Time Management Tips for Students at MBA School

June 02, 2020

How to balance a professional MBA with work and personal commitments

Pic of a woman who finished MBA school
These time management tips help to succeed and avoid stress.

An MBA is one of the most prestigious qualifications you can get in the business world. The knowledge, practical skills, and connections that you gain while studying can enhance your career and enable you to take a step up. However, it is also a significant time commitment, and students often need to balance existing work with their studies.  

At WU Executive Academy, all of our MBA programs are offered part-time. This means that students will have more flexibility to continue working while studying towards an MBA. Read on to discover some useful time management tips for students at business school.

Create a Study Calendar for MBA School

It is impossible to be too organized at MBA school. When you first start your program, we recommend that you add any deadlines or exam dates to a study calendar. This should also include personal dates or events like birthdays or holidays, so that you will be able to identify any potential conflicts early.

It’s also a good idea to work backwards and calculate how many weeks of study time you have before each deadline. That way, you can avoid any last-minute cramming sessions. While it might seem time-consuming to plan your schedule in so much detail, taking 30 minutes to map out your day, your week, or your month could save you 30 hours later on.

Pic of a man after business school
Taking time to plan your schedule will save you time in the long run.

Organize Your Work Space

Your environment can directly impact your productivity. Factors such as lighting, noise levels, air quality, and temperature can all affect your focus. Try to create a space in your home that is free of distractions so that you are able to put in the hours you need to during your Executive MBA.

In addition, organize all of the documents or books that you might need so that they are easy to find. Staying organized will help you to avoid wasting time searching for the right resources. This also applies to your virtual workspace. Try to organize all of your important documents and files into carefully labeled folders, and bookmark any websites or articles you find useful.

Make Time to Rest

It is also important to allow time to rest when you are working and studying. If you do not allow time for yourself, you may start to feel tired and overworked, and could eventually burn out. 

In order to avoid this, make sure to give yourself a morning or an afternoon off a week where you do something with your friends and family. This is important for your mental health and will help you to manage any feelings of stress or anxiety. In addition, being in a good mood could make you more productive and improve the quality of your work.

Pic of parents from business school with their kids
Give yourself time to relax with family and friends.

Students working full-time could also ask their employer for one day off a month to dedicate to studies. This is a common arrangement, as organizations normally recognize that the skills an employee gains through an MBA could benefit the wider company.

Do you want to find out more about studying at business school?

Contact WU Executive Academy today!

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