Distance Learning Secrets: Study Online Without Losing Your Mind!

By E Danica Lovell

If you're a working adult who's going back to school for the first time in years, you may be worried about trying to balance everything and keep up with your classmates.

This short, practical handbook covers everything you need to know about perfecting your approach to distance learning. From "to-don't" lists to stripped schedules, automation and a laser focus on which tasks to tackle first, effective time management is vital when you're undertaking an online education program.

Whether you're a new or existing student, this book will make it easier than ever before to live your dreams and achieve your full potential. 

Why put it off any longer? Start studying and succeeding today! 

"Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four-hour days." – Zig Ziglar

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Aug 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9780947481643

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 E. Danica Lovell.

ISBN: 978-0-947481-64-3

To Cam - my inspiration and biggest fan.

And to Charlotte - who showed me that there is always another way.

Table of Contents

Introduction

My journey

1. Time Management

Make a to-don’t list

Strip your schedule

Plan your time effectively

Tackle tasks one by one

Curb social media habits

Automate your life

2. Study Effectiveness

Customize your workspace

Choose topics you care about

First, do the stuff you hate

Organize your tech

Get into work mode

Research, Read, Write

3. School-Life Balance

Take 15 minutes for yourself

Exercise

Effective Relaxation

Prioritize sleep

Eat halfway-decent food

Manage Expectations

Be Mindful of Messages

Read a novel

Sacred shower time

Reward yourself

Stop the downward spiral

Stretch

4. Community / Support

Use your resources

Keep your head up if you slip up

Surround yourself with people who understand

Keeping the End in Mind

Visualize completion

5. Dealing with administrators/teachers

Build relationships early

Communicate openly

Accepting criticism

6. Community of fellow students 

Building lasting relationships

The Final Pep Talk

Author’s note

Acknowledgments

Introduction

By deciding to pick up this book, you are one step closer to building the life you’ve always dreamt of!

No matter the motivation, studying online is no small feat—there are distractions, competing priorities, and lots of necessary structure and discipline required. This is especially true for those who are juggling professional and household responsibilities (as many students are) with their schoolwork.

I first thought of the idea for this book when my sister told me she was about to start a master’s degree online. As I coached her through the early stages and shared tips and tricks I thought, Hey... I could have used this info when I started my degree.

My journey

Icompleted my MBA via 100% distance learning with the University of Essex and graduated in 2018. I went the distance learning route because there are no graduate schools in Bermuda (where I’m from), and the need to move to another country and pay school fees made relocation impractical. To move, I would have had to give up my only source of income (my full-time job).

I spent weeks researching online programs. A few of the top factors I was considering were a flexible schedule, legitimacy/credibility of the institution, method of delivery, class size, schedules (full-time/part-time), the length of the program itself and cost. I looked at universities all over the world offering distance learning, and one of the main reasons I chose the University of Essex was that I intended to transfer in credits from another UK-based school.

My experience was a roller coaster and nothing like what I expected. In spite of many moments of stress and frustration, I finished my MBA program with honors and lived to tell the tale. I decided that not even my worst moments were as bad as being stuck in a life having panic attacks on Sunday nights anticipating another work week.

This is the book I wish I’d been able to read when I started. I hope it helps to make your distance learning journey a little less stressful, a lot more productive and, dare I say, fun!

1

Time Management

Make a to-don’t list

We know how useful to-do lists can be. Some people have an ongoing to-do list they cannot function without. They add to it constantly, so it is like an extension of their own minds. Others resort to a to-do list when they have a pressing deadline or too many things to remember. However, few of us ever write a to-don’t list! Yet, there are so many things we know we shouldn’t do. The beauty of the to-don’t list is that it becomes a visible reminder of the tasks you are willing and able to set aside; those low-priority tasks that can wait until you are under less pressure from all the essential things you must do.

Learning to tell the difference between essential tasks and non-essential tasks might seem easy, but we are all prone to self-delusion! Sometimes you can convince yourself that you need to get going with that ambition of alphabetizing all your books, writing to your favorite author or learning calligraphy... but what is happening is that you are procrastinating—trying to avoid a more necessary task you’d rather not do. A to-don’t list helps you regain perspective and recognize when you are putting off something more important, so you can get your priorities back on track.

For Now: Write the things you would like to do but aren’t essential. You can call it your to-don’t list or your List of Things Which Can Wait! These are the things that will sneak up and steal your attention from your more immediate priorities.

This list need not be FOREVER; consider it more like a holding cell for things you will do someday. On the days you are feeling like a super-person, this list will be a handy reminder that no matter how capable you feel now, some ideas are priorities for a different day. If you’re the person who falls into the trap of shooting for the next goal and the next and the next (without ever finishing any of them), this to-don’t list could keep you on track and stop you from burning out, so take time to think it through!

For Later: There are two times you will need to turn to your list.

First: when you are on top of the world. Perhaps you just reached a milestone in your work; completed an assignment, aced an exam or got to grips with something you have been struggling with. You are on top of the world! An unstoppable force! The world is your oyster! It’s awesome, but before you get ahead of yourself and sign up for more commitments in the heat of the moment, pause for a second! Take time out for yourself to rest, de-stress and recuperate before you embark on a task that seems doable now, but which might put you under more strain later when you aren’t feeling so hot.

The second time you may find the to-don’t list comes in handy is when you get bored, frustrated or distracted. As time passes, there will likely be dull periods that tempt you to go off track out of sheer boredom. The to-don’t list comes in very handy as a place to store your ideas for future research, so you can stick a pin