Your guide to creating a study schedule

One of the biggest perks of learning online with an accredited school like Ashworth College is the flexibility and convenience you get from learning at your own pace, on your own time. But rather than rest on your laurels, you should use this control to your advantage!

One great way to do this is to set up a study schedule with your online college degree that works best for you. This will help you stick to the task at hand and complete your studies.

Here are some tips to help you out

Use an actual calendar

Whether you use the calendar on your smartphone, Google calendar, an old-school wall calendar, whiteboard, a trusty planner, or any combination of items, you’ll want to chart your study times somewhere. This can help you stay organized and give yourself reminders.

Figure out when you are most productive

You don’t want to designate your study times at random. When is your most productive time of day? When are you most focused? If you are more of a morning person, set aside some time earlier in the day. If you’re a night owl who can be productive later on, set your study times for the evening. The flexibility of online learning means you can study whenever works best for you!

Don’t panic when life gets in the way

Making a plan is great, but it doesn’t have to be completely rigid. Life will often throw you curveballs that can knock you off of your plan, but it’s how you react that makes the difference. You can plan for the unexpected by having back-up study times. If you know you are not going to get any work done for a few days, perhaps for a vacation, then compensate for it by adding in more time before and after. You don’t have to forfeit life events because you have study time scheduled. Use that flexibility to your advantage and shuffle things up a bit! This can also help you stay fresh and not dread your everyday study time.

Reward yourself

Did you meet a goal or ace an exam? Treat yourself! It can be something small (ice cream, anyone?) or a bigger splurge, but you should always reward yourself when you stick to your plan and things are going well. Look at your study calendar and see where you can add in milestones and goals throughout your program. This can help keep you moving toward the ultimate goal of graduation.