Childcare x Self-study x Administrative Scrivener Exam: How to Revise a Study Plan You've Had to Change Many Times

Because I was studying for the Administrative Scrivener exam on my own while raising a child, I often felt anxious because I couldn't find the study time I wanted.

There were many times when I couldn't study as planned, such as during my child's surgery or hospital stays, and I had to revise my plan each time.

There were times when I felt guilty about not sticking to the plan, but as I revised it over and over, I came to realize that "revising it does not mean failing."

In this article, for those who are also struggling because things aren't going according to plan, I will summarize the methods and mindset I used to actually revise my plan.

The study plan I made at the beginning

I started studying in August 2024. I made a study plan aiming for the Administrative Scrivener exam in November 2025.

Working backward from the exam date, I made a rough plan to "finish the entire scope within 2024." After that, I planned to move on to problem practice and go through the question collections and past exams.

At the time, I thought I could secure study time by using the nights after my child went to sleep or during their nap times. I thought, "At this pace, I'll make it in time."

However, when I actually started, I could barely get the study time I had anticipated.

There were days when my child got sick and woke up many times in the middle of the night, and days when irregular events piled up and studying was out of the question. And when there were surgeries or hospital stays for my child, the plan would sometimes stop for weeks at a time.

In the end, I finished the entire scope in January 2025. It was one month behind schedule.

After that, although I started the branch-by-branch question collection, I stopped after one round because it was difficult to review, and I started using the Gokaku Dojo as my main resource. It didn't go according to plan at all.

I have summarized my actual study schedule, including what I was studying and when, in "Childcare x Self-study x Administrative Scrivener Exam: Study Schedule Parallel to My Child's Hospital Stay".

Changing my mindset when the plan fell apart

When things stopped going according to plan, I was initially full of anxiety and guilt. I spent days blaming myself, thinking, "I couldn't study today either," and "At this rate, I won't make it in time."

However, I realized something while staying in the hospital with my child. That is,
"It is natural that I cannot study right now.".

It was impossible to study as planned while nursing my child. The fact that I couldn't do it wasn't because I wasn't trying hard enough, but simply because the situation made it that way.

Thinking that way made me feel a little better. So, I decided to rethink how I revise my plans.

Accept the period you couldn't study as it is.
I decided to first accept the fact that "I couldn't study during this period."

Don't try to make up for the delay all at once.
Even if I thought, "I'll study twice as much starting tomorrow because I took a week off," it was realistically impossible. Making an impossible plan only led to me feeling depressed again when I couldn't do it.

"Revising does not mean failing."
Every time I had to revise my plan, I used to think, "I've failed again," but I started to think of it as just "adjusting to reality" instead.

This mindset became the foundation for all my subsequent plan revisions. My approach to dealing with my study plan gradually became easier.

How to Revise a Study Plan (1): Don't Remake the Whole Thing in Detail

When my plan fell apart, at first I thought, "I have to redo the whole plan from scratch!"

However, in my case, redoing the entire thing in detail takes a lot of time.
Besides, even if I went to the trouble of redoing it, there was a possibility it would fall apart again soon.

So, I decided not to wipe the slate clean on my plan.
Specifically, I used a method of shifting things back by the amount of the delay.

For example, if I had planned to finish the scope by the end of December 2024, but realized by mid-December that I wouldn't finish in time.

Instead of redoing the entire plan, I just shifted the deadline, saying, "I will finish the scope by January 2025."

By doing this, I kept the time spent revising the plan to a minimum. And it also reduced the mental burden of "having to redo it all from scratch again."

In the first place, when I initially made my study plan, I only decided on the textbooks and problem sets to use and the order of study, and only decided on the timeframe roughly.
As a result, because it was a rough plan, it was easier to revise later.

Instead of trying to create a perfect re-plan, changing my perspective to how to adjust the existing plan lowered the hurdle for revisions.

Keep the rough overall picture as it is, and only move the small parts flexibly.
This method worked for me.

How to Revise a Study Plan (2): Set a Loose Minimum Line

When revising my plan, there was one other thing I was conscious of.
That was deciding on a loose minimum line of "if I can do this much, it's OK".

From the beginning, I thought a time-based plan like "study for X hours a day" was impossible. Because while raising children, there was no guarantee I could secure a block of time.

Therefore, I made my plan based on content. Like "read one section of the textbook" or "solve 30 problems from the problem set every day."

However, I couldn't even keep to that very well.

When my child got sick or irregular events piled up, there were days when I couldn't even open the textbook.

So, I decided to lower the minimum line even further.

For example,

• Solve 5 practice questions on the Gokaku Dojo app on my smartphone

• Review the explanations for the questions I solved yesterday once more

That is the level.

Even on days when I couldn't make any progress with my problem sets, I was able to open the Gokaku Dojo app on my smartphone during spare moments and solve a few practice questions. Even just doing that helped deepen my understanding.

What was important was not to worry even on days when I couldn't even meet that minimum standard of effort.

Even on days when I felt like I couldn't do anything, I tried to accept it by telling myself, "It's fine to just do a little bit again tomorrow."

Prioritize continuing over aiming for perfection.

By setting a loose minimum standard, the guilt of "not being able to study" decreased, and as a result, it became easier to keep going.

How to Revise a Study Plan (3): Divide Tasks by Situation

While revising my plan, there was one other thing I devised.
That was dividing tasks by situation.

Studying while raising a child doesn't mean you can take the same amount of time every day. There are days when you have some leeway, and days when you can't find any time at all.

Therefore, I decided to change my study content according to the situation.

What to do on normal days
On normal days when I can get a decent amount of time while my child is napping or after they have gone to sleep, I prioritized sitting at my desk and working through my problem sets.

What to do on days without much leeway
On days when my child is fussy or irregular events pile up, and I can barely find any study time, I didn't force myself to do anything new and just solved a few practice questions on the Gokaku Dojo app.

What to do during hospital stays with my child
During hospital stays, I had to study while keeping an eye on my child, so I didn't touch any new material that required deep concentration. I would solve Gokaku Dojo questions on my smartphone or tablet, or copy out and memorize text labeled as "written exam preparation."

Judging "what kind of situation today is" and changing what I do allowed me to continue without strain.

Instead of trying to proceed at the same pace every day, I changed things flexibly according to the situation. This mindset was a huge help in revising my plan.

Conclusion

When aiming for the Administrative Scrivener exam through self-study while raising a child, things will often not go according to plan. I have revised my plan many times, and I realized something during that process.

A study plan is not something to be strictly followed, but a tool to support you.

When things don't go according to plan, there is no need to blame yourself by saying, "I failed again." It is natural for plans to change when circumstances change.

The important thing was not to make a perfect plan, but to keep adjusting it to a form that suits your current self.

Studying while balancing childcare and nursing is a series of unexpected events.
However, what you have accumulated, even if little by little, will definitely remain.

It is okay to revise your study plan as many times as you need.
I believe it is fine to proceed at your own pace while flexibly rebuilding it.

I hope this will be helpful for those who are also struggling because things are not going as planned.

Thank you for reading until the end.

I will continue to update my experience with studying for the Administrative Scrivener exam in my note magazine "Study Record Until Passing the Administrative Scrivener Exam".

I plan to write about my reflections after the passing announcement and my actual study methods, so I would be happy if you could like and follow me.