Studying online can sometimes be challenging, especially when you’re juggling your studies with work and other priorities. But there are some tips you can follow to help you along your online learning journey.

Learning online requires a different approach to studying in-person, especially when it comes to managing your time.

Here are some tips on how to be an effective online learner:

1. Plan and prioritise your time

Perhaps the greatest pitfall many students studying online find themselves in is neglecting to properly plan and prioritise their time.

When you’re juggling your studies with your work and personal commitments, neglecting to plan and prioritise your time appropriately often means your studies can quickly fall way down your list of priorities, causing you to fall behind with your studies.

Taking some time out before you start off each week to carefully prioritise your tasks for the week and plan out how many hours you’ll dedicate to your studies will ensure your studies don’t get buried somewhere at the bottom of your list of priorities. This will help to keep you on-track.

Breaking your studies down into small, manageable chunks each week will also make it more comfortable and less stressful for you to manage your studies alongside your other commitments.

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2. Stay disciplined

Learning to say “no” will be a great help in making you a more effective online learner. Make it clear to well-meaning friends and family that your online studies are just as important to you as your job and other commitments.  

While it’s important to take some time away from work and your studies to unwind and relax,  you may need to remind others that you're only willing to do this once you've completed the assignments and other activities you had scheduled in for the week! 

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3. Keep in mind your end goal

It’s easy to lose sight of your end goal when you’re juggling multiple tasks and priorities at once. But whenever you feel you’ve hit a wall with your motivation to study, it’s useful to remember why you decided to study your chosen course in the first place.

Whether it was to succeed in getting your dream job, to gain a promotion and a better salary, or for your own personal interest and development, it’s important to keep in mind that the time and effort you invest in your online studies now will ultimately get you closer to your end goal.

This will help you get your motivation back on-track and remind you that your online studies will be well worth it in the end once you graduate.