Tip 1 – Set smaller goals

At the start of each week, I have a main goal I would like to accomplish by the end of the week. I write it down and put it somewhere I can see every day.  The weekly goal is great but does not end there. Each morning, I take a few minutes to review the current situation. What do I want to accomplish today? It is important that this goal be reasonable, don’t shoot for the stars because if something comes up or it’s too high of an expectation and you get stuck, you will be disappointed.  These small goals help you stay on track and you can quickly review the overall progress by the small steps. If you have no small goals, only the end goal of finishing your online course, it will be very hard to measure progress and you won’t see what you are accomplishing.

Tip 2 – Set up a timetable

If you don’t plan it out, it won’t happen. I’m not calling anyone lazy, but things will always come up to distract you from your school: work, spending time with family/friends or the even more subtle distractions…your smartphone.  

Those are not bad, but if you don’t set a time each day where you can work on your online course then your progress will be slow and you will not be pleased with your slow progress. For example, if you can focus 4 hours a day on school…schedule it and do it.  

Tip 3 – Find a study buddy

Having other students learning along with you is a great way.  It is one of the ways in-person schools can be effective. That does not mean online schooling is doomed. 

Finding people going through the same struggles as you, and those who have gotten past that point can have a powerful motivating effect.  Get involved in whatever way you can, if the schooling has an online presence then join and be active. Sometimes you will be in a position to help fellow students, the after effect of that is you yourself get a boost of motivation.

At OpenClassrooms, we use Workplace so that students can interact with each other. 

Tip 4 – Find a mentor

How well does a football (soccer) team perform without a coach?  How about with an experienced coach helping guide them? If your online schooling does not have a mentorship program, I highly recommend finding someone who is willing to help mentor you.  

Your mentor was not born with the knowledge they have now, they had to learn it, they had to go through the struggles.  They know what YOU are dealing with, what you have to do and also what you CAN and will accomplish. A major benefit of a mentor is you can reach out to them when you are stuck, don’t know where to turn or have any struggles.  They are not there to do the work for you but help you know what you need to do to move forward.

Tip 5 – Reward yourself

The first point of this was to make small goals,  what do you do when you are getting your goals checked off?  How about after a week of study that went well, or after you complete that large project that was looming over you for weeks?  

It is important that you reward yourself in a balanced and healthy way. Go out with friends, go to the movies, treat yourself as a reward.  You can look back at what you’ve done, feel great and know that if you keep pushing forward you can do even more…and you will.