when do you find time to study?

[samy23]

When you get home-work assignments and research/reading to do etc, when do you do it?

[merryns.mom]

i hope someone has some help...i will graduate in may-going to grad school this fall and honestly i speed real/glaze over any material and write papers on the down low at work. by the time i get home, have dinner and bath, try to get my dd to bed, it's 10:00. i still need to clean, wash clothes, say hey to my dh, etc. and i'm exhausted. my dd doesn't sleep more than 2 hrs at a time

i so do not have the energy to stay up all night and the weekends feel like my only chance to get outside and be a family. so i'm not much help i'm afraid, but i feel you

[sparklett]

DS has a solid bedtime schedule- he's down at 8pm, often by 7. I study from 8-10pm. I'm a SAHM now, used to be a WAHM, and this schedule has always worked for us. There's never time to do it during the day.

[Peony]

Mostly at night but I take any time I can get. The baby could go to bed anytime between 7-10pm which does make it rough, on the nights when he goes to bed late then I get nothing done, like tonight. During the day if he is napping or playing and the girls are playing then I try to read a few pages. The weekends it is the same, I have kids doing all different things at different places o there isn't time where DH can take all kids and let me have some time.It is more like DD1 and DH off somewhere and then the rest of us doing something else, and then switching children later or the next day.

[pinksprklybarefoot]

It depends on life circumstances.

When I was mostly a SAHM but taking a class or two in the evenings, I would study during naptime. I would also leave for class an hour or two early and work on things then. If I had a big paper due, I would sometimes wake up at 4:00 or 5:00 AM to finish it.

This semester is different - I am taking 17 credits of math and science requiring a lot more work than previous semesters where I had some humanities-type things sprinkled in. Now I have found that I pretty much have to leave the house to really study. Seldom are both kids asleep at the same time, and if I am at home but working, DH has trouble understanding that I am working and can't get up every five minutes to change a diaper, fetch water, etc. Two hours at the library is equivalent to five hours at home.

I get some work done in the library between classes, some at coffee shops on the weekend, evenings, etc. This weekend, I basically abandoned my family to study for my microbiology exam on Monday. I get things done when I can, but I have to do it somewhere else.

[Drummer's Wife]

Late at night, or while the older kids are at school. Or on the weekends when DH can keep an eye on the kids. Sunday night is usually when I am scrambling to get my assignments done . I'm only taking 2 classes now, though, and they are pretty easy so far. Then writing class I took last semester meant tons of essays - so that was a bit more time consuming.

[seim.ge]

My husband and I do the 4/3rds thing, so, while we don't see much of each other right now, our son always has at least one parent focused on him. I study in the afternoon, break for dinner (prepared by DH!) and then hit the books again until bedtime. I don't login to my courses to take tests, turn in assignments, etc, until after DS is down for the night...so obviously it's important for me to stay ahead of the course schedule. SO glad it's spring break! I just finished my last final a couple of hours ago! =D

[springbride]

I'm at SAHM right now, but am looking for work and DH's going to SAH for a while and do some intro classes. Right now DD still takes 2 naps, so during the first one I do as much housework as I can and prep dinner, then during the 2nd one I study. DH and I have a standing arrangement that on Friday and Monday nights I can go out to the library or coffee shop from 7-11 to study if it's a heavy week.
Not sure how this will all work out when I go back to work though.

[samy23]

bump, anyone else?

[meemee]

dd is 7 so its not that bad. by the time she is ready for bed i am pooped too.

however what i do is for research i no longer search from home. i go into the univ library and search research papers. saves me a tonne of time.

i study in between classes. i study when dd is at playgroups and/or at her dads.

weekends i tried fitting in studying but decided against it. homework i do with my dd.

now that it is crunch time i am just getting done with an al nighter. i can do an alnighter to finish writing papers or research. but i cant do it for studying.

however i have discovered when i am taking science and math together i need to reduce my load because there is never enough time to study adn finish hw.

[lolar2]

During preschool/ school time. Remember you're supposed to study 3 hours for each hour you spend in the classroom, for most college classes in the US, so if you're a full-time student you should be studying and doing homework for 36 hours per week; it isn't something you should be trying to just cram into the corners of your life if you want to do well. If you can't get enough child care to get that amount of study time, and if your child(ren) don't go to bed early, you may need to take a lower grade or drop a class.

[t2009]

(Sorry if I rehash what others have said... I'm supposed to be studying right now so skimmed the responses...)

I think how you approach studying depends on what type of program you're in. I'm currently finishing a demanding full-time grad school program & here's what I've learned:

1. Paying for a babysitter so that I can go to the library is worth every penny.
2. There is no such thing as a chunk of "unuseable" time ... I can read something in 3 minutes if that's all I have.
3. I just have to be OK with getting a lower grade if I want to be a good mom--there's really no keeping up with my childless peers when I'm sleep-deprived and have an adorable little guy to take care of.
4. I prioritize what I really need to know to perform well at my job once I graduate... the rest I just have to get through enough to graduate.

HTH!

[One_Girl]

I used to study when dd was in daycare. During finals week or when I had a big paper due I would bring dd to a fast food place with a play area or to an indoor playground so she could play while I studied or wrote a paper. I found that once I had it written I could type it quickly and revise easily as I typed. Sometimes I would also have her watch a movie at home or have a playdate so she was occupied with something else and I could meet my class requirements. Very rarely I would stay up past the time she was in bed in order to do something, but that made me grumpy in the morning so I tried to avoid doing that.

[StephandOwen]

A few minutes here and a few minutes there When I really have something I need to focus on then I hand ds off to dp and go to the library/coffee house/etc to get it done. A couple nights a week dp plays his computer games after ds is in bed and I study/do homework/write papers/etc. I have about 20 minutes every day where I'm sitting in the parking lot at ds's school before he gets dismissed so I often bring whatever textbook and read while I'm waiting. 3 days a week I work while ds is at school. I work in a daycare so during naptime (2 hours) I hurry up and get what I need done for work then I usually have 1 hour or 1 1/2 hours left to study (with my boss's approval, of course).

Right now I'm supposed to be studying All 3 of us are outside. DP and DS are playing in the sandbox and I'm working on school work (and playing on here ).

[nolansmummy]

I study during naps and after bed. My kids go to bed at 7pm so about 7-10/11pm is when i can focus without distractions. I can write papers anytime, and then proofread as i type them later. I don't have a 4.0 but my grades are good. Its just about finding what works for you, and not deviating.

[heartmama]

I do reading first thing when I open my eyes in the morning. I am not a morning person, but I can lay there and read. My brain is 'quiet' at that time and I find it easy not to get distracted.

In the evenings I often go to the library. It is hard for me to study at home. I get distracted and think of a dozen tasks that need done. At school, in the library, I can focus.

[Ornery]

I have Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 1:00 to 4:00. Anything that doesn't get done during those times is worked on after 10:00 pm. I spend a lot of nighttime hours studying.

I'm taking 18 credits, all online except one evening lab.