Time can be difficult to manage whether you’re physically going to campus or taking classes online. This is why I have shared 5 easy to implement time management tips to help you excel as a college student taking online classes.

Easy time management tips to help you excel as a college student taking online classes

1. Plan your day ahead of time

The first and most important thing for you to do as a college student taking online classes is to plan your day ahead of time. It is easy for the day to get away from you when you don’t have to physically go to a place. It is possible to over-commit your time because you know you don’t have to physically go to campus.

To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, you ought to pan out your day. The way I do it is that before I sleep, I list the tasks I need to take care of the following day.

The reason why I do this before bed is that it gives me time to allow myself flexibility. If something comes in after 7 pm/8 pm, I’m still able to factor that into my to-do list for the following day.

It is also wise to plan your day by subject. As a college student, you have several subjects you’re taking at a time. When you’re coming up with your plan for the day, be sure to skim through each course you’re taking and factor in each you’re having that day to make sure you don’t miss anything.

If you have a part-time job, also factor that into your plan for the day. Make sure you’re covering all your bases for the best results.

2. Set up in advance

It is a good idea to set up a few minutes before your class is scheduled to begin. Why?

I’m so glad you’ve asked that. The reason is that sometimes your laptop will act up, it might decide to restart itself or to update something, you know how it is. 

Setting up 10-15 minutes ahead of time allows you to do all the extra things that could affect the flow of your class. 

When I say set up ahead of time, I mean that you are logged into the class platform, you have any materials you need for the class laid out on your desk, and you are ready for the class.

3. Block out distractions

Concentration is a big factor in whether you enjoy your class or not. It is therefore important for you to block out distractions. 

If you live in a shared space, then you could begin by setting up boundaries. Let the people you live with know when your classes are, and make sure the environment is noise-free.

Something else you could do to ensure you aren’t distracted is to put your phone on airplane mode, this way there will be no notifications dinging and buzzing while your class is in session.

What does this have to do with time management? When you miss the important bits of a class you have to then carve out time away from another activity, later on, to make up for the class you weren’t paying attention to right?

This is a matter of efficiency. Of course, you have the option to be distracted the whole time and just review the class again by yourself later. 

However, you also have the option to have taken that class when the class was scheduled to be had so that later you could take care of something else.

4. Have a wi-fi backup

This could literally ruin your whole day. Wi-Fi isn’t as reliable as we would like, depending on where in the world you are, that is. 

You should make sure you have a Wi-Fi backup for all your classes. Also, make sure that your devices are all fully charged, just in case the power goes down before your class begins. 

This will save you the hassle of going to a café or to your friend’s house just to charge your phone or laptop for a class.

5. Set a schedule

Schedules for college students are actually pretty flexible. Your schedule will be autogenerated based on the classes you picked for yourself for a given semester.

As a college student, your class schedule governs your daily activities. You have to set your daily schedule based on your class schedule and then plan around that.

This is the most efficient way to do it. 

Your class schedule will dictate what time your day starts. It might not dictate what time your day ends, but it is definitely the guide for the time your day starts.

From your first class of the day, schedule out all the things you do around the class timings for that given semester, and you should be good to go.

Conclusion

I shall conclude by saying that some days will be better than others. The most important thing is to continuously progress over time. Make sure you’re improving, and progress over perfection.

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It’s not about getting it right the first time, it’s about adjusting your daily routine, little by little until it becomes the norm.

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These small changes will ensure that you’re the master of your time as a college student taking online classes. This will help you excel as a college student and keep that GPA sky high.

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