While many who are studying for a contractor’s license exam certainly wish this was the only major demand on their time, this is almost never the reality. Most in this position have several other things going on in their lives, from family commitments to other jobs and more, and balancing your contractor exam studies with other elements of life is important if you’re in this position.
At Contractors School, we’re proud to offer a number of programs and resources to contractors and would-be contractors, including 25- and 30-hour contractor exam classes plus a variety of other tips and services. What are some tips we offer to students who are looking to balance their contractor exam studies with other important parts of their life? Here are a few.
Develop a Solid Study Routine
One area that’s often hugely beneficial for managing your time properly is to make sure you’ve got a solid study routine in place. This includes setting office hours, including commute time if this applies to you, and creating an effective work schedule that takes into account breaks for eating and refocusing the mind.
This isn’t just good advice for managing your contractor exam studies; it’s also beneficial when it comes to managing your other responsibilities. It’s worthwhile taking the time to develop such a schedule, and it can help make sure you’re handling multiple tasks without feeling overwhelmed or forgetting something
Share Family Responsibilities
If you have a family you help take care of, particularly if you have a significant other who assists you with this, it’s important to make sure you’re sharing responsibilities. This can be something as simple as rotation of chores around the house or yard work or more involved tasks that are clearly assigned out.
When people have multiple demands on their time, having a good system for splitting up household labor is invaluable in its simplicity. A lot of this applies not just to contractor exam students, but anyone who needs to juggle multiple responsibilities!
Be Realistic About Exam Goals
One of the quickest ways to get down on yourself during exam studies is setting unrealistic expectations. While doing well is always worth aiming for, it’s better to aim high but be mindful of the fact that things like illness, injury or simply getting too busy can throw your studies off track.
This also applies to having enough time for your contractor exam studies. While your original goal may have been to complete the exam by a given time in the upcoming year, for instance, it’s better to be flexible and reassess as the year progresses.
While many students start out with a feeling they’ll have all the time in the world for their studies, by halfway through they’re wondering how they got so busy that they ran out of time! Be honest about your goals and what you can actually do on a daily basis, and this will help you stay grounded and avoid stress through the studying process.
For more on how to manage the demands of life alongside your studies for a contractor exam, or to learn about any of our studying resources or continuing education programs, speak to the staff at Contractors School today.
