Time Management

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of working in an asynchronous online environment is the ability to effectively manage your time and tasks. Everyone has a preferred way to do this, but successful students all have a deliberate plan to help them manage the assorted tasks and deadlines associated with the class as well as the other parts of life that require their attention. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you consider how to structure your time.

Make a Schedule:
In a traditional face-to-face class, there is a specific time and specific days for the learner to attend a class. Asynchronous online courses offer significant flexibility, but that can be a blessing and a curse. For learners with busy lives and diverse responsibilities outside the classroom, this flexibility can mean the difference between excelling in a course because they can fit it into their schedule and failing a course because they are unable to meet at 9:00am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week. At the same time, if a learner interprets this flexibility as "I can just work on it whenever I have free time", that learner is likely to find that they have no "free" time or their "free" time is rapidly consumed by other tasks. Make a reasonable estimate of the time you will need to be successful in the course and specifically schedule that time, just like you would schedule a work shift, or a doctor's visit, or a birthday party for your favorite sibling. Once you have established that schedule, protect your time. Sure, there may be a day when an emergency comes up and you have to attend to something else during your scheduled course time, but make sure your criteria for labelling something an "emergency" sets a very high bar.

Work Ahead:
Despite our best intentions, life happens. When you have the opportunity to work ahead, do it! That's time you are putting into the bank to use later when an "emergency" comes up.

Find a Space:
Just like identifying specific times, identifying a specific place to do your learning can be extremely helpful. Maybe it's your couch, maybe it's your kitchen table. I strongly suggest finding a space that is not normally used for other activities that are not associated with learning or other similar activities. If you try to "learn" in a space that your brain already identifies with "relaxing" or "family time", it can be difficult to change gears when it's learning time. This doesn't mean you have to have a dedcicated room just for online learning, but maybe you have a specific placemat for your kitchen table or lapdesk that can send a tangible signal to your brain that it is time to learn. {I personally like something like this: https://www.dickblick.com/products/helix-metal-edge-drawing-boards/ to use as a lapdesk for my computer.}

Stay in Touch:
Never hesitate to contact the instructor. It is always easier to address a challenge when we know about it earlier rather than later. My goal is to help you succeed in this class and your future; help me to help you do that.

These are just a couple tips and tricks. Good luck and let me know when and how I can help.



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