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THIS CLASS IS AMZING. Its such a laid back environment and professor blain is so understanding and funny. You will never feel stressed out because it's never a heavy workload.

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Time management and meditation

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More students than ever before are turning to online learning to further their education. In fact, studies indicate that roughly one-third of all students are now taking at least one online course. Given the benefits of online learning like added flexibility, broader perspectives, and improved collaboration, it's easy to see why so many students are drawn to virtual classes.

For students who are new to online learning, like those affected by school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic or those simply looking to make a change, transitioning to online learning can take some getting used to. And, if you are adjusting to a full-time online program or balancing school and work , it is critical to be able to manage your time effectively.

Whether you've chosen to pursue online learning or you've been thrust into it, there are key skills you will need to make the most out of your online education, including time management.

The Importance of Time Management For Students

One of the most valuable skills you can have as an online student is effective time management. The better you manage your time, the easier it is to achieve your goals. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, meaning, it's not about how much time you have, but how well you can manage it.

This is especially important for online students, who are often working full-time, taking care of family, or juggling other commitments. Without the camaraderie of a class to motivate you or having a set time where you need to be on campus, effective time management is crucial to helping you stay focused.

Effective time management not only helps with your learning but can also make you more productive at work and in your personal life. If you're serious about successfully completing your online degree, it's crucial to find a good system to use.

Below are seven time management tips to help you stay ahead of your coursework.

Northeastern's Online Learning Experience

Learn what it's like to take a class online, tips for excelling in an online learning environment, and more.

Time Management Tips for Online Students

1. Plan ahead.

Your hectic schedule, combined with daily distractions, can easily get in the way of finishing tasks. The best online students know how to set aside time to focus. This includes having a consistent time and workspace, tuning out those distractions, and avoiding surfing the internet.

Despite the flexibility in being an online student, it's important to have frequent engagement with your studies throughout the week. Provide plenty of time to space out your required readings, assignments, and online discussions.

Consider purchasing a calendar you can use to plan your daily and weekly assignments, highlighting:

Assignments due, including drafts and final submissions

Activities related to your program, such as study group meetups or on-campus networking events

Virtual or in-person office hours with professors and advisors

Melanie Kasparian, associate director of assessment for the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies, shares a sample schedule of what a typical week might look like:

2. Don't multitask.

Avoid multitasking-which can actually decrease your productivity. Focus on one assignment at a time and zero in on the specific task at hand, whether that's studying for an exam, reading a textbook, emailing a professor, or participating in an online forum. Arrange your tasks in order of importance, and pay attention to the three or four crucial tasks that require the most effort.

If you need help staying focused, then consider creating lists using a project management tool, such as Trello or Smartsheet, to help organize tasks. If you prefer a traditional to-do list, then look at digital notebooks like Todoist, ClickUp, or Evernote.

Lastly, concentrate on what needs to get done in the present and avoid anything too far-off. If it's a small assignment that you don't need to address for several weeks, put it on your calendar to focus on when the deadline is closer.

3. Set up your virtual office.

Whether you study at home or your local café, it's important to work in the optimal setting needed to complete your work. Make sure there's high-speed internet, and that you're in a comfortable space with the right lighting, sound, and background. For example, some people prefer to work with headphones on, while others prefer silence or an ambient backdrop with people quietly chatting. Sit in a comfortable chair, and make sure the lighting isn't too dim. Close out your browser windows, and put your phone away.

Along with these elements, make sure you have all the required materials, such as textbooks and industry-specific software. Set up as much as you can ahead of time to stay on task with your coursework.

4. Block out distractions.

Make sure to avoid surfing the web excessively. It's easy to become distracted by the news or your favorite celebrity gossip site. Stay focused, and avoid Facebook, Twitter, and other social media tools when you need to concentrate on your studies.

If you're struggling to stay focused, then consider the Pomodoro Method. This technique helps with productivity by arranging how you work to increase efficiency. The tool builds on 25-minute work sessions, optimizing your time to focus on your online studies. The best way to use this method is to:

Set a timer for 25 minutes and work uninterrupted for the scheduled period.

Take a five-minute break to grab a coffee, check emails, or do something else.

Once you've completed four work sessions, treat yourself to a longer, 15-minute break.

If you're still struggling with procrastination, download a website blocker for your Pomodoro sessions. Freedom, KeepMeOut, and Switcheroo minimize online browsing and let you follow through on your daily tasks. With these tools, you can block all websites or redirect your favorite sites to your school's homepage.

5. Reward yourself

It's important to reward yourself after a job well done in order to avoid burnout. Otherwise, it will be difficult to concentrate on even the simplest tasks.

You can reward yourself by celebrating your accomplishments and treating yourself to something you truly enjoy, whether that's watching your favorite show on Netflix or going out to a nice dinner and a movie. If you've been working on an assignment for several months in a row, then take a week off when you're finished.

6. Create a balance.

In addition to rewarding yourself, it's also important to find a balance between coursework and your other obligations, especially if you're juggling school and work .

To help create an effective balance and avoid burning out, be sure to prioritize your time in a way that allows you to focus on school, work, and your personal life when you need to. Creating a predictable schedule can help you get into a routine that works for your lifestyle and allows you to dedicate your full attention to each aspect of your life at a given time.

7. Get a good night's sleep.

Sleep is essential to rest your body and keep your mind fresh for the next day. Try to get seven to eight hours of rest a night. Pulling all-nighters is less productive than studying consistently. Include sleep in your schedule, and you can reap huge rewards.

Taking Charge of Your Online Education

Enrolling in an online degree program is a great way to further your education and ultimately advance in your career, but it's up to you to take charge of your learning so you can get the most out of your classes. A key component of doing so is employing effective time management strategies to stay on top of your responsibilities.

As important as it is to be a good student, finding an online program that fits your needs is also critical to success. When choosing an online degree program, be sure to do your research and understand how the content and structure of the courses align with your own goals and objectives. If career advancement is your ultimate goal, for example, a program that values collaboration and networking could be a good fit.

By choosing the right program to fit your needs and taking charge of your learning, you can prepare yourself for online learning success.
For more on how to be a successful online learner, explore our related online learning tips and advice posts, or watch the recorded webinar below.

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7 Time Management Tips for Online Students

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More students than ever before are turning to online learning to further their education. In fact, studies indicate that roughly one-third of all students are now taking at least one online course. Given the benefits of online learning like added flexibility, broader perspectives, and improved collaboration, it's easy to see why so many students are drawn to virtual classes.

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Greatest work I ever did. All units are great and very deep. You find yourself falling into these lectures and really fully understanding them and unfolding towards these questions as some get personal.
-valentina

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Be motivated , Stay focus , don't give up and you will succeed

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Rick rolling future students.

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If you are in this class, you have nothing to worry about. Just enjoy the class and there're so many chances writing about yourself.

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Just be yourself!!!

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With 24 hours in a day and 7 days a week, time is constrained. As such, time is a commodity and a resource that's well worth maximizing, especially when you are a college student. In this article, we are going to share some of the best time management tips for college students to make it feel like you have more time, or at least, just enough time to get everything you'd want to do.

What is Time Management?

Time management refers to the ability to use time effectively. Although there's a constraint on time, time management can make it feel like there's more of it in a day, depending on how you structure your schedule.

Since time management is considered a skill, it can be learned and strengthened. That's why we're sharing how to manage time in college.

Source: Unsplash

Time Management Tips for Students

Keeping this all in mind, let's take a look at some of these time management tips for students.

Set Goals

Perhaps one of the most important steps in being able to manage your time well is to know what you are using your time for in the first place. By setting goals and identifying time wasters, you can help to keep yourself on a more efficient track.

To set goals, take a look at what you spend your time on. For example, if you use the "Screen Time" app on a iPhone, you can find out how much time you spend and how you spend it using your phone. If you notice that you spend 5 hours a day on social media apps, then you may want to set a goal to cut it down to 2 instead. By doing so, you will free up 3 hours of your day for other activities.

Make Note of Deadlines

When you're in college, you will be taking several classes at a time. Within each class, you'll have assignments and tests with different due dates. While it can become overwhelming, it doesn't have to be when you are practicing time management. One thing you can do is to write down all your deadlines ahead of time in a clear chart, on a calendar, or even on a sheet of paper. This way, you can schedule study time and time to work on assignments according to what is due first.

Start with Small Tasks / Break Up Large Tasks

When you have a long to-do list, you may feel defeated just by looking at it. Instead, you can write it in an order that will work in your favor. To explain, consider placing all the small and low-level tasks at the beginning of your day's to-do list. By fulfilling these small and plentiful tasks, you gain momentum and already go into the day with a sense of accomplishment. Then, if you have large tasks or assignments that will take multiple hours or days to work on, break them down into smaller parts. Doing this helps you to stay motivated rather than stare at the task without knowing where to begin because the size of the task can provoke fear. Basically, you are making tasks manageable rather than allowing them to seize control of your mind.

Create a schedule

One of the biggest recommendations that you'll find when learning about time management is to use a schedule to your advantage. You can set up a schedule using digital tools like phones or computers using the calendar app. Or, you can even do so manually by writing your schedule down in a planner. Depending on how granular you want to get, you can break up days into blocks of hours or even minutes. Before you set your schedule, write down the aspects that you are looking to include, i.e. social activities, lecture hours, study time, cooking time, exercise time, family time, etc.

If you're attending an online college, then you will have a more flexible schedule as to when you attend class (if lectures are pre-recorded). This could make scheduling easier because it is totally within your control.

Use Checklists

A weekly checklist can also help to better manage your time when you are in college. Here's how it can work: At the start of each week, write down the assignments and projects that are upcoming for that week. You may even want to color-code them based on the subject. You can input this check(list) of items into your schedule. By referring back to the checklist, you will make sure that no item is forgotten or overlooked.

Use Breaks Wisely

A major aspect of time management is how you choose to use breaks. Besides taking intentional breaks to do nothing and recharge, the breaks that already exist in your schedule can serve as "extra" time. For example, you can complete tasks using the time between classes. Say you have to grocery shop for the week. You have an hour between two lectures. That could be a great time to knock grocery shopping off of your to-do list. When you start using breaks effectively to get things done, you will notice that it feels like you've made more time to do what you want to do, rather than what you have to do.

Leverage Technology

When it comes to time management, technology is your friend! There's an array of time management apps you can download to help you get things done. Here's a look at some of the best time management apps to choose from. Additionally, even simple and existing tools like timers and calendars on your handheld device can be used for time management, as already discussed.

Ask for Help

In terms of time management, asking for help often happens in the form of delegation. For example, if you're living with roommates, then consider devising a cleaning schedule where everyone takes turns. By doing so, you can free up some of your time to focus on your schoolwork (or social activities).

Reward Yourself

No matter how many strides you make on your journey of time management, take some time (no pun intended) to reward yourself. Your rewards should coincide with the time management goals that you've set. So, once you reach your goals, you have something to look forward to (a.k.a. the reward).

Closing Thoughts

By following some or all of the aforementioned best time management tips for college students, you may discover that it feels like you have more time in a day. The idea of organizing time can feel liberating as you'll be more productive. In turn, you will have more time to do the things you want to do because you've managed to get done the things you have to.

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The Best Time Management Tips for College Students - UoPeople

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Want to boost your time management skills? Check out this list of some of the best time management tips for college students so you can use time efficiently.

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ENG 1101

All I can say you future 1101 students are in hands of a great professor who helps people when they’re in need of it. Professor Blain is not intimidating at all and she’s a sweetheart. You’ll have a smooth semester just finish your work on time and you’ll be set!!

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Only enjoyable class I had this term, so that says something. Most understanding and straight forward professor by far.

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I admire  my professors teaching and I just want to say that this class has impacted me so much as a writer. I've become more confident, more comfortable and more open. The education narrative had to be my favorite unit. I never knew how good I was and I appreciate our professors teaching. 5/5 <3
-valentina

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Cats are liquid.
This is a very lenient and really enjoyable class where the work you have to do shouldn't be pressuring, spreading out the amount of work over a great deal of time, all while designed in a way where you can be creative and choose how much work you want to do yourself (this is probably going to be the most chill class you'll have).