[hopefulcpa2016]

How do you all hold a full-time job, sometimes which could be 50-60 hrs per week and balance life with a spouse while studying? A majority of the time I feel so guilty when my husband wants to do something and I have to tell him I need to study. Then I can’t study successfully because I feel guilty I am not spending time with him. Any help would be appreciated!!

[Missy]

Work 9 hours a day, sleep 7, study 2, still leaves six hours to squeeze in time with a spouse. You don't have to completely isolate yourself to study for the exam and he'll just have to accept whatever time he gets.

Licensed Massachusetts Non Reporting CPA since 2012
Finance/Admin/HR Manager

[Anonymous]

I am lucky enough to have a SO that understands. I still spend quality time with him at least one night week…but I won't lie, part of that is knowing taking a night away from studying is good for me. But he supports me doing this and knows that getting through it requires most of my free-time. It also probably helps that he sees me turning down my friends' invites to hangout and knows that he's getting more time than other people/things.

As far as work goes – I have adjusted my working times a little so that I can leave a little earlier and make sure I have at least an hour of study time at night. Previously I was working until 8 and by the time I got home I was over everything, would eat, and go to bed. AM studying doesn't work for me so I have to make sure I'm leaving work early enough so that I have time to study in the evening. This means going into work earlier, but you do what you gotta do. I'm still working 9-10 hour days and, depending on what's going on at work, I still feel like I'm not getting things turned around as quickly as I would like…BUT there are so many hours in a day and if I want to pass this test then that means work can't take up ALL my time because only studying on the weekend doesn't get the job done.

Everything else, unless it's immediate family birthday celebration or a major holiday, gets a big fat NO from me. Right now my focus is work and studying, which sucks, but it's what I have to do to get through this…otherwise this schedule will drag on forever and I'll never get to do anything I want. I'm hoping the more I buckle down translates to being done with these tests quicker and getting back to my normal life sooner.

[monikernc]

balance requires you to be in the moment. so when you study, study. when you are with your family, be with your family.

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[SaveBandit]

This was my schedule during the week – One hour in the morning, one during lunch, two hours at night. That leaves 8 for sleep, 10 for work and 2 for down time. I really felt like it was important for me to break up studying throughout the day. I can't work a full day and then come home and study 4 hours on top of it. F that.

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[melissahoff]

I totally understand this. I feel so guilty telling my boyfriend I can't go out or do fun stuff with him because I have to study. It's been three long years of CPA exams for me almost and only in the last few months have I started to really buckle down. It's a lot harder but just remind him that you just need to make this your focus right now so you don't drag it on for years (my biggest regret is not saying ‘no' more often to the fun stuff) once you are done, you will have all the time in the world and (hopefully) a nice raise to do even more!

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[Author]

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