Tips for Staying Productive When Studying Online
With a lot of online courses available, you will be able to learn something new and work on your degree during your own time. You can focus on a specialized certificate to an online MBA from home. This makes it an attractive option for many students to consider. But it can be hard to remain productive when you have to study online, without a teacher there to keep track of you.
With all of the distractions available when you are studying online, it may seem impossible to keep going and actually get the work done. There are a few simple steps that you can take to make sure you are productive, no matter how much studying needs to be done.
Set Up the Right Environment
Research has shown us that listening to music or having some other background noise on is able to help you become more productive while also enhancing your level of creativity. So find a good type of music to help you be successful.
For most people, ambient noise is the best option. Think about the background noise that is going to suit the task that you are doing. You can also try out a few different types of music to see which one gets the juices done and helps you get the work done.
You may find that one type of music is best for the creative juices, one that will help if you need to do some reading, and another when you are trying to get a spreadsheet all done. You can make a good playlist that will help you out, no matter how much work you need to get done for studying.
Time the Coffee
Choosing the right time to have some coffee will make a big difference when it comes to getting you focused. You should consider having some kind of caffeine, whether you are dealing with coffee or another source, between 9:30 to 11:30 in the morning and between 2 and 5 in the afternoon.
The body is going to naturally produce some cortisol in the morning, which is going to be critical when it is time to wake up. Caffeine is going to mess with the cortisol production, which ends up making us more dependent on this caffeine. You can time your caffeine to help give you a boost while making it easier to complete your goals.
Make the Laundry Work for You
This will help you get some of the chores done around your home while making you more effective with the studying that you want to do.
To make this work, you can add a load of laundry to the washer and use this as your timer. You will start studying when the wash cycle is going on. You can take a break to switch out the loads and get another one started and set the timer again, doing some more work with that cycle.
If you have a few loads of laundry to get done, then you can get a good amount of studying done during this time. These provide timed breaks as well so you don’t overdo it and allow you a way to get the laundry done while you do some of the studying as well.
Take Some Notes
If you are an online student, it is likely that you are watching lectures and other presentations on your computer. Do not let the convenience of rewinding the tape and watching it again keep you from the note-taking that you should do. This is the most effective if you grab pen and paper to do the notes.
Pretend that you are back in the classroom and take notes like you will need them later. It is best to do it with pen and paper because this is going to increase your focus and some of the critical thinking skills that you have.
As you are listening, you have to think about what is the most important before you write them. And the process of writing the information down is going to help you to remember the information better. Just make sure to go back to the notes sometime in the next two to three days, reading over it to help the information stick.
Get Out of the Room
One of the best tricks that you can use to help you study at home is to make sure you are getting some social time. It is easy to go stir crazy if you just look at the computer all the time. Engage in some of the online course discussions and learn how to build up some relationships with your classmates.
You can even take some time out of the day and go to the park to meet others. Consider volunteering in something you have a passion for. This helps you to meet others and can look good on your resume too.
Use the Rule of Three
Another thing to consider is the rule of three. This means that you make it your goal to complete three things. Make your to-do list and only list three things on it. Cross out each one as you get them finished.
When that list is done, you will make a new list with three things on it and then cross those out. You need to pick tasks that are going to be small enough that you can get them done. Break down some of the large items you need to get done into smaller tasks to see what you have achieved during the day.
This helps to make some of the tasks more manageable than before and can be a great way to actually get a lot of work done.
Getting the Studying Done
Studying online can be hard. There are a lot of different distractions out there that you have to consider and being able to avoid them will make it easier for you to get the work done. Follow some of the steps above to make sure that you are able to stay productive when you study online.
