5:15: Alarm rings. * Hit snooze * I roll on the bed for a few minutes and think to myself “Ughh, do I have to?”

 

5:30: I finally wake up and get ready for a basketball game.

 

5:40: This is my favourite part of the day. It wakes me up faster than coffee. I run to the basketball court, which is 2.3 kilometres away. My record time is 8 min 54 secs. I have always had the habit of tracking my progress. It helps me reach my goal in a realistic time frame.

 

Takeaway: Make it a priority to manage your time and track your progress.

 

5:50: On the basketball court ready to sweat it out. Let the game begin!

 

6:45: I reach home and get ready at a lightning speed. Eat a quick breakfast and head out.

 

7:15: Say hello to traffic. It is now an essential part of my life, which I have learnt to make the most of. Being a distance education student, I use this time to go through my textbooks.

 

Takeaway: Always try and turn a disadvantage to your advantage.

 

7:20: The company bus is here. I greet the people around me and get down to study. I plug in my earphones and put an instrumental playlist on repeat, to keep me focused. I dive into my textbook. I scribble, underline and make notes all over my textbook. They come in handy when it’s time for revision. I also stick post-its on few pages to take down detailed notes.

 

Takeaway: Don’t resort to mugging. Make notes and try and understand the topics. This will reduce your stress prior to exams.

 

9:10: We finally reach our office. I’ve always believed that you need to constantly upskill yourself to get to the top. That’s why I chose to do an MBA course in Human Resource Management at Sikkim Manipal University of Distance Education.

 

11:15: The first two hours just fly by looking into several small, but important tasks.

 

13:10: At the canteen, getting a snack to compliment my lunch. Some of my colleagues are also pursuing their MBA in HR management via distance education. We typically use this time to discuss each other’s assignments and get a different point of view on the subject.

 

Takeaway: When you work on something for a while, your thoughts can get tunneled and you might miss out on a few key things. So, ask a friend to review your projects or assignments and share his/her views. You’ll be surprised at how helpful this can be.

 

15:00: I’m packed for the next few hours. Have to conduct an orientation session for new employees. This is where I put to use some of the employee management theories that I’ve learnt. The insights I get from this helps a great deal when it comes to assignments or case studies I need to submit during my course.

 

Takeaway: The best way to understand a subject is by using what you’ve learnt, in the real world.

 

17:32: My colleagues are packing up. The company bus is about to leave in ten minutes. I finish up any pending work and check my tasks to see if am on schedule to complete my milestones.

 

17:45: At the lounge by myself, drinking chai and letting my brain reboot.

 

 Takeaway: We are all humans. So take a little time out every now and then from studies. It lets your brain unwind and will help you concentrate better when you start studying again.

 

18:00: SMU-DE time. I start working on the assignment I’ve been working on for the last few days. I list down my observations from the orientation session I had conducted earlier today. My target is to gather all the information I need by today so that I can complete the assignment before the deadline.

 

Takeaway: Plan your assignments in such a way that you complete them with enough time to review the whole thing and make any changes if required. If you cut it too close, it will end up doing a hurried job and may lose marks.

 

19:30: Just got to the club for an extremely refreshing 30-minute swim.

 

20:30: I browse through various HR forums and submit a question I had about HR practices of certain companies. Expecting some answers by tomorrow.

 

Takeaway: Don’t be shy to ask questions and get your doubts clarified. People are always willing to help.

 

21:00: Eat a light dinner and spend time with my family or read few pages of a book for a while.

 

22:30: Pretty sure I’m in deep sleep.

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