Learning online is no easy feat. Especially when you are used to the traditional classroom, where a teacher is standing over you, telling you what to do and when to do it, being fully in charge of your schedule and your learning can be daunting. But for many learners, it can also be empowering.

Gone are the days of pointless busywork. With Smart Schools, every piece of your learning is directly aligned to what you need to know to do well on the final exam and to be prepared for the world beyond the classroom. Once you learn how to keep yourself on track and manage your learning, you will find success with online learning.

Learn When You’re Best Suited For It

Figuring out when you are your most productive will ensure that you don’t waste countless hours trying to get through one lesson. For some people, they are most productive right after their morning coffee. They may find themselves flying through their work and checking off one thing after the other. If this is you, spend an hour or two completing lessons in the morning and you’ll save yourself hours of drudgery later on. But for night owls, they may find that dragging themselves out of bed early only leads to frustration. What should take five minutes may take an hour if you’re dragging your feet.

So figuring out when you perform best is crucial. Some people naturally know this about themselves, while others may need some help discovering their productivity peak. To figure out yours:

Track your learning over a two-week period, including how much time you study, how many lessons you complete, and your performance on those lessons and quizzes. Be sure to mix up the time of day and week so you can have a few different data points to pull from.
At the end of the two weeks, determine which hours of the day you completed the most lessons. Also, look at your overall performance during different hours of the day. When you are most productive may not be when you are most effective as a learner.
Draw conclusions from that data and create a study plan. If you are most productive between 9 and 11 in the morning, try to schedule your study time then. If you are most effective in the evenings, you may want to save that time for your most difficult subject areas.

In this way, you can use your own data to determine when you are most productive and to create a study plan tailored to you and your individual learning strengths.

Ready, Set, Sprint!

Working for hours on end may work for some people, but many will find themselves burnt out at the end of lond study sessions. It doesn’t matter if you complete 15 lessons in a day if you don’t return to your studies for two weeks afterward. Ideally, you want to find a way to consistently complete lessons without burning yourself out on studying altogether.

Working in sprints is one way to ensure you’re effectively and efficiently studying for a set period of time, while also working in breaks to play games on your phone or watch your favorite TV shows. Basically, you will want to set a sprint time (even using a timer!) that will be a set period of heavy focus with minimal or no distractions, and once that time is up, stepping away and taking a legitimate brain break.

The Pomodoro Method is one such work hack - a Pomodoro (Italian for tomato) is typically a 20-minute block of dedicated work time, followed by a 5-minute break. This technique is used by workers across various fields, writers trying to get in solid writing or editing time, and also students. Don’t feel confined by the 20-and-5 structure though - you can use the information you learned in the previous step to determine what lengths of study time are most effective for you, as well.

Write Down Everything

Do you ever feel like you have so much to do that you get nothing done? This is a type of analysis paralysis that affects many people and is a phenomenon so common, it has been studied by researchers for quite a long time. It turns out that holding onto all of those items you have on your mental load actually takes up additional brain space you could be using to actually accomplish tasks.

That’s why we recommend a Closed Capture System (CCS) - basically, this is using whatever tools work best for you to capture every single item you have on your mental list. If you work best on paper, keep a notepad and pen with you wherever you go, and check off items as you go. Google Keep, your Apple Notes, or Evernote are good options for those that prefer a more digitized system.

Although less comprehensive, many people with ADHD have shared their methods for completing the daily tasks they often forget about on TikTok. One TikToker shared how she ties certain daily tasks (like locking her door) to others that provide a visual reminder (like putting on her watch) - so for example, she locks her door and then puts on her wristwatch. Then, if she has a mental lightning bolt throughout the day (“Did I lock the door?!”) she can look at her watch. If it’s on her wrist, that can help her confirm that she did, indeed, lock the door behind her earlier in the day.

This same method could be used for your studies - for example, you could wait to brush your teeth until after your studies are done for the day. That way, you don’t feel fully ready for the day until your studies have been completed.

Stop Multi-tasking!

Keep your eyes on the prize and your mind on your studies. By trying to do it all at once, you are actually making yourself less effective. We all know that texting and driving make us worse at both, so why do we assume we can complete our studies and watch TV (or text, or do other work)? While it can be a challenge to stay focused, avoiding multitasking will ensure that your time spent studying is as efficient and effective as possible.

Learning to manage your online learning time may not be the most fun thing you’ll do this week, but it may help you become a better student and actually finish your diploma faster. By following some of these simple tips, you can hack your brain and maximize the time you spend studying.

Whether you’re new to online learning, or you’ve been at it for ages, your learning space is an important component of your success as an online learner. Set yourself up for success by creating a peaceful space that helps you perform your best. Although some of your set-up will ultimately come down to personal preference, there are some universal keys to success.

Tips for Setting up Your Space

Dedicate a Spot for Studying

It can be nice to mix things up once in awhile, but it’s important to have a home-base to return to. If you’re constantly fighting for a clear space on the counter, this will be one more hurdle keeping you from your studies.

Take Advantage of Natural Light

If possible, study near a source of natural light. This kind of lighting is more likely to keep you awake and focused.

Stay Organized

Keep your study space organized, but also keep yourself organized internally, as well. Write down your to-do’s and keep a schedule of deadlines.

Break the Silence

While you may not want to study alongside the TV or other distractions, some ambient music has been shown to improve focus for some people. Try it out and see if you remember more and perform better on your tests!

Get a Study Buddy

Part of what made school more bearable was the social piece of it. With online school, you might miss that social break. Having a study buddy, even if it’s a pet or a plant, can make your space more welcoming.

Trick it Out

If you can, get yourself a comfortable chair and desk to study at. While this isn’t possible for everyone’s living situation, make sure your study posture won’t send you to the chiropractor!

A study space won’t be the difference between you graduating or not. If you want to graduate, you will make it happen, study space or not. But it’s always important to start a task with the right tools, and your study space is one of those important tools.

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