Catriona Nally, mother of David (aged two) and Caitlin (five)

At the age of 26 with two young children, Dubliner Catriona Nally has come a long way over the past few years, with help from One Family, an advocacy and support organisation that helps "solo" parents to make the most of their potential through education and employment. She has participated in parenting and self-esteem-building classes and never saw herself as getting a university degree. Yet this month, as her eldest child starts school, Catriona is taking the exciting step of starting a full-time degree programme at Dublin City University. Time management will be crucial to her success.

"THIS WILL BE a big change from being at home with two young children. She feels guilty about leaving them but has also realised how good this will be for her and the children, partly because it will set a role model for the children," says Penny Gundry.

There are times when she will feel under pressure juggling a family with a full-time course, but Catriona is organised and is prepared to prioritise. To avoid the morning rush, she is going to prepare as much as possible the night before: organise the school bag, do the lunches, put out the clothes and set the table.

"This will work for her because she is a natural forward-planner," says Gundry.

From a parenting perspective, Gundry has advised Catriona to turn the final stage of walking out of the door into a game, in order to make tantrums less likely. She will get the children to wait by the door of their home in Clare Hall by a certain time and if they can do that they will get a sticker each. The older child will be able to collect her bag and put on her coat. If the children get five stickers in the week, they get a treat at the weekend, such as a visit to the cinema.

Twice a week, Catriona will start college at 11am. By heading straight into college after dropping the children to creche and school at 9am, she will have time to relax, perhaps get a coffee with friends or go to the gym. She already does relaxation exercises. By doing these regularly - even in the car in a traffic jam on the way into college - she will cope better with the pressures, says Gundry.

Two evenings a week, Catriona will get home late from university and will have only one hour to do everything before putting David to bed. If she can get the children fed by the childminder this will ease her situation considerably, Gundry suggests. It will be important for her to focus on the basics of what needs to be done and not try to do too much, since multi-tasking can add to the stress.

After a busy day, Catriona likes to relax in front of the television. So she has decided that if she does a half-hour of study as soon as both children are in bed, while videoing her favourite programmes, she will be able to sit down and enjoy a bit of time to herself before going to bed. She is going to avoid reading her textbooks in bed, but wind down with a novel instead.

"Catriona is an inspiration to women managing a home and taking on further studies. She has considered what she wants from life and for her children and she's determined to make it work," says Gundry.