As hard as it is to admit it, I must confess I have fallen behind on my study for the Finance module. Since I am taking the extended pace (20-week), I am technically not behind yet. However, I promised myself in order to take full advantage of the extended pace, I will stick to my schedule of studying in small chunks every day (~45 minutes).
If you are struggling on your CPA journey and feel alone, read this. You are not alone and know that it is impossible to perform at 100% all the time.
What Happened?
I did well on the first two assignment sets and submitted the MCs and cases way ahead of the due dates (especially for the second set). I started falling behind when work got overwhelming one week. I didn’t wake up at 6:15 AM on most days and even when I did, I spent the morning watching Netflix instead. There were more things on my mind than usual and I just decided that Netflix was the solution. The sad reality is that Netflix never is the solution. In moderation, it provides me with entertainment and a way to relax. When used excessively, a guilty feeling starts to build up and I lose confidence in myself in being able to stay productive.
The problem with falling off the wagon is how much easier it is to give up again (e.g., “just one more day” becomes “just one more week”). Also, the longer I let this behaviour continues, the harder it will be to get back on track. However, I am not writing this post to convince you it can’t be done. In fact, I am writing this post to highlight the fact that we are never struggling alone on the CPA journey. I felt I haven’t been sharing my struggles on my journey recently hence this post.
Personally, I don’t think this will be the last time I let the “unproductive me” takes over on my CPA journey. It could be triggered by something at work, something in my personal life or something happening in the world (e.g., the pandemic). In my Core 1 post, I have emphasized the importance of taking care of your mental health during the module. What I didn’t say is that it applies to every single module from Core 1 to Capstone 2 and life in general.
~ More CPA Posts ~
CPA PEP Core 1 – How to Study for the Module and the Exam
CPA PERT – Ultimate Guide on How to Get Your First Experience Report via EVR Approved
CPA PERT – Enabling Competencies Examples
Densmore for CPA PEP – Are The PEP Essentials Packages Worth It?
CPA PEP Module – Regular Module or Extended Module?
The fact that I know I am ahead of the actual schedule (my next assignment isn’t due for another 2 weeks) does not help with my feeling of falling behind because I made a promise to myself. I am also aware of my tendency to be hard on myself so there is no reason why I should be upset if I was evaluating the situation rationally. But humans aren’t always rational and that is okay.
What Will I Do Next?
I am going to watch Netflix for the rest of the evening. I will set my alarm for 6 AM, go to bed before 11 PM, allow myself to stay in bed for 15 minutes and then study in the living room for 45 minutes. After that, I will start thinking about the format for my first monthly newsletter and enjoy breakfast (just made a simple cheesecake tonight) before starting work.
I will constantly remind myself it is okay to take breaks and that there are more things to life than study.
It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.
Confucius
