Personal Time Management
Now that I am back in school pursuing a master's in science degree in an adult health nurse practitioner program, I find myself having to manage my time off from work very differently. I used to be able to fill my days off the floor with house chores, errands, spending time with family and friends-- I now have to seriously reevaluate that.
Although I am only taking one course currently, I chose to take advanced pathophysiology, one of the more difficult courses in the program while still maintaining my 40 hour per week work status. The work required for the course is extensive so I spend much of my time off studying and preparing for class. I have to take into consideration when I am working night shift versus day shift so that I enable myself to sleep enough, but still study--another thing I did not have to consider before.
The positive side is that it is different than my undergraduate experience because I can hone in on the content of only one course, which I am finding to be very helpful. It's also helpful to be able to correlate my course content with my day/night work experiences and my patient interactions. I am often able to think about my course content, while at work.
With only a few weeks down, I am definitely experiencing stress, but I know it will be worth it for the long term gain and pursuit of my goals. Hopefully, each day and week I will improve on managing my time on days off by finding a balance between sleep, fun and regular day to day things that need to be completed.