Commuting Difficulties

I have to admit that although I've posted a lot of commuting tips, I sometimes find it hard to take my own advice.

I've been trying to go to bed earlier, and at the same time every night, so that it isn't so painful to wake up at 5am on the days I have to commute. But either I get in late from school, or my partner gets home late from her writing class - and it is important for us to have a daily chat so we wait up for each other. Worse is when I get stressed that I haven't finished enough homework for the day and then...I can't sleep properly all night because I can't stop thinking about/worrying about school.

I'm also finding it hard to get enough time in the library. If all your classes are crammed into 2 days, with an hour off for lunch, and you have to catch the bus right after your 4pm class, when do you do your library research? I've decided to stay at a friend's house tonight so I can get in some library time tomorrow without having to pay for an extra day of commuting. I'm lucky to have a friend to stay with - not all commuters have this option. What do other folks do?

I'm also finding the days that I'm not in class difficult because there is no one in my program to talk about assignments with, or work beside in the library, in my hometown. I've tried contacting students I know from different departments, just so I don't feel so isolated when I'm working on my assignments. Hopefully that will help a little. Is anyone else finding it hard to spend so much time working alone? What do you do that helps? Does anyone want to have a study buddy email group? I know it would help me to know what assignment people are starting when and roughly how long they spend on it.

Good luck with your commutes big and small,

Michele