Sleep, work , and study

OK here is my problem I cannot stay awake and study for my certifications, not really sure what to do about it. Here is my schedule:

Monday - Friday Schedule:
5:30 - 5:45 Wake up
6:25 - 7:00 Commute to work
7:00 - 16:00 Work
16:00 - 16:45 Commute
17:00 - 19:00 Chores
19:00 - 21:00 Eat and spend time with my wife
21:00 -23:00 study

I can't find the time to exercise, and by the time I have time to study I am exhausted and just glazing over the information. I heard of some people trying stuff like Provigil/Nuvigl to stay awake and keep their mind sharp but do to other health issues I don't think my wife will be down for that. Also I have no kids, but I have 4 horses, 3 dogs, and 2 barn cats (I live on acreage). Any ideas that are legal in all 50 states?

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kohr-ah

What do you do at lunch on work?

Can you study? Exercise time can easily be found. Even if only 15 minutes a day that is a start and do thing like calisthenics. Pushups, Dips, Crunches, Squats, (pull ups if you have a pullup bar) and eat healthy. I]And yes you can tire out quickly from this[/I

Once you get exercising you will have more energy a bit then push it to a half an hour. I used to watch CBT nuggets while I exercised.

ImYourOnlyDJ

Coffee!!! Other than that I would look at diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. A pill that gives you energy is no replacement for sleep. If you are like me once I stopped exercising and eating a poor diet I had almost no energy for extra stuff. Some jobs welcome studying during free time so if its not allowed now maybe moving to a different job would be an option.

ImYourOnlyDJ

kohr-ah wrote: »

What do you do at lunch on work?

Can you study? Exercise time can easily be found. Even if only 15 minutes a day that is a start and do thing like calisthenics. Pushups, Dips, Crunches, Squats, (pull ups if you have a pullup bar) and eat healthy. I]And yes you can tire out quickly from this[/I

Once you get exercising you will have more energy a bit then push it to a half an hour. I used to watch CBT nuggets while I exercised.

I've been listening to CBT Nuggets while I fall asleep

dave330i

Lunch time, down time & commute time (I take mass transit).

[Deleted User]

Maybe audiobooks can help. What certifications are you after? LearnSmart has some audiobooks available.

kurosaki00

Study on Weekends or sacrifice time from another thing.
Another thing is that for example sometimes I study while my gf studies, so its "spending time with her".
If you are sure you cant make time at work (downtime) or between chores or at some other time, then just remove 1 hours from another slot.
Sometimes there is just not enough time, so you need to remove time from sleeping or other places (it's usually sleeping).
^Try to recover lost sleep on free days.

thomas_

I agree with the transit part. Try to find some audio study material amd listen to it in your car while going to and from work. If nothing else you could use the videos just to listen to the audio portion of the video.

Maybe instead of trying to study at night, go to sleep an hour earlier so you can wake up an hour earlier to study. You'll probably have a lot more brain power at the beginning of the day than at the end of it.

iBrokeIT

Choices and priorities...

You have made the choice to take up the hobby of maintaining an acreage with lots of animals that you have to prioritize over your certification studies.

I love my wife but she doesn't need +2 hours of my attention EVERY night. She is an adult with her own hobbies and can entertain herself a few nights a week.

You need better time management and prioritization, not drugs.

Here is an example: wake up an hour earlier to exercise, Tuesday Thursday and Sunday are study days / let your wife do the chores and entertain herself Tues and Thurs, Friday/Saturday wife time.

If you constantly prioritize things over your studies then ya, your not going to have as much time as you would like. Try shuffling your priorities around a couple days during the week.

NetworkNewb

iBrokeIT nailed it! Its all about what you consider a priority. If you felt you "had" to study. You would be searching for time to do other things besides studying and the original question wouldn't even be a question.

I usually cut into my "wife time" a couple times a week to study.

cyberguypr

No chores and no wife time frees up a LOT of time.

Seriously, as the guys said something's gotta give. There's a limited number of hours in the day. I wish I could do WGU work, Coursera/edX classes, work in the office I'm building in the basement, detail my car, enhance my landscaping, and a zillion other things but the time is just not there. Prioritize and reshuffle as you see fit.

G.O.A.T

Join the club, I've actually changed my work times to have a routine like yours so I can study, I was working nights and when I had days off my sleep pattern would be all over the place, now I can come home have family time then study. Luckily my rota is now flexible also.. maybe talk to your boss?

Jon_Cisco

You can't fix your problem by laying out a fixed schedule and asking where to fit it in.
Start over take your items that need to be done and build a schedule that works.

Hire help to care for your horses. Don't clean your house. Don't eat. Don't enjoy time with family. Skip work.
You get the idea. Life is a choice and you can either add study time or not.

Good Luck!

networker050184

You can get all the tips and tricks you want, but the truth is you just have to want to do it. If you want to do something you will make time for it. If it's a burden on you like this seems to be you're always going to be struggling. That's why I always advise people to go after a career direction that interests them. The learning never stops int his field.

--chris--

I was down to only studying on weekends and the rare night I had free time and an abundance of energy. It took much longer to pass the CCNA because of that, but I passed eventually.

Your life will change, your days will vary....its important to be able to recognize free time for studying. Prioritizing and settings attainable goals will help, but you still have to follow through.

DoubleNNs

I'm echoing what a lot of other people have said, but:

Use some of your commute time to study. If you train/bus, you can get electronic books. if you drive you can get audio books or even fun podcasts.
Use lunch time. If you eat w/ coworkers, I wouldn't recommend studying everyday during your lunch. But 2-3x a week studying works wonders, even if just reviewing.
Maybe drop to only 1 hour of studying at night. That way you're more dedicated to getting the most out of that 1 hour. You'll study more intensely and could even make it thru the hour w/o a break.
Make notecards or digitize info and put on your phone. You can always review during your other daily duties. Review while doing chores or in line waiting somewhere.
Spend less time during the week, but make it worth it. Then do the bulk of lengthy studying during the weekend.

Edificer

17:00 - 19:00 Study time - and then the dishes are on you to keep the harmony in the house

--chris--

Honestly, I drink a lot of coffee and energy drinks (coffee 3x a day, energy drinks 3-4 week). I know this behavoir is unhealthy and unsustainable long term, but its only until this semester ends.

The energy needs to come from somewhere. Also, I have ordered a bottle of "alpha brain" to give that a shot. I see plenty of legitimate reviews for the stuff and it contains zero stims. Even if it provides only a 5% increase in cognition, ill take it.

https://www.onnit.com/alphabrain/

DoubleNNs

--chris-- I'm curious on your experience w/ Alpha Brain. After you try it for a month or so, want to come back and give your opinion?

Kinet1c

I commute via bike (~6 miles) so two birds with one stone. It might not be possible where you live however.

--chris--

DoubleNNs wrote: »

--chris-- I'm curious on your experience w/ Alpha Brain. After you try it for a month or so, want to come back and give your opinion?

Sure, Ill make a thread and put in my $0.0 2. Its relatively cheap for what it claims, but at the same time I was (once long ago) a supplement company rep. I am beyond aware of the BS and legal dancing that supports most of supplement industries claims, 95% of whats out there is garbage (fyi).

OfWolfAndMan

My best way to say it is you have to make it work for you by setting your priorities yet balancing the necessities in there as well.

Let's go down the list. You commute Roughly 1.5 hours a day. Do you have any audio books that you could listen to to supplement your studies? If not, have you taken a few minutes to take the videos you have and converted them, assuming the information could be beneficial through audio independently? Two hours for chores is a little more than the usual, but I'm guessing it's because of your animals. That's something that could be avoided, to an extent (Sometimes). Ever thought of ways to automate things or reduce time done with chores? Auto feeder? Vacuum bot? I know there's only so much you can automate, but it helps.

I am married and have a kid on the way, and even with the increase in observed hormone spontaneity, my wife doesn't require two hours every night. We even have it down to where we both go to the gym after work, so there's even more quality time.

Eating comes afterwards, and half the time I try and meal plan out for the week, cooking in Tupperwares and allocating proper portions. Diet and exercise have always been a good thing for me in helping focus (I'll be honest: I consume quite a bit of caffeine as well. More than the FDA recommends). If you have a difficulty finding time for the gym, you have a couple of options: Get a pair of adjustable dumbbells, a small home gym, or find a bodyweight program (Even though I'm not a complete advocate of it, there is parts of it that are efficient). Then take a run, bike, or buy a mountable punching bag for some cardio. Mixing weight training with cardio is what works for me at least.

Time studying during lunch is not an uncommon thing either. Using flash card apps that sync between your computer and phone or Microsoft Onenote are always good for reviewing notes as they sync across many areas.

Study on weekends explicitly can work, but I know you may try doing things on the weekend, so you want a coffee? Go to starbucks and do some homework. Loosen the mood. Do you work better with noise or without? If you're not good with noise, then starbucks may not be good for you. What kind of music gets you academically focused? Integrate in some of that music. I could go on and on, but you have to make it work for you. If you really want it, you'll make time for it.

jelevated

analogous to Morpheus's red pill, nuvigil/provigil is pretty serious stuff that's gotten me through some long nights. I rarely use it now due to it's side effects, but it really it's a smooth ramp up to better wakefulness .

Pro: it works. easy to come down after a long day of work.

Con: it's insanely expensive (retail $1000 cost for a month supply, insurance will fight you on it every time), tough to get from a doctor (you must be on some other type of sleep therapy that isnt working by itself), side effects take some time to get used to.
Honestly I think you'll find it impossible to get unless you need it. It's a scheduled substance and no sleep doctor will sign off on it unless you play by their rules for a while.

Edificer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOrNUaMJHdk

Give it a look.