Online learning has many benefits, not least of which is an increase in flexibility. But with the added flexibility comes the need to manage your time better, especially if you鈥檙e also juggling other activities, such as working on the side. Many students say that time management is an area they struggle with when studying online. We鈥檝e rounded up some of our favourite time management hacks (many come courtesy of 天美麻豆 partner schools) to help you better manage your time and work smarter online.
1. Personal Time Survey
We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but how are you spending them?聽
George Mason University suggests completing a personal time survey to determine how much time you spend on activities such as meal preparation and socializing with friends.聽
When you鈥檝e calculated your total, subtract it from 168, the number of hours in a week. The result is the number of hours per week you can devote to studying. Is it enough? The survey reveals activities that are huge weekly time consumers鈥攖ime that could be freed up and better spent elsewhere. One of the upsides to online learning is that you鈥檙e greatly cutting back on travel time鈥攏ow you need to decide where that time is going!
Personal Time Survey
| 1. Hours spent sleeping per night | _____ x 7 = _____ |
| 2. Hours spent grooming per day | _____ x 7 = _____ |
| 3. Hours spent eating and preparing food per day | _____ x 7 = _____ |
| 4a. Travel time per weekday | _____ x 5 = _____ |
| 4b. Total travel time on the weekend | _____ |
| 5. Hours spent at regularly scheduled social functions per week, such as school clubs | _____ |
| 6. Hours spent doing chores and running errands per day | _____ x 7 = _____ |
| 7. Number of hours spent at work per week | _____ |
| 8. Hours spent in class per week | _____ |
| 9. Average hours spent socializing per week | _____ |
| Total | _____ |
| Subtract the total from 168 | 168 – _____ = _____ |
2. Plan Your Schedule
As our friends at Northeastern University remind us, you鈥檒l want to invest in a calendar or, even better, sign up for a free online option such as , which allows you to set reminder notifications. To keep track of what鈥檚 happening, be sure to add important dates, including:
- Assignment drafts and final due dates
- Tests, midterms, and final exams
- Virtual meetings and networking opportunities
- Virtual office hours
They also suggest mapping out what you鈥檒l do each day of the week, such as readings, participating in online discussion boards, and assignments. Here鈥檚 a sample schedule created by Melanie Kasparian, associate director of assessment for the Northeastern University College of Professional Studies:
Sample Schedule
Monday: Begin required readings.
Tuesday: Continue reviewing materials.
Wednesday: Post to the discussion forum and begin assignments.
Thursday: Continue posting and working on assignments.
Friday: Read and respond to posts and work on assignments.
Saturday: Read and respond to posts and finish assignments.
Sunday: Check work and submit assignments.
3. Check Your Progress
Yorkville University suggests regular check-ins to see how you鈥檙e progressing on important tasks. If you鈥檙e not hitting your targets, you may need to change your strategy. If something is proving especially challenging or you鈥檝e hit a plateau, try taking a break and working on something else for a while, like micro-tidying your study space. You鈥檒l likely find that you鈥檝e got a new perspective and a second wind when you return to your work. Also, don鈥檛 be shy about asking your classmates via the online discussion board about which approaches work for them and which don鈥檛. You鈥檙e all navigating this together鈥攔ely on one another!
4. There鈥檚 An App for That
In our recent blog post Top 7 Apps That Will Help You Make the Grade This Fall, we shared two fantastic apps to improve time management:
Marinara Timer
The is based on the tried and true Pomodoro Technique, which is designed to help you boost productivity. It works like this: you focus on a single activity, such as studying for an exam or writing an essay, for 25 minutes, completely avoiding any distractions. After the 25 minutes are up, the virtual buzzer goes off and you take a 5-minute break. You do this for four 鈥淧omodoros,鈥� except that at the end of the fourth Pomodoro, you take a 15-minute break.
OFFTIME
There are countless things competing for our attention at any given moment, and many of them are right on our phones. temporarily locks you out of your social media accounts鈥攐r even your phone鈥攖o help you avoid common distractions, like Instagram and TikTok, and improve productivity. It allows you to focus on watching your online lecture or studying for your midterm, and before you know it, you鈥檒l be free to scroll your Instagram feed once again!
5. Use an Assignment Tracker
It can be challenging to gauge how much time you need to block off to complete an assignment. An assignment can often take more time than initially anticipated and invariably eats into other tasks.聽
Algonquin College devised a handy assignment tracker to help you take out the guesswork:
Assignment Tips
- Two-Hour Rule
As a rule of thumb, block off two hours for every 5% an assignment counts towards your final grade. For example, if an assignment is worth 15% of your grade, you鈥檒l want to schedule six hours to complete it. If it鈥檚 worth 30%, book 12 hours in your calendar. - Start ASAP
Most of us are guilty of not giving ourselves sufficient time to finish assignments. Aim to begin at least two weeks before the assignment is due. Also, be sure to take into account whether you鈥檒l need to do any research and factor that into your start date. - Chunk the Work
Breaking your assignment up into smaller chunks, or 鈥渟tages,鈥� will make the work more manageable.
Complete the Assignment Tracker
To create your assignment tracker, grab a piece of paper, or use to access it across all of your devices.
- At the top of the page, add:
- Course name
- Assignment title
- Assignment value (total weight of your final grade)
- Hours of work required
- Today鈥檚 date
- Due date
- Next, divide your page into three columns:
- Stage
- Deadline (for each stage of the assignment)
- Check when complete
Complete the tracker as you make progress on your assignment. You鈥檒l look forward to checking off each stage, and before you know it, you鈥檒l be ready to submit the completed assignment to your instructor!聽
Watch the YouTube video below to see the assignment tracker in action:
6. Talk to Your Program Advisor
Finally, if you find that you鈥檙e still struggling with work-life balance, reach out to your program advisor! They鈥檙e an excellent resource for you to lean on and are more than happy to share resources and information to help you budget your time and keep on track with your studies.
Did these time management hacks help? There’s more where that came from; 天美麻豆 can guide every part of your study abroad journey.
