MBA – The Art Of Managing Time Outside The Class – Vanisha Mittal, SIBMB

Business school is a busy and a stressful time. It can be especially draining during the first few weeks and months as we meet new people and perhaps adjust to a new city or a country. We spend months, if not years to get into an MBA programme, however once we are in the programme, the everyday demands take over and we have little time to think about how to get the most out of this curriculum.

An MBA offers ample opportunities to learn about new roles and industries and actually gives many chances to use and experiment with those skills acquired.

Clubs, Committees and extra-curricular experiences are but an important part of a Business school as they let you get a real-time experience of marketing, budgeting, entrepreneurial engagements just to name a few. Be it taking classes that are outside your zone of comfort, attending meetings for clubs that you never considered joining or constantly introducing yourself to students you don’t know, it is all but about pushing your boundaries both academically and socially. The time that you spend outside the class actually gives you exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking apart from also building networks, which is ofcourse critically important for the post-MBA career.

Twenty-four hours in a business school can be overwhelming which is why it is often important to revisit and remember why you first came to a business school. Allowing yourself to focus on what you really want by narrowing down your options is extremely important. To take my own example, I’ve constantly felt pulled in different directions, but when I kept reminding myself daily about my goals and aspirations and had the right strategy to manage the time outside the class, I felt much less stress and infact built stronger relationships along the way.

There’s no silver bullet – the activity you take up could be whatever you think defines you – something you deeply believe in. It doesn’t matter which friend of yours is doing what kind of activity – as long as you’re managing your time right and loving what you are doing. And that’s how change happens.

You’ll be glad you did – in more ways than one- and in no time will you learn the art of managing time outside the class.