Motherhood

I went back to school and here’s one pro tip that helped me survive with two kids and a freelance job

. 3 min read . Written by Nagma Hasan
I went back to school and here’s one pro tip that helped me survive with two kids and a freelance job

I often tell my friends, "I am a mother, what is your superpower?"

After becoming a mother I can tell you I realised my extraordinary multi-tasking skills. It’s no easy feat when you are trying to go in a zen mode to do some serious writing for a living while a bawling 18-month is trying to get your attention and a garrulous 8-year-old chattering away about his discoveries at the same time, but you get all of the jobs done anyway. That’s my life, by the way.

Juggling between two kids, freelancing and the in-between jobs necessary to run the house, lately I pushed my luck by taking up a Diploma in Social Media Marketing course. I must admit I was never a huge fan of studying, but I had to upskill to better my prospects for a well-paying job. So, here I am trying to study while managing soiled diapers, packing tiffins and doing the miscellaneous.

When you are the focal point of attention of two little humans, losing focus on your set goals is most likely to happen.

Kool Kanya tip: What I learned while studying is that procrastination  (which was second nature to me) is not the solution. What can be done today ought to be completed today, because you never know what is waiting ahead – a sick child, a wounded child, an emergency visit to the doctor, a cranky baby or an exhausted self from last night’s lack of sleep. I make sure that when I get the chance I either do my assignments or manage my freelance work. No delaying, there!

It can get quite monotonous when your world surrounds the confines of the house and family duties. Stepping out of the house for a while with your books can do some good.

Kool Kanya tip: Sometimes I head to the nearby park or the beach with my children and let them soak up some sun and have a play while I read up my course materials

Their nap times are again one of my best times to study. There is peace and there is quiet, which may seem impossible when you are a parent.

Kool Kanya tip: As soon as they snooze, make sure you make use of time, it may be only for an hour, but just go ahead and work it out.

Sometimes I am not as lucky as other days, dealing with cranky and clingy babies on some days do make me worry about my progress at work and study, but I don’t let that stress me out.

Kool Kanya tip: I think it is alright if you lose one day of productive work, prioritising your goals is important.

My favourite pastime has always been reading, I read the whole series of Harry Potter in three months straight after I had my first baby, but I’ll tell you what happens when I sit to read through my course materials, I snore so hard I could scare away any oncoming burglars. I feel exhausted all day.

Kool Kanya tip: I go to bed early with the kids and wake up at 3 in the morning to do my writing and study until the family is up and about for the day. Those 4 hours are my most efficient spend of time where I try to stay on top of my game (well, almost)!

In this day of technology, it might sound impossible if I tell you that we have never owned a television. While I may be guilty of letting my 18-month-old screen time on the iMac when I am busy, I can control his video content. Similarly, for my 8-year-old I make him watch documentaries (uncannily, he has this fascination to discover facts which I channelled through this medium).

Kool Kanya tip: Instead of mindless browsing, I make sure both my kids learn from the programs that are designed for their age groups. While they both are at it, I buy myself some time to work on my assignments guilt-free.

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