Not enough hours in the day?

[heartsink]

I'm a non trad early in my DIY postbac taking physics 2 and Chem 1 with accompanying labs for each at a large university with a hard to beat curve set at 2.6. I'm also working at an inpatient psychiatric unit, allegedly "part time" but right now in my orientation it amounts to ~35 hours a week across 3 to 4 days.

The last couple weeks have been rough time-wise because I'll be working evenings (2:30 to 11 at night) get home, and not have much time to eat, much less study, before I sleep so I can get up early for class or another shift. I'll spare you the intricacies of the logistics of the rest of my work and study schedule suffice to say there's very little wiggle room

I've just barely been able to keep my head above water on homework assignment due dates through a combination of staying up late, sleeping in small blocks of time (3-4 hours) and then waking up in the middle of the night to do more homework so that it will be done before I start my next shift.

I have an exam on Friday for Chem I've had no extra time outside of hw to study for, and I'm working 2:30 to 11 again tonight, and my exam is tomorrow at 8. I'm literally running out of hours in the day to both work and study and sleep and eat.

After orientation it won't be this intense so I figured if I can hold out the remaining 5-6 weeks I'll be ok again, but I'm running ragged right now.

Has anyone else had a situation like this that has any tips for me? I heard cocaine is pretty good for energy...

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[familyaerospace]

I am going to make the assumption the cocaine is a joke.

One of the things I would recommend is learning how to relax. I worked full time (40-80 hours a week) during my 8 credit per semester post-bacc, then did lots of volunteering. My sleep was 6 to 8 hours, 12 on weekends. The more you relax, the more effective your studying is going to be. I was also known to do bits of homework at every spare opportunity.

 

[LabDoc33]

Same boat as you, I work 2 jobs( in a medical diagnostic lab and scribing) amounts to >40 hours a week. While taking physics 2 and chem 2 in an intense short 5 week span. Its tough as hell, but your body honestly adapts to it. Its all about scheduling for me, I go straight from class to work, and when I get home from work I study/do homework for an hour, sleep, rinse, and repeat.

Its tough now, but those time management skills will be sooooo worth it in the long run. Always keep the end goal in sight, that's what gets me through.

 

[Leslie_Knope]

What @familyaerospace said! Learn to relax and make it a priority. I'm not saying that you don't already relax, but I have noticed for myself how important this was. I encountered something similar last year: I was working FT, studying for the MCAT, volunteering, and working on a research project. I was also pregnant. I allowed myself to take time to relax and didn't push myself to study if I was feeling tired, hungry, whatever. In fact, I tried to schedule one day a week where I did NOTHING work/study related. I did well on the MCAT and I attribute it to having a rested mind when I was able to study.

Another thing that helps is remembering this is a short time in your life.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Labrat07]

Heartsink,
Most of us nontrade are in your situation. We have jobs, families, schools... You're among comrades. My advices:
Sleep 6 hours a day. Couple times : i have 0 sleep for 2-3 days before the tests.
Study wherever/whenever you can. Ex: you can listen to audio while driving, reading in the bathroom, studying at work....
Read/watch a lot of motivational speeches. Many have done more difficult paths before us. Question yourself: if they can do it for their dreams, why can't I?

I have two jobs, classes (last semester I took orgo 2 and physic 2), 2 sisters to take care of, gf... and I still have time to go out and have fun

If you want it enough, You'll make it work. Don't listen to excuses in your head. It alway choose " the path of least resistance"

 

[T-butyl]

You can do it with a lot of time management. I work 40 hrs a week take 14-15 credits and have a gf and a now a baby. It isn't easy but I always keep the bigger picture in mind.