I work six days a week at a wealth management firm. I go to the gym five or six evenings a week and I also run a small content page on the side. When I decided to start CFA® exam prep on top of all that, most people thought I was setting myself up to burn out. And honestly, the first few weeks, it felt that way.
But a few months in, I figured out a rhythm that worked for me. It's not perfect (and I may have consumed dangerous amounts of caffeine), but it's working. Here's what I've learned so far.
Your social life will take a hit. That's okay.
I used to go out most Friday and Saturday nights with the boys. That had to change. Not completely, but I had to get comfortable saying no more often than I used to. Saturday nights went from poker nights to Study nights and Sunday afternoon naps became revision afternoons.
But it's temporary. A few months of being less available is not going to ruin your friendships. And if your friends are real ones, they'll push you harder to excel instead of making you feel bad about missing out.
Find your hours and protect them
Have a few non negotiable study blocks. For me, these were my nights after work. 10pm – 2am, my phone would be on DND and I would sit for deep sessions. Another benefit of this time (and even early mornings) is that no one is going to disturb you. You can freely just sit and study without a worry.
The key is finding a time window suitable for you. A lot of people advocate to study early mornings- but I found myself snoozing my alarm one too many times and losing precious time to laziness. If you can't wake up early, you can't – it's a simple as that – accept it, and pull those late night sessions.
Mornings before the gym turned out to be my best window. I'm up anyway, the house is quiet, and my mind is actually sharp. It took some experimenting to figure that out, but once I did, everything clicked into place.
Forty-five focused minutes beats three distracted hours
I used to think I needed marathon study sessions on weekends to make real progress. Turns out, shorter focused blocks work much better for me. I'll do 45 minutes to an hour, fully locked in, phone in another room. Then take a break. Then come back for another round, rinse and repeat.
The retention is noticeably better compared to when I used to try grinding through three hours with my phone buzzing next to me. Every notification pulled me out of whatever I was working on, and it took five minutes to get back into it. Now I just remove the temptation entirely.
Weekends are where you make up ground
During the week, I was mostly doing my lectures and notes and weekends were when I tackled difficult topics or do practice questions that need more focus.
I usually block out a few hours on Sunday for a deeper study session. It doesn't have to be the whole day. Even three or four solid hours on a Sunday afternoon adds up fast over a few months. That's where the real progress happens for me.
You don't need to quit your job
I see people online saying you need to take time off work or reduce your hours to pass the CFA® exam. Maybe for some people that's true. But plenty of candidates pass every year while working demanding jobs. You just need to be realistic about your time, honest about what you can and can't fit in, and consistent.
Showing up for 45 minutes every day matters more than one epic 8-hour session once a month. The compound effect of daily effort is real. It's the same principle that works in the gym. You don't get stronger from one massive workout. You get stronger from showing up regularly and putting in the work, even when it's not exciting.
