The pre-nursing student 4.0 Challenge

Now that I see the competitiveness of BSN (Bachelors of Nursing) and particularly ABSN (Accelerated Bachelors of Nursing) programs, I have presented myself with what's call the 4.0 challenge. What's the 4.0 challenge? Quite simply, my goal is to have a 4.0 in all of my prerequisite classes include the sciences (which are the majority of my classes). I have always been a fairly good student throughout my academic career but I highly doubt that the overall GPA of 3.2 from my previous degree would make me a competitive applicant for nursing school. Fortunately my school(s) of interest place a great deal of emphasis on prerequisite grades (in addition to entry exams).

So how do I propose to conquer this 4.0 challenge? Obviously studying or doing academic related work on a daily basis (readings, assignments, etc.) would definitely help as well as effective time management but that is easier said than done. I remember when I completed my first undergraduate degree I had a similar challenge as well but by the beginning of my third year, my main goal was no longer "4.0" but passing so I could graduate and leave school. School was intense at the time particularly since I completed a relatively hard major (computer science) and I worked anywhere from 20-25 hours a week while being a full-time student. Now it seems harder, not so much because of the material, but because I find it hard to stay motivated. Last week I had a bad cold that kept me out of commission for a couple days; another time, my youngest child had a hard time sleeping which in turn kept me up all night. I tend to be cranky when I am sleep deprived for an extended period of time, and I miss the leisure time I had after 9 pm in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed (now I generally do my studying or assignments around that time or on the weekends). My current position doesn't require me to work overtime, but sometimes I do work overtime occasionally. There are other issues making the 4.0 GPA difficult to obtain but I am just going to have to find a way to keep pressing on. I am generally not a quitter so it makes no sense in becoming one now.