Students’ Speak: Tips to manage job and GATE preparation

By: Tata Subramanian

When you are working, focus only on that, don’t bring your study material to the office. Maintaining work and study balance is critical.

Managing job along with Graduate Aptitude Test for Engineering (GATE) preparation can be challenging as time and again you have to juggle priorities between the two. If you are in a job and planning to prepare for GATE or you are about to go to a job, the following tips can come handy.

Tips to manage time

There are many productivity hacks which you can find on the Internet. In fact, if you Google about tips related to time management, you will be bombarded with lots of blogs and tools. However, what is important for you is to try those methods and customise for yourself. Remember no method gives you 100% result the way you expect, so it’s important for you to try these methods and then tweak them time and again. My personal method is to have a timer for 20 minutes and study consciously no matter what. At the end of 20 minutes take a 5-10 min break and then resume studying again. If you feel you are in the “study zone” then you can go beyond 20 minutes, too. The key here is to divide the time into smaller chunks of 20-30 minutes. These smaller chunks will, in turn, convert to hours and you will also not feel the mental pressure of studying for an hour or so. Always remember to study with intent because no matter what tool or method you are going to use, if you don’t feel like doing it, you will probably give it up easily. If you are one of those who try a new method and unable to stick it don’t worry my friend you are not alone in this. Whenever you feel like giving up or unable to have that kick to study just keep a timer for 10 minutes and then say to yourself that you are going to study for at least 10 minutes and study one your favourite subjects. With this method, you can convince yourself to study in small but meaningful intervals.

Work and study balance

Admit it, your job is as important as your GATE preparation no matter whether you like it or not. So when you are working, focus only on that, don’t bring your study material to office. Maintaining work and study balance is critical. Complete all the necessary and routine tasks in the office itself so that you don’t have to think about it back home or carry your work home. Once you are back from the office, refresh yourself with a good shower, eat something and then start studying. In fact, you should plan what you want to study for the next day in the previous night itself and prepare your study desk accordingly. In this way once you are back from the office you don’t need to spend time setting up your study materials; it saves precious time. There will be times where you will have stressful hours in the office and it would be difficult for you to focus on studying back home. In such cases listen to some relaxing music, have a talk with your friends or go for a walk. After about 20 minutes sit and study for a smaller duration and study easy topics or the ones which you have an interest in.

About the Author:

Tata Subramanian is pursuing MBA from Thiagarajar School of Management (TSM) in Marketing and HR. He is a passionate public speaker who is enthusiastic about new technologies in marketing. A fan of crime fiction novels, he loves to study human nature. He is also a core committee member of debating and quiz club.