It’s a challenge to juggle a full-time career and an MBA, but if you tackle the challenge with the right mindset and approach, it’s manageable. Many professionals find it challenging to carve out enough hours, keep their focus and avoid burnout. The good news is that with clear goals, and your scheduling and using the right tools, you can stay organised and find success in your career and MBA.
This article will cover some of the biggest hurdles you will face, a basic daily schedule you can alter to fit your own needs, and the tools for time management to make this a reality. Let’s get started.
Challenges Faced by Working Professionals
Generally speaking, professionals who are enrolled in MBA programs are faced with the following issues:
- Lack of time to study: You likely have, on average, 40-50 hours of paid work each week, in addition along with commuting and personal responsibilities. Finding time to study is a real challenge.
- Competing priorities: Work projects, class assignments, family time, and your MBA program are all competing for your time and attention - all of these demands on your time can be stressful.
- The risk of burnout: When you don't break up your study blocks, lose sleep, or skip self-care, then your productivity begins to decline.
- Lack of structure: Without a set schedule or a prioritised list of tasks, the 'less important' tasks that need to be done will dominate your day.
- Challenge staying engaged: It can be mentally draining to study advanced academic business topics after having worked all day at the office. Many working professionals have difficulty staying focused or remembering what they studied.
- No networking opportunities: Working professionals may not have much interaction with their peers or attend networking events compared to the full-time MBA students, which elevates their learning experience.
- Time zones and scheduling for online students: When you attend live class sessions or complete group projects, it can also be a barrier to learning when classmates are in entirely different time zones.
- Pressure to perform on both ends: There exists an expectation for you to perform at work, but also earn a good GPA. Oftentimes, the pressure to perform at both can create anxiety, especially before examinations or performance reviews.
Understanding these challenges is the first step to becoming proactive in managing them. Once you understand the type of challenges you are facing, you can begin to engineer a system that is between your job and life tasks.
Daily Schedule For Working Professionals
Here's a straightforward, realistic framework you can use if you are working full-time or part-time:
- Early Morning (5:30-7:00 AM): Use this time for distraction-free study: case studies, assignment preparation, or even doing revisions.
- Mid-Day (12:30-1:30 PM): Quick review or listen to a podcast related to the module on your commute or lunch break?.
- Evening After Work (7:30-9:30 PM): Dedicated study block where you watch one lecture, complete one assignment or Group Project.
- Late Evening (9:30-10:30 PM): Preparation for the following day, consider what you've accomplished today and where there is room for improvement.
- Weekend: Complete 2-3 hours of study or group meetings for extra study. Plan some work time and some time to rest, panting in rest is necessary when you are considering an accelerated goal.
Students can also ace their preparation strategy by going through the CAT Mock Test 2025.
Tools for MBA Time Management for Working Professionals
Here are a few efficient and compact tools to assist with juggling work and MBA studies:
- Google Calendar / Outlook: Schedule your study hours, classes, and reminders in advance - a great tool for your organisation.
- Notion: This app makes task lists, tracks assignments, and monitors your progress.
- Pomodoro Timer (Focus Keeper / Forest App): Studies show that studying in 25-minute intervals with short breaks helps in keeping your attention better.
- Evernote / OneNote: These are great for quick notes in class, in meetings, or while reading, and everything is in your device/app.
- Eisenhower Matrix: A simple method for prioritising your work - urgent and also important first.
- Google Drive / Dropbox: Store in Drive/PDF your class curriculum, presentations, and study notes anywhere, and you will never lose your work.
- Grammarly / QuillBot: For checking assignments and your overall written communication.
- RescueTime/ Focus @ Will: Apps that will track usage of ‘screen time’ and help you avoid distractions such as social media.
- Study Corner Setup: Designate a small, quiet area to read. Minimising noise and distractions will increase your focus.
- Habit Tracker Apps (Loop / Streaks): Use to track daily goals - even 30 mins adds up quickly.
The above-listed may seem small, but remain consistent in your studies as tools for better time management, become less stressed, and remain consistent throughout.
