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Being a successful part-time student has three keys: making habits, breaking habits and embracing change. The term "part-time student" is very misleading; there's nothing part-time about it. It takes a full-time effort to juggle work, school, and family responsibilities. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you can make it work just by finding extra time. Finding time is one thing, but fighting the habituated lifestyle you're accustomed to is harder, and more important. In order to see through the commitment of a degree, you have to break old habits and make new ones, all the while appreciating the process.

Making new habits should be done thoughtfully, and deliberately. The most obvious new habit is making a time and space for reading and studying. If you can make it a habit, for example, to come home from work, change into something comfortable, and do school-work for an hour as part of your "unwinding" process, you'll have a new habit that supports your goal. At the same time, you'll have to break the habit of doing whatever it is you were accustomed to doing. The good news it that it is easier to substitute one habit for another than it is just to break a habit. So think about things- think about what you have to do to make it work, and substitute habits whenever possible.

Another idea is to look at your television viewing habits. What TV shows do you adore, and which ones do you watch just because there's nothing better on? Use your favorites as a reward- don't let yourself watch it unless you do that certain task you're not too fond of doing. Let the shows you watch just because there's nothing better on be background noise while studying.

Keep track of how much time you need to do certain tasks, and figure out where you can work it into your schedule. It's helpful to make a weekly calendar of what you do and when, without the schoolwork factor. See where you spend your time. See how you can break small habits to create new ones. For example, some people spend an hour getting ready to get out of the house, when it can be done in thirty minutes. Thirty minutes of study time adds up over a week.

Most people will discover that there are ordinary tasks that they could do more efficiently. Shopping, personal grooming, cooking, and cleaning are high on the list of things most people could do faster with a little planning. For example, cooking two or three meals a week that offer leftovers can save an hour or two.

As you transition into the role of student, you'll find that there will be things you have to give up. If you're not willing to embrace that idea, it's probably better not to start. The good news is that if you are thoughtful about the process of change, you can find ways of giving up the dead weight in your life, and replace it with the rewarding experience of learning. You can transform your life toward being a successful part-time student. In order to ensure the best possible outcome, you'll have to make and break habits, and learning to appreciate the process of change.

Learn more about this author, Pat Fox Ph.D..
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