The Importance of Time Management for Adult Learners

Life becomes complicated and harder as people develop into adulthood. Such is true because they inherit and acquire new responsibilities. Enrolling for school as an adult learner is presented with challenges particularly time management issues, which is something any student should be aware of and be efficient for them to complete their courses. The primary focus of this paper is to examine and analyze the different adjustments that adult learners are expected to make for purposes of achieving their desired goals. The adult learners focused on this paper are those having extra responsibilities other than school. The sources used in provide adequate information on how adult learners manage their study time while still taking into account their related activities, family responsibilities, and other obligations.    

Adult learners are other than the school they also have families to organize. Therefore they need to organize their daily lives efficiently for them to succeed in college and realize their academic goals (Twigg, 2010). According to the article by Twigg, (2010), a significant number of adult learners end up dropping their college classes because of the many family, work, personal obligations outside academic. Students are expected to make some sacrifices as well as spare some time of their day to study. An adult learner could consider limiting the amount of time they spend dining out or watching television to complete school work, and studying is an effective way of time management.

Adult learners need to absorb the skill of ordering the most critical undertakings and breaking down assignments to assist them have better use of the time they have. According to Pritchard & Roberts, (2006), students realize a sense of achievement while in college when they reach their immediate goals. Such sense of achievement helps in keeping them on track and motivated towards accomplishing their academic plans.

In research documented by Colorado Christian University in 2012, it revealed that adult learners could manage their stress levels by effectively organizing and being top of their work and academic activities. Other ways that through which students could manage their stress for purposes of managing their time efficiently would be through establishing and maintaining excellent communication with their employers, college instructors and family (Karim, & Kandy, 2011).      

All time of an adult learner is equally important. However, there needs to be a balance between all activities since they are related to another. For instance, adult learners need to spend time with their family, need to go to work, provide security for the family, realizing academic goals, and studying. They cannot forego any of these responsibilities since they are all important in thriving their life, for instance, they cannot reassign to concentrate with their studies because they will need to support their families as well as pay for college economically.

Lack of proper time management for an adult learner could result in stress, and delay in completing college work, which could eventually cause the student to give up. Therefore, time management could boost the student’s motivation, decrease stress levels and increase their sense of fulfillment (MacCann, Fogarty, & Roberts, 2012). Managing a family and being a student simultaneously can be demanding, that is why the support or the family is important in time management to accomplish academic success.

Men and women have different roles in the household. A woman tends to experience a greater guilt correspondence to the number of traditional roles and responsibilities they have within the family (Stone, & O’shea, 2013). Female students have been found to experience more pressure and strain as compared to make students who have been attributed to the society’s stereotypical idea of roles (Stone, & O’shea, 2013). As an adult learner, one of the most important adjustments would involve not being available due to academic commitments.

Prior planning and preparation for an ideal study spot can help an adult learner to make studying easier (Jo, Kim, & Yoon, 2014). For instance, if studying needs to take place at home, it would be advisable to rise early or to stay up when everyone is asleep to avoid distractions while conducting personal studies. Moreover, the family should also give the adult student time out from the family to allocate time for studying. An adult student should utilize and cease every opportunity they get to study even when it is not the ideal situation.  

Conclusion

Life is full of challenges and obstacles that as an adult learner one should identify the best strategy to overcome them and realize academic goals. Adult learners are always faced with the situation where they have to decide whether they should push forward or quit. A student determined to continue and progress their academic life will always have to make hard choices, prioritize and evaluate their responsibilities as a student and outside the school environment. Being organized is critical for an adult learner, as it involves splitting the time they have wisely between their studies, work, and family, to allow for maximum concentration. Proper time management scheme for an adult student will ensure that they have enough time for their work, study, and family. Time management is a significant tool for adult learners, because it provides them with the ability to prioritize which is fundamental to having a balanced lifestyle.

References

Jo, I. H., Kim, D., & Yoon, M. (2014). Analyzing the Log Patterns of Adult Learners in LMS Using Learning Analytics. ijo, 82(2), 3277-6689.

Karim, S., & Kandy, M. (2011). Time management skills impact on self-efficacy and academic performance. Journal of American Science, 7(12), 720-726.

MacCann, C., Fogarty, G. J., & Roberts, R. D. (2012). Strategies for success in education: Time management is more important for part-time than full-time community college students. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(5), 618-623.

Pritchard, L., & Roberts, L. (2006). The mature student’s guide to higher education. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Stone, C., & O’shea, S. (2013). Time, money, leisure and guilt-the gendered challenges of higher education for mature-age students. Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 53(1), 90.

Twigg, V. (2010). Engagement in adult first nations learners: the power of academic self-concept (Doctoral dissertation, Lethbridge, Alta.: University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, c2010).