With school starting up and many college students having some form of online class this semester, it’s time to prepare for the time management side of online classes. Unlike in-person classes, the format of the classes can vary a lot and so can the assignments and amount of time you should expect to depend on class. When starting online classes it can be easy to be overwhelmed by the lists of assignments, but how you plan can help relieve a lot of stress.
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Start with lecture times: Some online classes do not include live lectures, but if your online classes have live lectures start by adding them into your planner. It can be helpful to simply add it as something every week if you are using an online planner. If you are using a physical planner you can simply write it down in the first week of the month to get a quick glance at the lectures. If you do not have any live lectures, you can also block out time for viewing recorded lectures to help keep a routine for school.
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Put in the dates of important tests and projects: The most important thing to write down in your monthly spread is important dates like tests, quizzes, and projects. These should be bigger assignments that will need to be worked on or studied for a long period of time. If you are using an online planner, set up reminders so that you can remember to work on the assignment. This will help later when you need to plan out study time.
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Add assignments ina weekly overview: When you get the syllabus at the beginning of the semester you must make sure to write down all your assignments, even if dates could change. You do not want to be forgetting an assignment because you forgot to write it down or the professor did not mention it. You can write these dates down in your weekly spreads. You should check your planner a few weeks in advance to get to know what is coming up and get a head start on any assignments.
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Plan out your study time and create a routine: Once you finally got down what has to be done and when it is time to finally get to planning and creating a routine. You should have an idea when your best productivity time is and plan your study schedule around it. You should try to choose certain days and times and stick to studying these times. It is so important to stick to the routine to help you get your work done. The constituency is key.
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Have fun things planned: Online school is plain hard. But one of the hardest things is the lack of routine and how easily it can blend into the rest of your life. While doing college (or any other school) online it is important to set boundaries. But boundaries are more than just space boundaries, they also include making time for yourself and social activities. Each week make sure to plan a time where you are free to chill out or have some fun.