11 Effective Time Management Tips For Online Students
Online education has become one of the most popular options for today’s students. If you’re interested in an online degree, you’ll be able to choose from a range of programs and courses, including bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and certificate programs.
However, there are some essential things you should keep in mind before you decide to enroll in an online program. Whether you are a current student or you’re thinking of signing up for an online degree, the following tips can help you manage your time effectively.
Why is time management important for students?
Time management is a crucial skill for any student, no matter what type of work they have to take or what stage of life they are in. The idea is to know your strengths and weaknesses and work around them. Organizing your time is vital to achieving all of your goals. When students fail to manage their time correctly, it often results in procrastination, a big no-no in the business world. Students need to manage their time to maximize their academic progress and professional growth.
Time Management Tips for Online Students
Students who are serious about getting an education online need to be primarily concerned with managing their time. Here are 11 proven tips for cutting down on the to-do list and increasing your focus and productivity.
1. Plan ahead
One of the keys to a productive and successful online learning experience is to plan. Students who are serious about getting an education online need to be primarily concerned with managing their time. Online students will need to work efficiently to avoid procrastinating or getting sidetracked by distractions such as games, chat rooms, newsgroups, and e-mail.
With a good plan in place, you can set up your schedule so that you can get the most out of every minute of your day.
2. Set up your study environment
The next step is to create a comfortable environment where you can study. Make sure you have everything you need within easy reach. It would be best if you had a comfortable chair, proper lighting, a quiet place where there are no distractions, and a place where you could focus entirely on your studies. Organizing your space can help you stay focused. If you use a computer, keep it set up for study. Make sure your computer has plenty of hard drive space, a fast Internet connection, and the proper software. Also, make sure any other equipment you may need, such as a scanner, a fax machine, a printer, and reference materials, are all in working order and located close to your computer.
If you prefer to use a notebook and pen or pencil, make sure it is mechanical, with no moving parts that can distract you. Keep everything else you need for study (such as paper, highlighters, a calculator, and so on) in a separate place. You should also consider getting yourself an office or home office setup, and this will cut down on the number of times you have to go from your study area to another part of your house to find the materials you need. Finally, you should take a few moments each day to clear off and de-clutter your work area.
Keep only the essentials nearby and arrange the rest of your stuff in a place where you can easily access it but still maintain a clean, uncluttered work environment.
3. Decompose the large task into simple, small parts
Once you’ve made the necessary space to work in and organized your study environment, you need to start taking steps to break down your large tasks into smaller parts. This is particularly important when working on something that requires a lot of mental energy. For example, instead of studying for an entire term all at once, you might consider breaking it down into manageable chunks that you can tackle over two weeks. This will help you better understand how much you’re learning and keep you focused on your studies. Instead of reading an entire chapter of a textbook at once, read a section or two, do some practice exercises, and so on. Also, instead of reading an entire book, review just one chapter.
Work on tasks only for as long as they take. A good rule of thumb is that if something doesn’t take very long, don’t do it. If you have time to spare, use that time for something else. The key is to work on tasks only for as long as they take. When you set out to accomplish a task, try to work on it until it is done, even if it means sacrificing other activities.
If you have something due and don’t feel like working on it, postpone it. You’ll be more focused and productive when you know that the deadline is near.
4. Don’t multitask
Most students can’t do two things effectively, and it is impossible to do two or more things at once with absolute excellence.
Multitasking is merely an illusion and is not an effective way to get anything done.
Research has shown that multitasking slows you down. It has been proven to reduce your memory, cause errors, and reduce your attention span. When you try to do several things at once, your brain cannot process all of the information effectively, and therefore, you end up making less-than-optimal decisions. Also, when you are interrupted while you are multitasking, it takes you longer to get back to where you were.
Therefore, If you are writing an essay or doing some math problem, you should not try to do it while talking on the phone, listening to music, watching a talk show, reading the newspaper, etc. These activities take your mind off the task at hand and reduce your focus and effectiveness.
5. Reduce distractions
To study effectively, you need to ensure no distractions around you. It is easy to get distracted by things that catch your eye, so you have to set up your study environment free of distraction. When you want to get something done, you need to eliminate as many distractions as possible.
This includes things that might be a pleasure or temptation in their own right, such as surfing the web or playing video games. As tempting as these activities may be, they often take your attention away from your work, and therefore, they are counterproductive. Get out of the habit of constantly checking your e-mail and your messenger. Turn off your cell phone when you are working on a project.
Avoid answering messages during work hours unless it is an emergency. You should work without picking up the phone or reading a message.
6. Set deadlines and goals
Deadlines are very useful for studying because they force you to focus your attention on one thing at a time. Deadlines also make you accountable and help you stay motivated. To do well in college, you need to have a sense of purpose. If you don’t know what to do, you won’t feel compelled to finish a task.
Some students set unrealistic deadlines for themselves, and they have trouble meeting them. The best way to ensure that you meet your deadlines is to set realistic ones. If you feel like you are getting behind schedule, don’t panic. Instead, try to figure out your priorities and how you can best manage your time.
Asking yourself questions like: “What am I going to do differently to get better grades?” and “How am I going to do this?” will help you set goals.
You can also use goals and deadlines to help motivate yourself. If you have an important assignment due in a week, you’ll probably feel more motivated to get it done, and this will force you to get organized and focus on the task.
7. Prioritize tasks
The most important thing in education you can do to improve your focus and increase your productivity is to develop the ability to prioritize. Your “to do” list should be like the proverbial “maze” that no one can get out of. The first step in getting out is knowing where the exits are.
You need to know what must be done immediately, what can wait until later, and what you can ignore entirely. You should only keep on your “to-do” list those things you are confident you can do. Anything else should be crossed off or moved to another list. You’ll get overwhelmed and burned out if you try to do too much. If you try to do too little, you won’t fulfill your responsibilities.
The best way to ensure that you don’t have too much on your “to-do” list is by writing down everything that needs to be done and then crossing off or moving to another list of those items that are not essential.
8. Avoid procrastination
Procrastination is a significant roadblock for many students. It is the “laziness gene” at work. You see a project you want to accomplish as a big challenge. You may tell yourself that you don’t have enough time, that you are not smart enough, or that the task is too challenging. These are all valid reasons for putting something off.
However, if you decide to procrastinate consciously, you have already decided to fail. If you have an important paper to write, study for a test, give a presentation, or do something that needs to be done but that you find difficult, do it first thing in the morning.
Give yourself no excuses. If you have trouble getting going, put on some music, turn on the “timer,” and attack the task with everything, you’ve got.
Remember this: You are not a genius, you are a pro. Don’t allow “not feeling like it” to be an excuse for not achieving your goals.
9. Work during your peak performance time
Your peak performance time is when you are at your best, and it is the period right before you get sleepy and start losing focus. Most people lose focus after lunch because that’s when they start preparing for the “afternoon slump.” Peak performance time is different for everyone, and however, most people have a time of day when they are at their best.
Suppose you consistently do high-quality work between 8:00 a.m. and noon. In that case, you will probably find that your productivity levels are much higher when you are studying during your peak performance time.
Scheduling your study time around these peak performance times would be best.
10. Reward yourself
If you do something well or accomplish a task, reward yourself. Don’t do something immediately. Instead, wait a few days. This is the way you teach yourself to be more disciplined. The brain works in terms of reinforcement. If you reward yourself, you’ll be more likely to want to repeat the behavior in the future.
You’ll get your studying process faster and with less effort.
The reward should be something that you enjoy, and it can be as simple as a piece of candy or as extravagant as a weekend away. As a result, your “to-do” list will shrink dramatically, and you will increase your focus and your productivity.
11. Get a good night’s sleep
You don’t have to be a genius to know that you need good, quality sleep. In fact, sleep deprivation has been shown to have a more significant effect on our bodies than smoking cigarettes.
Lack of sleep causes poor memory, impairs your ability to concentrate, and results in mistakes. It can cause us to lose our ability to learn new things and think clearly. You need to get at least seven hours of sleep a night.
The body needs to recover from the day before, and your brain needs time to recharge. Getting enough sleep ensures that you are fully rested and ready for your classes the next day.
Best Time Management Apps For Students
Take a look at the most important apps for online students to help you keep the focus on effective and productive study.
An intuitive time tracking app that you can turn to for gaining time management skills. Looking into your time records will help you optimize your time for better productivity and effectiveness: proper time distribution saves not only your time but creates a healthy and stress-free balance in life.
It is an online writing assistant for anyone including online students. With its help, you can review spelling, grammar, punctuation, and correct the mistakes. The app is user-friendly and will make your writing effective and clear.
One of the best cloud solutions to store and share files. Create documents online, edit, share with your mates and professors and get access from any device and location.
The app is used best for task management. Create daily to-do lists to structure each day, organize each aspect of your study, and ensure productive workflows to accomplish the goals.
Another task manager to simplify the study process. Manage tasks both online or offline while working on your computer or even smartphone, and share the lists with others if needed to get things done faster.
Conclusion
In conclusion, one of the most significant differences between online and on-campus students is that the latter have more classes to take. Therefore, online students need to know how to manage their time effectively. Time management is not about willpower; it is about habits and routines. By learning these 11 habits and routines early, you will find it much easier to keep on top of your schoolwork no matter how many classes you are taking. These are the same habits and routines that will serve you well in life beyond college.
