New Year’s resolutions. Have you considered using the New Year to kickstart an educational journey, learn a new set of skills and enhance your career?

Online student and Atlanta native, Kathy Lopez, intends to focus on her academic goals this 2020. She is completing a Pre-Professional Speech Language Pathology certificate.

Specifically, she hopes to master time management and the art of balancing a full time school and work schedule.

“Remembering to log in on ELC can get overwhelming and I forget on occasions to keep up with the workload,” Lopez says.

To avoid this, Lopez sets alarms on her to remind her which activities and assignments are due throughout the day. She says setting the alarms allows her to “spread out” her workload throughout the week. 

In many cases, online students, balance jobs and other activities on top of their school work. Tips on time management and planning can help you keep your academic resolutions this year. 

Keep a Schedule

Keeping a schedule will keep you on track, and it is one of the most efficient ways to plan out studying time and deadlines. It often helps to see things written out on paper, and checking things off your schedule and to-do list can serve as motivation to get things done. Try time blocking by blocking off a few hours only for school work or planning a few hours on your schedule to get errands out of the way. When it comes down to it, you want to make the most of your time, and following a schedule will ensure you fit everything into your day. 

Stay Organized

Keep information for each class separate so that it is easy to find and won’t get mixed in with other miscellaneous information. One helpful tip is to color-code based on class. Have a certain color for each class that will match a color of a folder for loose papers. Use colored pens to write important dates in a planner, and use that same color to label documents on your computer. The more organized you are, the more efficient your studying will be.  

Take Everything One Day at a Time

During the semester, remember to take everything one day at a time. There is only so much that you can accomplish in a day, so space your studying and workload out well. As each day passes, you are one day closer to your degree, so in the end it will all be worth it. 

Consider using these apps to help you this semester: Evernote, Google Calendar and Todoist. 

Good luck, dawgs!