Balancing Life, Work, and Studying for a Master in Healthcare Administration

If you’re chasing down a career in healthcare administration, you’ll need to complete a master’s to reach those higher-paid positions. However, when you’re busy working and studying for a master’s degree, it can be difficult to make time for relaxation and enjoying life. If you relate to this all too well, continue reading below. 

Choosing the Correct Study Method

There’s nothing better than coming together with your peers at a physical university campus, but the time taken to travel to and from travel simply eats away at your precious time and will likely add to your stress levels. Fortunately, in 2023, we live in a world where studying for a master’s in healthcare administration can be done completely online. If this sounds like a practical option, head over to https://onlinemha.bc.edu/ to find out more. 

Create a Logical Schedule

When you have studies to balance alongside work, it’s all too easy to get caught up pulling unhealthy all-nighters to complete assignments. Therefore, you should create a logical schedule that doesn’t involve you sitting at a computer screen continuously. A great way to do this is with the Pomodoro Technique, which involves removing all distractions before spending 25 minutes on task, and then 5 minutes on a break. 

Set SMART Goals

When people set goals for studying, they often have a habit of making them too large in scope, which only leads to inevitable failure. Therefore, you should follow the SMART goal system, which looks like this:

  • Specific. What is it you’re trying to achieve exactly?
  • Measurable. How will you track success?
  • Attainable. Is it possible to achieve within the goal parameters?
  • Relevant. Does it tie in with your wider goals?
  • Time-bound. When will you achieve this by?

Communicate with Support Network

Studying while working can be overwhelming, especially if you’re feeling a little isolated. Therefore, you should have a clear picture of who your support network is. This can include anyone from fellow students, to lecturers, and even employers. When you feel like you’re drowning, reach out to your support network to come back to the surface. 

Incentivize Through Rewards

Studying towards a masters in healthcare administration is an enormous commitment of both your intellectual capacity and your time, and plugging away without any type of reward can present motivational dips. Therefore, when you’ve reached a new milestone, make sure you reward yourself. It doesn’t matter what the reward is, just make sure it’s something that will give you a good dose of dopamine. 

Give Yourself a Break

Even the strictest schedules and tightest goals can lead to chaos and run the risk of burnout. Therefore, if you notice something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to revisit your plan and switch things up. As well as this, you should remember to schedule clear windows for you to have a well-deserved break.

Studying at a master’s level alongside working will be a challenge, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be successful. However, regardless of how important your career is, it’s essential to take regular breaks.