5 Tips to Stay Motivated While Learning Online

How I Learn Things Online (Way More Efficiently)

Many colleges and high schools around the country have announced their plan to host predominantly online courses during the Fall 2020 semester in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. This decision is undoubtedly the best option in the interest of public health and safety, but the transition creates mixed feelings in students: some are glad to have the opportunity to sleep in a little longer and save time by cutting out a commute, and others will miss the freedom that dorm life gave them.

Millions of students will be tackling a new mode of learning unlike the traditional classroom they’ve experienced for years. Adjustment can seem daunting, so I’ve compiled a list of 5 tips to help online learners stay motivated while studying in a virtual classroom based on what I’ve learned from my own experience as a college kid. Whether you are a student in the throes or a parent searching for ways to help your child, take a look at some advice from someone who has been there.

1 – Have an optimal environment for studying

Doing your homework or tuning into a virtual class meeting on your bed, while incredibly comfortable, will not put you in the right mindset for schoolwork. Environment plays a crucial role in your productivity and motivation, and all a bed will inspire you to do is close that textbook and go to sleep.

It is best to study outside of your bedroom completely, as your brain automatically associates your bedroom with sleep and relaxation. However, if you have limited space in your home, or want to avoid getting distracted by family members, your bedroom will be fine as long as there are a good desk and chair to use while working.

Having a quiet environment and a desk to study covers the basics, but a good study environment will have to be clutter-free and organized. Even if you are not consciously aware of it, a disorganized space can be very distracting. Maybe you can utilize the extra time you have for some spring cleaning.

2 – Create your own schedule

After years of following a rigid class schedule, having the flexibility of being at home enrolled into a couple of asynchronous courses can be cathartic initially. But if your experience is anything like mine, that freedom downspirals quickly. As a creature of habit, not having at least a loose schedule to follow made me feel pretty aimless. Having structure throughout your day motivates you while also being a good internal tracker of your productivity.

Take the initiative of creating your own daily schedule to make sure you are on track with your courses and being productive. I am not saying you have to make a minute-by-minute agenda with entries like ‘1:25-1:45 P.M.: eat lunch’ scrawled in, but a way of tracking that you are taking care of all assignments and due dates.

Having designated slots of time dedicated to your school work, such as ‘Monday evening: work on economics paper,’ will hold you accountable and lower the chance that you’ll experience facepalm moments of realizing you totally forgot about that online assignment due at midnight.

I reduced the number of my own facepalms by changing my mentality from ‘I’ll just write the essay later’ to ‘I’m writing that essay on Tuesday and Friday morning.’ Trust me, procrastination is easy to slip into. But you already know that.

3 – Join study group chats

It is easier for me to find motivation when I’m around other driven students and classroom friends. We keep each other accountable by reminding each other of important deadlines, sharing notes from class, getting feedback on a paper, and asking each other any questions we might not have gotten the chance to ask the professor.

A negative side effect of learning in a virtual setting is that you can no longer pop by a common room to find a group of students drilling away at that week’s homework. But study sessions can be transferred online the same way that class was. Make a group chat with your classmates or join an existing one if you are like me and need other students around to motivate yourself. Many students even opt for group video calls to make the transition more seamless.

4 – Take notes as you would in-person

I am usually a detailed note taker during a physical classroom lecture. After the
transition into online learning, I found that I was less keen on taking notes, rationalizing with myself that I can just always look back at the uploaded class material. If a teacher recorded and uploaded lectures and class sessions, it would greatly fuel my lazy mindset. I found that I was not absorbing anything that the instructor was teaching, and a lot of my time while working on assignments was wasted scrolling through page after page of PDFs. During online exams, I stared blankly at more than a few questions on the screen.

Having notes to refer back to will save a lot of your time. Take notes the same way you did during in-person sessions, whether you are a pen-and-paper note taker or a typing-into-a-Word-doc one. Continuing to take notes during online class sessions and while doing the reading will help you retain the information. Feeling like you are behind on the material, or that it’s way over your head, can be very unmotivational and demoralizing.

5 – Maintain focus and eliminate distractions

This is the first generation of students who can go to school on their phones and laptops. It is hard to create a work-life balance when you’re learning on the same devices you play games, watch shows, and use social media on. You need to hold yourself accountable for creating a divide between your relaxation times and your schoolwork time. Along with creating a schedule as mentioned in the second tip, make sure that no distractions permeate into your study session. Don’t sit in front of the TV or leave your Netflix tab open on the same browser you’re doing work on.

To eliminate distractions further, you can temporarily put your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode while you’re working so you are not bothered by social media notifications or texts from friends. Staying in touch during the age of social distancing is important, but it can wait for a couple of hours while you wrap up on your online assignment.

In Summary

In order to flourish in a virtual classroom setting, I suggest creating a good study space, adding structure to your day by having a schedule, joining group chats with your classmates, taking notes, and eliminating distractions while you work.

Be easy on yourself, such a large change can derail anyone from motivation and be difficult to adjust to. That is why you must actively work towards making this transition as smooth as possible. Your education is for your personal and career development; don’t let even a global pandemic take that away from you.