’re after next. Each assignment then becomes a way of dealing with a real problem and your week feels more joined up rather than fragmented.

Match the Course to Your Calendar

Once you’ve got a good idea of how much time you actually have, look at how the course is delivered rather than just what it covers. Part-time courses are frequently designed with the working person in mind (classes in the evenings or on weekends). Some include an online element, which is useful if your free time varies from week to week.

It’s also important to ask how long the program will take at your own pace. Part-time will of course take longer than full-time; that’s perfectly acceptable if that’s what you’re expecting. The only problem arises if you’ve just got a guess as to when you’ll finish.

A Simple Rule Before You Commit

Here’s a simple test: can you name two regular time slots in your week, someone who will be there to support you at home and a backup plan for when things get really tough? If you can then you’re ready to go, even if life is a bit hectic.

If you can’t, then don’t give up. Just tweak your week. Move a regular commitment, swap a chore, or just wait until a quieter time at work. It’s far more important to have a schedule that you can actually stick to than it is to start off perfectly.

Think back to those two people who started together. The real difference wasn’t talent or free time—it was whether study had a place in their week. Make space for study, keep your pace steady, and let your job support your learning. If you do that, you might find the busiest person is the one who finishes the degree.