October 2024
As you progress along your CGMA journey Nasheen Wuisman asks: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?
During one of my social media scrolling sessions I came across a post which made me scroll back up.
I re-read the post several times, and the core message has stayed with me ever since.
The message in the post was simple and familiar. I quickly realised that when I was an accountancy training consultant, I shared parts of that very same message with my students. And even today, I continue to share it with candidates preparing for their CIMA CGMA exams.
However, seeing it in now in this post, in this format, gave me new insights into the importance of the words in the message and what a vital role it plays in everything we aspire to do – no matter how big or small.
Here’s the post I came across:
- Goal without deadline = fantasy
- Goal + deadline = objective
- Goal + deadline + plan = intention
- Goal + deadline + plan + consistent action = success
- Personal meaningful goal + deadline + plan + consistent action = fulfilment
You’ll all have heard that “wanting something isn’t enough, you need to do something about it” – we assume that the “something” is an action. So, if you’re on your CGMA journey you clearly want to qualify one day; in the short term you want to pass your next exam. The action is to put in the hard work and study – right?
But it’s never that easy, life rarely allows for things to be that straightforward. Daily life is busy it’s tiring, it’s full of decisions and surprises – which can be draining.
But when you get home, it’s not over – you still have to study.
While it’s hard to ‘de-busy’ your life, there are ways to take better control of your CGMA journey to fit alongside your personal and professional obligations.
The goal itself is not enough
The goal is the same whether it’s fantasy or you go onto make it your reality. And when time is no object then it’s more straightforward to achieve – but when it is, the goal itself is not enough, as something else always ends up taking priority. It’s right that what your goal means to you becomes important.
Imagine your life after you qualify. Picture it. Feel the contentment and that sense of pride, that against all the odds you made it your reality. The goal is now personal, it’s meaningful.
So write it down, keep it visible to remind yourself of what you’re working towards. It will give you clarity and will help you stay focused and committed throughout your CGMA journey.
Make the commitment
Many deadlines are set for you, at work, contracts, at home, or even by your kids’ school. Once you know the deadline you know you have to make it happen; you might put it off at first but then you get it done.
When it comes to setting your own deadlines, specifically your exam deadlines, it always seems harder to do. You aren’t sure you’ll have the time to fit study in, it might feel better to delay it until after a holiday or event, when things calm down at work. “Next month will be quieter” is what you tell yourself. But trust me when I say that it won’t be, as I tell myself this lie every month! And weeks turn into months, which sometimes can turn into years – making it all the harder to achieve your goal.
Commit to an exam deadline and stick to it, even better book your exam, it will give you the motivation you need, it will help you prioritise and avoid regret.
Making this commitment through your journey will help you keep the momentum going, even if challenges arise along the way.
Plan it fairly
Juggling your CGMA studies, work and personal life requires some serious time management skills.
Creating a study plan, with exam dates, commitments, personal events, exercise, time off and holidays, is where you start. Once you’ve done this you can identify how much time you have available to schedule study in. You don’t need to have long daily study slots – after a long day at work, focusing on your studies can be really hard, so plan for shorter evening chunks during the week and longer sessions over the weekend.
As you go through the syllabus ensure that you cover all topics during your study slots. In earlier months, focus on gaining a good understanding of syllabus topics and in later months, focus on practice questions to refine your exam technique.
Your schedule doesn’t need to be rigid, having flexibility will make it more realistic and achievable. Make sure you review it regularly to reassess priorities and reschedule.
As you get closer to the exam make sure you increase the total number of hours you put aside to study. This means that you may have to sacrifice other things, and it’s now you need to remind yourself of what your personal meaningful goal is, the one goal that keeps you going no matter what.
Consistency is key
Careful planning and preparation will help increase your confidence and help you deal with the overwhelming emotions that studying can bring. While last- minute cramming for an exam might have helped in the past, it’s not possible to pass a Case Study exam this way. Planning, spreading the load and knowing when you are going to study gives you the space to breathe and takes away some of the constant worry that can sit with you as the exam approaches.
Consistency is key; it’ll allow you to build healthy learning behaviours, which can have a huge impact on your academic progress, not to mention your wellbeing throughout your CGMA journey – and even later in life.
So, if you only take one thing away from this column, let it be this: to live the life we love we need to have a fantasy, which becomes an objective, an intention, a reality and, if we’re really lucky. fulfilment!
- Nasheen Wuisman, Senior Manager – Global Academic Progression at AICPA & CIMA, together as the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants
