Feel like your life is a Netflix original right now? Me too.
Online learning is a necessity in this COVID19 world we’re sharing.
We have two choices: adapt or quit.
We’re nurses, so of course we’re adapting instead of quitting. Learning online may not be your ideal method of study, but that’s okay. You can still be successful in your studies and as a nursing student.
I know everything seems strange right now, but there is so much to be learned in the online environment. Even if you’re a hands-on learner, you can do this online learning thing….I promise.
So, how can you make the most of your online nursing classes and be successful in your online learning pursuit?
Here are the top 5 study tips to be successful in your online learning classes:
1. Treat studying like a job
Right now you’re in school and studying is your job. You may even be working while in school, but that just means you have two jobs.
Since school is your work, you need to have a successful mindset! That means every lecture, task, and assignment should be scheduled and attended to just as if your boss were looking over your shoulder.
The basics
- Set daily goals
- Make checklists
- Set up a dedicated study space
- Schedule schoolwork into your everyday life
2. Manage your time like Elon Musk
Success doesn’t just happen. I sure hope you know that.
Success for students is a series of daily to-do’s that lead to one ultimate goal = graduation and the job of their dreams.
To get there, you have to manage your time and one way to do that is with time blocking. Elon Musk is a master at time blocking.
Time blocking is a time management method that allows you to divide your day into blocks of time and designate each block with a task or group of tasks.
Benefits of time blocking
- Upfront planning allows focus on high-level priorities first
- You can allow time for both deep work and shallow work so that you don’t miss out on anything you really want to do
- You can even add blocks for expected reactive tasks or interruptions
- You can also schedule breaks
Time blocking is more than a to-do list and it works because it is designed to help you focus.
HOT TIP: I time block each day in advance. Every evening, I look at my activities and tasks for the next day and block at least 8 hours of my time. Don’t be too rigid with this system, it’s meant to keep you on tast, not to rule your life.
Tips for time blocking
- overestimate how long each task will take, at least initially
- if one block of time bleeds into another, you can adjust your time estimations next time
- schedule time to check texts or social media
- schedule a time for “overflow” for tasks that seem to constantly be running behind
- always be willing to revise, this isn’t a rigid process that you should beat yourself up over, be flexible and prepared to move things around if needed
You may be resisting this tip, but think about it this way:
When you focus on a single task for a specific period of time, you will find that you are at least 80% more productive. Why? Because you know that checking your email or your texts is in the next block so you have no distractions.
3. Use online resources
This sounds obvious but we tend to default to the same resources over and over again. The class textbook or PowerPoint for example. It’s time to think outside the box. To succeed in online studying, you may need to expand your online resources.
Recommendations:
- Explore your school’s website. There will be information there you may not be aware of like access to your library, technical support, or a contact page with emails where you can reach out for help.
- Use PubMed for nurses. As a nursing student, you’re going to come across PubMed at some point. Now’s a great time to get familiar with this amazing resource of indexed medical literature.
- Discover CINAHL. It’s like PubMed but for nurses and allied health professionals. Get access to information from other nurses and see what they’re saying about your area of study.
- Explore your states’ board of nursing websites. They often have a resource page for new nurses.
4. Join a study team
Even though you’re online, you can still create a team of virtual classmates to have regular discussions. Use the time to quiz each other or review homework assignments.
Use social media outlets such as Facebook or WhatsApp to gather virtually.
5. Challenge yourself
One of the best things you can learn to do while studying online is to challenge yourself.
Every assignment has a deadline. All you have to do is create your own deadline. If your paper is due on Monday, set your own deadline for Saturday.
When you master this little trick, you’ll be amazed at the stress and anxiety that melts away.
Don’t spend your time working towards other people’s deadlines! Create your own and take control.
For bigger assignments like a paper or a PowerPoint, be sure to set your deadline at least two days before the actual deadline so you have time to let information rest in your mind for a day prior to reviewing and turning it in.
This is the key to catching errors in grammar or needed revisions.
Challenge yourself to give yourself time by creating your own deadlines.
Do you have some online study tips you’d like to share? Leave them in the comment below!
Online learning may not be your thing, but, heck, you’re going to be a nurse . . . you got this!! Nursing is your super power!
Stay safe! Clean hands!!
Cheers,
