Staying Relevant in Tech When Life Is Full

Most advice about learning new tech assumes you have free time.
Quiet mornings. Long study hours. Empty weekends.

That has never been my life.

I’m a working mom, managing a full-time job, a home, and a child. Somewhere between office work, cooking, school classes, and daily responsibilities, I try to keep myself updated with technology. Sometimes it’s to stay relevant in my current role. Sometimes it’s because interview preparation becomes unavoidable.

This is not a success story about discipline or consistency.
This is just an honest account of how I try to keep going—on good days, bad days, and everything in between.

I’ve been working for almost 11 years now. And to be honest, most of my career has come with personal responsibilities. Even before marriage and before having a child, life was never really “free” or simple. There was always something happening.

That’s why advice like “do something for 21 days and it becomes a habit” never worked for me.

I’ll be very honest—I’ve never been consistent.

There were times when I studied regularly for months. Much more than those famous 21 days. And then there were phases when I couldn’t do anything for weeks, sometimes even months, because life happened.

My motto is simple: “Jab jaago tab savera.”
And yes, mai bahut baar jagti hu aur fir so jaati hu. But I still believe in that line.

How I Actually Create Time for Myself

Over time, I stopped looking for extra hours. Instead, I started stealing small pockets of time from my day.

This is what works for me. Not perfectly. Not daily. But enough to keep going.

Commute time

I drive to office, and my one-side commute is at least an hour. I use that time to listen to tech talks, courses or videos. Yes, even DSA videos.

I know people will say you need to practice DSA on a laptop—and I agree. But something is always better than nothing. Even if only 10% stays in my head, it helps later when I actually sit down to practice.

Netflix time

I’m not a big OTT fan, but I still used to spend around 30–45 minutes daily on Netflix, mostly while eating. I didn’t completely stop it, but I switched sometimes to tech videos on YouTube or a Udemy course I had already started.

No pressure. No guilt. Just a small switch when possible.

Cooking time

I’m a working mom. I’m fortunate to have help, but some of my time still goes into the kitchen. When I’m cooking, I wear earphones and listen to videos or courses. That time adds up more than we realize.

Waiting time

I take my daughter to a class in the evening. She’s too young, so I wait outside. Earlier, that was just scrolling time. Now, I study on my phone while waiting.

Dedicated laptop time

I try to get at least 30 minutes on my laptop when life allows. It doesn’t happen every day, and that’s okay. Most of the time, the above things are enough to stay in touch with tech.

When Interview Prep Becomes Necessary

Every time I’ve had to switch jobs, I’ve felt overwhelmed. It always seemed like everyone else was studying more, solving more problems, and moving faster than me. But those small pockets of learning accumulated over time and helped me get back into interview mode much faster than starting from zero.

Most of the time, passive learning is enough to stay updated. Of course, staying updated and preparing for interviews are two very different things which need hands-on as well.

During that phase:

I try to sit on my laptop for 1 hour on weekdays
And 2–3 hours on weekends

Weekdays are hard after office. So instead of pushing myself at night, I try to reach office a little early and start my day with my personal learning first. This way, I’m not compromising on office work or my personal life later.

On weekends, I try to wake up at the same time as weekdays, so I get some quiet time before my daughter wakes up.

This isn’t a strict routine. It’s just what works for me.

If you’re a morning person, wake up an hour before your kid.
If you’re a night person, sleep an hour after your kid.

Whatever works for you—do that.

Sometimes I feel behind. Behind people who seem to learn faster, move quicker, or have more time. But over the years, I’ve realised that this slow, broken way of learning has still kept me here. I didn’t quit. I didn’t disappear from the industry. I kept showing up in small ways, even when life was heavy. And on days when I look back, that matters more to me than perfect consistency ever did.

The Most Important Part

Even after saying all this, there are weeks, sometimes even months, when I can’t do any of this.

And that’s okay.

I start again when I can.

At least I’m still trying. Just because I wasn’t consistent doesn’t mean I should stop altogether. That’s the rule I follow, and it has helped me stay in the game for more than a decade.

Some days, your personal life needs all your attention.
Some days, your career gets the focus.
And some lucky days, you manage to balance both.

Go with the flow.
Create time when possible.
And don’t give up on yourself.

This slow, broken way of learning has kept me relevant for more than a decade. It isn’t perfect. It isn’t consistent. But it works. And for this season of my life, that’s enough.

How do you create learning time in a busy life? I’d genuinely love to hear what works for you.