How to stay motivated and productive while studying a Diploma online

Are you currently studying online, or are you about to begin an online Program - and you have no idea how you're going to manage it?! If you're anything like me, keeping on top of your own to do list may seem like a daunting task. Studying online is very different from studying in a classroom. You don't have anyone to hold you accountable - except for yourself! (And our Facilitators of course!)

We've put together a list of handy tip and tricks (which you may or may not like!) to help you stay focused and motivated to study online:

1. Give your mobile phone to someone else (or hide it somewhere very, very well....so you can't find it!)

This is a great tip because you won't be able to check your phone, because, well....someone else will have it. There will be no temptation for you to quickly check your socials or your Tik Tok....these can wait until after your study session/tutorial/assessment!

2. Disable all of your notifications on your phone or turn on Airplane mode 

In case you couldn't find someone else to take your phone, or you just can't bear the thought of being away from it....disable all of those pesky notifications and physically place your phone into another room. If you can't be bothered going into the settings and disabling all of the notifications, turn on Airplane mode. Those Twitter messages can wait!

3. If you are behind or you have a huge workload ahead of you....forget about having a routine - use the Snowball method

Using the Snowball method to tackle the smallest of tasks, and then working your way up to the largest task, will not only help you to quickly get through items on your to-do list, but it will also give you that subconscious 'feel-good' feeling every time you accomplish something. If you ever get sidetracked or overwhelmed when you know you've got a huge list of things to do - try this method!

4. Try setting up your week so that harder tasks are scheduled for earlier in the week

If you know you've got an assessment due, or a presentation or role play that you need to prepare for, you can also try prioritizing this early on in the week - so that once you come to the end of the week, you have less to worry about and can finish up any smaller items and actually enjoy your weekend! 

5. Frequently reflect on your work and your routine and figure out what works and what doesn't work

At the end of every week, or every couple of weeks, take some time to look back on how you planned all of your work and see what worked well, and what didn't work well. Did you write down a list of tasks, or can you keep track of everything in your mind? Did that work, or do you prefer to see things visually? Did you schedule things to get done in the morning, but are you finding that you get more things done in the evening? Always keep refining your routine to see what works best for you. 

The best part about these tips is that you can start implementing these straight away!