How to Stay Motivated While Learning Remotely

COVID-19 changed many things, including the education system and process. While some students are back to in-person instruction in the classroom; many are still studying remotely -  and finding the motivation to succeed can be daunting at times. Here are some tips to help you stay on task and rise to the demands of online learning.

1. Set your alarm and stick to a schedule. No more sleeping until noon and staying up until 2:00 a.m. Schedule yourself for success. Rise early, tackle your schoolwork, and then relax – knowing that you’ve accomplished what you set out to do. Creating a schedule can help you to stay balanced in life – allowing you to build in time for schoolwork, family and fun activities.
2. Eat well and get some form of exercise every day. These two things, along with getting enough sleep will keep your energy up.
3. Get dressed. If you don’t put forth a little effort, it’s easy to roll in and out of bed, rather than sending your psyche the message that it’s time to transition from a time of leisure to a time of focus.
4. Set up a dedicated spot to do your studies. Schedule out your study time and treat school as you would any external job. Arriving at your “desk” at the same time each morning sends the brain the signal that it’s time to get to work and start learning!
5. Use tools such as calendars, reminders, alarms and more to stay on track.
6. Set small weekly goals for each class and track your progress. Seeing what you’ve accomplished can go a long way towards motivating you for future work!
7. Enlist help. Set up a virtual study group with classmates. In addition to the excitement you’ll feel at having a scheduled time to talk with others, they will hold you accountable, and you will hold them accountable. You can use platforms such as Zoom or Teams and share documents through Google suite tools, such as Google Drive. Some groups find it helpful to have a pre-determined agenda of topics they’d like to cover in each study session to keep everyone on task. Others prefer a more open, unstructured conversation. Also set up a place to chat with one another singly or in groups using texting or a platform like Slack. It’s great to be able to field questions to the team and gather support when you need it.
8. Find your attention waning? Try the Pomodoro Technique to create short breaks into your day.
9. Take the time to discover your personal learning style. Some students learn best when reading material; others when they can hear the lesson. Find ways to modify your coursework to better match your learning style. Record yourself reading the material and play it back so you can listen and learn. Or make notes while listening to a lecture to review later.
10. Reward yourself. It’s important to celebrate your accomplishments – big and small. Doing so can go a long way towards helping you stay positive and motivated all day long!

Having study routines and finding a quiet study spot at home can help you stay focused and motivated with your classes. The tools and systems you put into place now will help you succeed in your online courses today, as well as help set behaviors for online learning opportunities in the future.

Ed4Career’s online courses are structured to support learners of all ages. We currently offer one of the largest proprietary career vocational certification catalogs available on the market today. Contact us today to learn more!