When you’re productive as an online student, you’re in the right headspace to accomplish important tasks — whether reviewing exam material or understanding new concepts. Productivity means using your time effectively. It’s not how fast you work. It’s how you use your time to the best of your ability. To be productive in your MedCerts courses, you might make a to-do list, find a quiet study space or even create a daily schedule using time blocking for students.
Making Time for Time Blocking
First, what is time blocking? Also called time chunking, it’s a type of time management where you carve out blocks of time for specific tasks. This technique works best when you schedule the entire day rather than a few hours.
When you create a time-blocked schedule for your virtual learning, you’re giving yourself permission to forget everything else but the task at hand. Let’s say you’ve scheduled 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM for reviewing last week’s lessons. If a friend stops by, you can safely decline the invitation without feeling guilty. Better yet, put their invitation on your time-blocked calendar for the weekend or an evening next week.
The Benefits of Time Blocking for Online Students
What are the benefits of this time management technique? When you use time blocking, you can:
- Reduce stress: Trying to fit too many things into the day leads to stress or burnout. By following a schedule, you’re less likely to overwhelm yourself.
- Boost your focus: Modern life has a lot of distractions. Time blocking helps you develop laser focus on one task or a group of related tasks.
- Avoid procrastination: Rather than procrastinate and then spend a few frantic hours cramming, use your schedule to give yourself more time.
- Increase productivity: Having better organization helps you complete goals for the day.
- Strengthen your time management skills: By creating a time management plan, you’ll see how long certain tasks take — and whether you’re as productive as you should be.
How to Implement Time Blocking as a Student
From young adult students to adult learners seeking a career change, you need to create a schedule that works for you.
1. Consider Any Work Duties
Time-block your work hours, helping you see that those hours are off-limits. If you work full-time, for example, your free time will likely be limited to weeknights and weekends.
2. Identify Time for School Work
Review your remaining hours and mark off time for new lessons and lesson reviews. Add time blocks in 25- to 45-minute increments, such as 25 minutes to review last week’s notes and 45 minutes for today’s lesson.
3. Remember to Add Breaks
A short break while studying or learning helps you refocus and avoid burnout. If you love to scroll social media, choose one five- to 10-minute break to enjoy the scrolling. Then, set your phone aside. You can also add breaks to your time-blocked schedule. Instead of daydreaming about a jog through the park, go do it because it’s on your schedule from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Then you can return refreshed and ready for the next time-blocked task.
Maximize Your MedCerts Online Learning
To achieve success in your online education, take advantage of time management techniques like time blocking for students. Scheduling your lessons and study time boosts productivity and helps you gain deeper value from your MedCerts course.
