Are there any things that you do to make your life easier/better while studying for this crazy exam?  How do you keep from being stressed out all the time? 

I buy myself a bouquet of flowers every couple of weeks to put on the kitchen table where I study.  Kind of silly, but it really does make me feel better while I'm studying.  I also reward myself with a treat if I accomplish my study goals for the day, usually a glass of wine or ice cream. 

Another thing I've started to do when I get home from work to study is to not change out of my work clothes.  I get a lot more done while wearing a suit than my pjs.  It keeps me in "work mode" rather than "lounge around the house mode". 

What little things help you stay motivated?

nolifecpa wrote: i run every morning to relieve the built up stress, about 2-3 miles. after a few weeks i start to slim up and look better which makes me feel better.

The exam itself is a marathon.  The key is to be in peak shape on exam day.  Many candidates fail because they study long hours for short periods of time.  Cramming is only good if you already have an excellent backround and understand the material fairly well.  If not, better to study less hours per day but over a longer period of time. Give yourself 10-12 weeks for a section like Audit or Regulation.  At least 3 months for Far.   

What has worked for me (and hopefully worked for AUD!) was not overdoing it.  I gave myself enough days to study so that I could take one day off per week.  Also, on the weekends, I would study about 4 hours per day, mainly in the morning.  Then I would do something with friends in the evening.  I'm not saying this could work for everybody, but if you are diligent enough to study 3-4 hours every day, I think you can still make time for "fun" things.  If you don't, you will burn out too soon.

I think this is especially true if you have a spouse and children like I do.

I just decided to take the exam after I have been graduated from school for 15 years.  I have all the credits and requirements to take the exam.  I was doing financial analysis for a long time and I feel CPA is worth to try certainly. However, I really need to get my motivation back to study and study really hard...

As a buzy mom, I need to take all your exam experiences to start off..

Try to study 2 hours to start.

Keep going....

Anyone has some experience like me...