A Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree is a difficult and challenging program, and it is much more so if you are a busy mom with all the other responsibilities you need to take care of. You need careful preparation, efficient time management, and a helping hand from your family and friends to organize your time and balance your parental and educational duties. Here are some golden pieces of advice to help you handle this challenging but rewarding process of pursuing an MBA.
Have a well-organized schedule
If you are a busy mom who is pursuing her MBA degree, you should have a clear and well-organized schedule to help you juggle all of your responsibilities. Make a schedule of all of your classes, study times, and due dates. Remember to coordinate them with your child’s schedule, including when they eat, sleep, go to school, or take part in any other activities. If you are wondering, is an MBA worth it? The answer is, yes, of course, but you need to be diligent and well-organized to manage it all. You can use some digital tools, like calendars and productivity apps, that can help you manage your time even better and remind you of the tasks you need to perform on time. Make some changes when you see that you cannot achieve something, or when you know you need some free time between all of your duties. This will help you make harmony between your professional and private life, and you will feel fulfilled in both areas.
Take care of your mental health
Since you will have much more responsibilities now, you will have to take care of your mental health more. Most likely, there will be many times where you will want to quit but you need to persevere so that you do not feel down later on. You know why you are going through all of this, and if someone can do it, it is you. You should talk with people who are close to you about the problems you have, see if they can help you in some way, and just try and hope for the best.
Get some help
Most likely, if you want to focus as much as possible on getting a master’s degree, you will have to find more time so that you can attend classes and learn. Your husband and other family members should all pitch in to help you manage your home. For example, your parents and husband can take care of the children, while your sisters can help you around the house. This way, you will manage to squeeze out a lot of time for school.
Try new learning techniques
It may be smart for you to try out new learning techniques while you try to learn for your exams. Most likely, you will have to multitask many times during the day. You will have to do some housework while also learning. A way you can manage to accomplish this is by playing a lesson in the background in a loop and making sure that you listen to it as much as possible while you are working. There are many things you will learn without even realizing it.
Be realistic
You must set achievable goals for your academic path if you want to make them come true. Make a list of specific, realistic goals, and the ways you hope to achieve them. If you want to stay motivated and not get distracted or discouraged along the way, you can divide these goals into smaller chunks that will make it easier for you to perform regularly. This is the way to achieve consistent improvement without risking your family commitment or academic success. You will be able to allocate your time and energy to the way that suits you best, and your spirits and self-esteem will always be high if you know you can get to a desired place easily.
Take online courses
Since you are spending most of your free time at home tending to the children, it may be necessary that you take online courses because you can listen to them when you can. Also, you will be able to attend live lectures while you are at home, which means that you won’t have to waste time going somewhere and attending the lecture, and that entails that someone would have to take care of your children.
Balancing your family life and your academic aspirations is not an easy task, but with the proper organization, study techniques, and motivation, you can make it all happen. Believe in yourself, enjoy your motherhood and education, and you will get far along.