Top tips for managing chores

Finding time to study isn't always as hard as it seems. We asked our students for their hints and tips on how they make time to study.

Read their advice on managing chores.

Make the most of empty time

Use all your dead time; driving, walking, in the bath/shower, cooking dinner etc. - to listen to your audio materials or French/Spanish/German radio stations.
Jane, BA (Hons) Modern Languages

Read whenever you can. I had a guaranteed uninterrupted 15 mins every morning when I dried my hair!
Jennie, OU student

Was working and wife and mother when I did my Science and Technology degree ... Make the most of every moment. I used to take my coursework to doctors, hospital and dental appointments to read while waiting. Let the housework go it can always be done later.
Diana, OU graduate

Save time preparing meals and shopping

Bulk buy dried and tinned foods and stock up the freezer so you don't spend so much time shopping. Use online deliveries. Batch cooking. To do lists help me to face up to what I have to do over the next day/week/month and to organise myself and stop missing appointments and double booking myself! Ask your family for help - loading the dishwasher, collecting dirty washing and organising themselves to take the pressure off a bit.
Libby, OU student

Invest in a dishwasher, that time spent on dishes could be spent studying. Get a large freezer and freeze chopped onions, veg etc. Make larger batches of food to eat over a few days like jacket potatoes and curries. I find it's easier to find 4 half hours throughout the day to study rather than a 2 hour block. Study away from home, at the library or a cafe so you're not tempted by housework.
Suraiya, OU student