Are you looking to or have recently enrolled in a distance learning school and are now biting your nails at the thought of having to manage your time by yourself? That is the worry of many who dive head-first into this educational option only to realize they procrastinate so much that they won’t make it to their own funeral on time. It leaves them to wonder how they will manage their time well enough to complete assignments without constant harassment from a professor. I speak from experience in saying, it can be done, but it will take a lot of organization – and a little growing up.

I have been attending a distance learning university for almost a year now, and in the later months it became a breeze – but in the beginning it was a challenge for me. While I loved the independence of learning outside of a classroom setting, I was not the best at managing my time – I had procrastination issues. “Oh, I’ll get to it tomorrow,” I kept telling myself, until “tomorrow” was my assignment’s due date. I had to develop a plan to manage my time better – which I did – and now I would like to share some of what I learned with you so that you won’t fall under the brunt of the distance learning experience.

Set up a Schedule and Stick to It

Depending on the structure of your distance learning program, your freedom in turning in assignments might be rather flexible. For my school, I am obligated to turn in a group of assignments by the end of each month; however I can turn in assignments anytime in the month if I so please. While initially I thought I would just finish all of my assignments for the semester in the first few months and get it all out of the way, I was wrong. I enjoyed the freedom that came along with the schedule and before I knew it I wanted to go to the park and visit my friends instead of do my homework. Once I recognized the problem, I set up a schedule to have a certain amount of work done each week, whether it was the assigned readings or a paper. That way, by the end of the month, I was making final edits to my work instead of just getting started.

Keep Yourself Busy When Not Studying

This was a big issue for me because I’d recently left a job that was downsizing and pretty much let me know my time was limited. I’d wanted to go back to school anyway, so I left my job and began my distance learning education unemployed. Initially, I thought it would be a good idea because I had money saved in the bank and the time would allow me to focus my energy on school. However, I quickly began to realize that I had too much time and too little school work. While it didn’t seem possible for graduate-level studies, it was. So I relished in my free time and kept putting off my homework until, before I knew it, I was scrambling to finish my assignments.

To solve this problem, I began to work part time. This gave me a deadline-oriented schedule and put pressure on me to study with my remaining time, which actually worked. At the same time, it also put some extra cash in my pockets – not a bad tradeoff. If you don’t want to work outside of the home, however, you can always baby sit a child or even volunteer. The main objective is to keep yourself busy with distance learning because if you don’t, you might be in danger of impending procrastination.

Don’t Get Sidetracked

Studying through a distance learning program unfortunately provides the opportunity to become easily sidetracked, especially when your child tugs at your shirt or a friend stops by to talk about marriage problems. It can be a lot easier to put your work to the side and say “I’ll get to it tomorrow.” But if you cut yourself this slack, you will soon realize your time is up. To avoid this, make arrangements with your friends and family early so that they understand your obligations. Find someone to watch your child just as you would if you had to attend a traditional university. And explain to your friend that you understand their pain, but between certain hours you have to “go to school.” It’s important to set those boundaries firmly so everyone, including you, understands how seriously you are taking your education.

Being successful at any university requires good organization and time management skills, but a distance learning education requires even more. The benefits of this type of education can be great however, so don’t let anything get in your way. You’ll find that if you can get yourself organized for distance learning, you will naturally feel inclined to get organized in other areas of your life – and that’s always a plus!

By: Jeffrey Meier