Hacks for Part-time Students

Image Coutesy: Funny PotatoHaving a career or job and going to school is a tremendously hard thing to do. Whether you are meshing school and work together during the day or going to class after completing the nine to five, you're under a lot of pressure. In cases like this, time becomes even more of commodity than when you're just a student. 

When driving to class, take the scenic route. The stresses of rush hour traffic can fry many a brain.  This is the last thing someone taking a test needs before they touch pen to blue book. Although it may be longer, taking the road less traveled could be relaxing. Also, try not to listen to anything. Silence is very soothing and fiddling around with a music player or switching radio stations can be frustrating and take your attention of the road.  You might want to put something calming.  Check out Luke's last article for some music that fits.

If you are getting a new computer to start school I suggest either getting a small notebook or a netbook depending on what your major requires. If you have a desktop at home an aren't ready to shell out for mobile hardware, you can still keep your information mobile by keeping it on the internet. You can check out ways to edit your schoolwork on the internet here. Some classes require files that can't be uploaded to sites like Google Docs.  Dropbox is an online storage drive that takes all other file types.

Staying organized and on the ball while keeping a career and going to school really helps out.   One of the most popular task managers is Remember the Milk or RTM for short. This application allows you to create different lists for the different things you're involved with. RTM has a plethora of ways it can be accessed. It plays extremely nice with Gmail (which you can have your school email forwarded to) and Google calendar. Once you set your tasks up you can have RTM be the monkey on your back until you accomplish what needs to be done.  Here is a list of everything that can be done with Remember the Milk.

The most important thing to remember when heading back to school is to not get too busy.  Working too hard can have a detrimental effect on your health, and the relationship you have with family members. There are many classes at Universities that involve physical activity, which could relieve a ton of stress.

Are you a part-time student? If so, comment below about some of your hacks. You can also email me at mike@hackcollege.com