Yes, you'd like to add to your skills and qualifications - you know that in terms of your career, you really need to do so. You've even looked at courses that you might do - courses available by distance education, and leading to qualifications that could really improve your chances of a promotion or a more interesting job. There is, however, one major concern holding you back: how could you fit study in with all the other demands on your time, both at work and at home?

Unfortunately, it's a common dilemma. But some people do seem to have found a way to get around it - people working demanding jobs, people with families and sporting commitments, and so on, nevertheless finding time to complete this course or that. How do they do it?

Karen D seems to be one of these people: having recently completed an Advanced Diploma of Financial Services (Superannuation), she's now enrolled in the Chifley/FSU Diploma of Business (Frontline Management). And this, she says, is how she's done it:

"1. You need to set yourself goals, both short and longer-term. For example, with the Diploma of Business, normally completed in two years, I've set myself the overall goal of completing the course within one year. My short term goals relate to what I want to achieve in the course in the next week - how much reading I want to do, how much progress I want to make on the assessment assignment, and so on.

"I've found that by setting these goals I always have something to work towards. Without this I would tend to aimlessly meander along, and before I knew it, a week or a month would have passed with absolutely nothing achieved. And I keep a sort of log of the amount of time that is spent each day on study. Then, at the end of the week, I can relate the time I've spent to my progress on my goal for that week - if I didn't achieve that goal, I obviously need to devote more time to study next week.

"2. Learn to balance your studies with both work and personal life. This can be difficult to do at times, but it's extremely important to work at it. Occasionally you will need to sacrifice time with friends or family in order to meet study deadlines (or the goals you've set yourself), and people will have to accept that there will be times when you are not to be disturbed. I'd suggest that, very early in the piece, you need to talk to loved ones (family and friends) about your course, and its importance to you, and how you'd appreciate their support and understanding.

"It's all about compromise though. You do need to have a life outside study and work, so sometimes a night out or a weekend away with your partner must take priority. At the end of the day you're not a robot, and indeed, finding that balance will assist you to stay focused on your studies.

"3. Be kind to yourself. While you will want to make the most of your time and seek every opportunity to convert it to study-time, you must also learn to say NO, both to yourself and to others, when you really need to. This means, for example, that if you've had a stressful day and have a killer headache by the time you're heading home, trying to study on the train is probably pointless.

"I do as much as I can, when I can: I usually read on the train trip to and from work, and spend a couple of lunch-times each week studying, but if that doesn't work out for some reason, or I'm not getting enough done to achieve my goals, I'll need to find some time on the weekend."

There it is then. You set yourself goals, both short and long-term, and commit yourself to them. You negotiate a balance between the demands of study, work, and your personal life. And while taking every opportunity to get your study done, you learn to be kind to yourself, and say NO when you need to.

So, what are you waiting for now?