[Anonymous]

All-
I am struggling with balancing study with what life is throwing at me!

I work full time for a consulting company and have 2 young kids (very active).

How do you guys find time to study? Any suggestions.

[noclady]

I hear ya! It's super hard when you have a challenging job, a commute, a young family, among all of the other things that you have to deal with in life. I'm in the same boat. I've done a lot of things to squeeze it in where I can. I've gotten up early to study before work, I listen to audio lectures on the way to work (I have a solid hour commute each way), I've stayed a little bit after work to study, I study during lunch. These were all ways I've found that didn't encroach on my family time. I've also learned to sacrifice some of the things I normally do for my family like cook dinner (I ordered out A LOT!), clean the house (changed from every week to every 2-3 weeks…gross, but some things have to give), shopping (I've made hubby do it every weekend), go to soccer games (hubby did this too).

I'm not gonna lie, I felt completely burned out from making all of these sacrifices, but it really all boils down to how committed I am to studying. The crappy part is that there's no guarantee I'm even going to pass with all of these sacrifices. But it's what I have to work with. Anyway, good luck in finding your groove. You can do it!

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ―Aristotle

[Anonymous]

@cpa002-this is definitely challenging to juggle everything! I found the best time to study was after kids went to bed. So 9-11 every night was the study time. I also would listen to lectures while commuting and do some MCQ on the subway on the way to work and read the book. I used my lunch and any work downtime to study. I would study while waiting for my son at soccer or my other kids' skating lessons. Obviously weekends were also dedicated to studying. Some sections i could get away with having some days off (AUD), some it was 7 days a week for weeks (FAR). You can do it-your situation isn't ideal, but not unique here on the forum. I am sure others can provide additional pointers… good luck!

[Becca]

I typically study for about an hour after work by doing sets of 5 MCQs repeatedly. For some reason, if I do 10+ MCQs at a time it just makes me feel even more tired, and I’ll rush through them. I try to knock out as much as I can at work, and will study there – this is actually where most of my studying is done. I study during my child’s naps on the weekends (thankfully, she loves sleep as much as I do, and takes 2 naps a day on the weekends). Also, I take my study materials to any appointments.

Sundays for us are reserved for family time. Spending the day with them is refreshing and also keeps me motivated. My husband has been the one to grocery shop for us and cook dinners (though, I’ll make an occasional crockpot meal). We hired someone to clean our house every other week. Also, I don’t deprive myself of sleep, so that I can focus better and retain more. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

AUD - NINJA in Training
BEC - NINJA in Training
FAR - 63
REG - 81

You only fail if you quit

[Anonymous]

All good points mentioned above.

I also have a full time accounting job, 2 kids under 3, and am currently studying for REG using Becker. My wife works full time as a nurse 3 12 hour night shifts (7p-7a) a week. So, I get where you're coming from about life throwing a lot at you. Here is what has worked for my wife and I:

Every Sunday, my wife and I sit down together and make a dinner plan for the upcoming week. She receives her schedule a month in advance so we can plan accordingly for what days she will be working and which days she will be off and if she needs to switch any days. We plan out dinners for the whole week – who will cook what night, what nights we will probably want to order food, etc. We often will spend one Sunday a month making a ton of crock pot meals and freeze them. This has been a huge time saver and there are a ton of websites out there that have recipes/shopping lists and can walk you through this. Pop one in the crock pot before leaving for work and dinner is ready when you get home.

We also plan out the kids' week. We are lucky enough that both of our parents are retired and live close enough to help out with the kids, but we coordinate with the grandparents on who will have which kids which day. There is a large calendar hanging in my kitchen that gets marked down will all this info. We try and have the kids' schedules done a month in advance so it will include doctor's appointments, planned activities, etc.

As far as studying goes, I am not a morning person so I study at night. Becker lays out their study plan by week and I stick to the plan very closely. 7 or less modules in a week = 1 module per night and take any remaining nights off (rare.) More than 7 modules in a week = plan for 1 or more nights where I can double down on 2 of the shorter modules. After getting off of work at 5, picking up the kids (if necessary,) making/eating dinner, feeding the kids, giving the kids a bath, and putting both kids to sleep I usually don't get in the chair to study until around 9. I listen to the lectures at 1.25 speed to save a little time, do all the mcq's and practice problems for that module (or 2) then go to bed. Usually around 11-12. Wake up the next day, rinse, and repeat.

For the 2 review weeks leading up to the exam, things change. We lean a lot on our parents to watch the kids as much as possible so I can study more intensely. That means I go to the library after work for 2 hours before coming home. I only help put the kids to sleep then go right back to studying. On the last 2 review weekends, I go to the library all day for 7-8 hours. This is all planned out at least a month in advance so everyone involved knows it is coming. You are not the only one who will have to make sacrifices and you will have to have some help at some point during the process. I am lucky enough to have grandparents that are willing and able to help, but I think I would bite the bullet and hire a babysitter/help if I had to for the last 2 weeks of review if circumstances were different.

TL;DR – Try and plan out things as much in advance as possible, get a schedule and stick to it. You will eventually get in a groove and the people around you who are helping you will get in a groove as well. Just don't forget to do something nice for the people helping you when you are between tests!

[Allsheneededwassome]

Everything from above but just want to stress that don't sacrifice sleep. 45 minutes of solid studying is better than 2 hours of sleep studying lol. Also if you're drained at the end of the day like I usually am; get up a hour before everyone and study. You're refreshed and it'll stick more. I go to bed at the same time as my kids on some days WHICH IS around 8:30. I wake up feeling way more productive and have good study sessions early AM

R 80(E)75!

F 66,69,70,81!

A 71,66,70,72,83!

B 75(E),82!

Ethics 95

[Anonymous]

1 hour before work, 1 hour at lunch, and squeeze in 1 hour after work. Anything else you can get in between is a bonus. If it's slow at work, study! That's how I have managed to pass 2 exams.

[msquared17]

This is a popular topic. I agree with everyone. I’m still trying to find that balance. Some weeks are better than others. The good weeks are when I do some of the things suggested in previous comments: 1) plan dinners and kid schedules weekly, 2) plan your study time, 3) plan family/ down time (including housework, groceries, paying bills). These truly are key for me. If I don’t actually plan it, then I’m constantly thinking about everything that has to be done. Which means I’m not focused when trying to study. I have a short attention span and quickly learned that 2 hours at one time is my max. So I try to stick with short blocks of time. Another good tip for groceries is to order online and do curbside pick up.

Good luck

[PDiddy2000]

@allsheneeded WAIT!! you go to bed at 8:30pm? How the hell do you do that?

FAR-Mar 9,2020 (failed 71), retest May 21
BEC-Passed(I had a few stops and starts because I was studying during my busy season. Lost track of my study stats.)
AUD-Passed(8 weeks,1877 MCQs, and 38 TBSs)-Wiley
REG-Passed(10 weeks, 2000 MC)-Wiley

[Broken Toy]

For me it has been spreading the exam out over a long period of time. I generally take 12-13 weeks to study for each exam so I am not spending a ton of time each week but a little bit over a long period of time. Additionally I take 3-4 off from studying between tests so I don’t miss out on things. I have been lucky that I have passed my first two exams on the first try but if I fail one I am putting myself in a time crunch, but being married with a child and a full time job I don’t have much choice if I still want to be an involved parent and husband.

AUD - 83
BEC - 97
FAR - 96
REG - 92

The vision of a champion is bent over, drenched in sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when nobody else is looking. Mia Hamm

[krstnam]

I'm in a similar group to @Broken Toy I'm trying to spread my studying out over a longer time as well. I tried doing 25+ hours a week of study, it worked well with BEC and REG but I wasn't able to pass FAR and AUD in time and those exams have expired so I'm back at square one. I partly blame the score delays…that's another salty tangent topic for me.

I've changed things up in search of striking a balanced lifestyle and it has been working well, I figure no more sprinting, this is a marathon. I study 11-15 hours/week. During the weekday I do a 2-3 hours a day. I do one hour during my lunch/breaks at work and the rest in the evening. I only study every other Saturday for 4 hours, 2 hrs in the first half of the day and 2 hours the second part. If I know the next week will be particularly busy, I'll do some studying on Sunday.

I'm going to be the person who says "I finished even though..." not the person who says "I didn't finish because..."

B - 77, 76

A - 57, 64, 72, 76!

R - 78, 72, 78!!! DONE

F - 54, 73, 71, 64, 69, 76!

[Author]

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