This document discusses time management strategies for online learning. It begins by providing statistics on online enrollment and then outlines common time management mistakes like poor planning, procrastination, and distractions. It recommends setting goals and priorities, creating schedules, and rewarding accomplishments to stay motivated. Specific tips include using planners, limiting distractions, and breaking large assignments into smaller tasks. The conclusion emphasizes that time management is key to success in online courses.

1. Time Management
and Online Learning
By Rhoda Twist and Stacey Marshall

2. Online Learning Facts
• 96% of universities offer at least one online class
• Over 5 million students took at least one online course last
year
• Online enrollment grew by over 27% last year

3. Featured Topics
• Some time management mistakes and how to fix them
• Time management is Attitude, Goal Setting, Planning, and
Organization
• Time management is prioritization
• Poor time management has negative effects
-Procrastination and overcoming it
• Helpful Tips

4. Time Management Mistakes
and how to fix them
Mistakes Fixing the mistakes
• Failing to keep a to do list • Goal setting
• Not setting personal goals • Get a planner
• Not prioritizing
• Use a Eisenhower box to
• Failing to manage
distractions prioritize
• Procrastination • Staying focused
• Taking on to much • Know what your time is
• Thriving on “busy” worth
• Multitasking • Treat yourself to a
• Not taking breaks positive attitude
• Ineffectively scheduling
tasks • Organizing your tasks

5. Attitude is Important
• Do not get overwhelmed
• Remain positive
• Convince yourself that you can achieve success in the online
learning environment

6. Attitude and Self Motivation
• Take charge of goals and achievements
• Reward yourself for your progress and final outcomes.
• Make time for yourself
• Set realistic and achievable goals.
• Concentrate and Focus:
-Improve concentration
-Balance challenges and skills
-Stay focused with distractions

7. Goal Setting makes for a great
start
• Five Golden Rules
1. Set goals that motivate you
2. Set SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable,
Relevant, Time bound
3. Set your goals in writing and in plain sight
4. Make an action plan
5. Stick with your plan!!
• Visualize yourself doing and completing your goal

8. Planning & Organizing:
Expectations
• Review the syllabus for each class you take
• Make instructor contact information readily available (e-mail&
phone number)
• Write down important dates from the course schedule

9. Organization = Efficiency
• Create mini-deadlines for course work - try to work
incrementally
• Create a comfortable work environment free from distractions
• Keep course work from specific classes separate

10. Prioritization is Key
• Course work comes first
• Learn to say “no” to activities that prevent you from
completing course work
• Do not feel guilty; instead, get course work done early

11. Prioritization is Key
• Use an "Eisenhower box" to help you evaluate urgency and
importance. This can help you identify and prioritize what
needs your immediate
attention. Urgent Not Urgent
-Assignments -Personal
-Tests duties
Important -Studying for
-Study
Guides next week
1 2
-Interruptions
-Busy work
-Distractions
-Time
Not Important Wasters
-E-mails
3
4

12. Self-pacing is Crucial
• Do not study for too long (roughly 10 minutes of downtime
per 1 hour of studying)
• Make adequate time for large assignments
• Look ahead at course work often to avoid unpleasant surprises

13. Procrastination is Bad!
A wide array of studies link procrastination to
personal behavioral factors, such as lack of
motivation, deficiencies in self regulation, external
focus of control, perfectionism, disorganization,
and poor time management
High
arousal
-How we feel during times of trying
to complete a task and our skill
Challenge Worry and Flow and level perception affects our mood
Level
anxiety control when we face those tasks and can
aid in procrastination.
Apathy or
relaxation
Low Boredom
Low Perceived skill level High

14. Procrastination is Bad!
• Short and long-term negative impact on academic success
• Personal well-being: stress, guilt, and depression
• Do your best work: procrastination makes this impossible

15. Beating Procrastination
Ask yourself: What am I avoiding?
• Recognize that you are procrastinating
• Work out why you are procrastinating
• Adopt anti-procrastination strategies
• Beating it, do not become overwhelmed, stay organized, remain
motivated, find good in every task.

16. Helpful Tips
• Save your work often
• Organize online course work in designated folders on your
hard drive (i.e. NURS397)
• Back up your work: use flash drives and make printed copies
• Get a planner and use all its tools
• Reward yourself when you complete large assignments

17. Conclusion
• You can be successful in the online learning environment
• Time management is the key to that success
• Set goals and develop your scheduling and organizing skills
• Stay positive, self motivated, and focused
• Beat Procrastination

18. References
• Degree Scout (Sept, 2010). Surprising Facts About Online Education. Retrieved
from http://www.degreescout.com/featured/surprising-facts- about-
online-education
• Gafni, R. and Geri, N. (2010). Time management: Procrastination tendency in
individual and collaborative tasks. Interdisciplinary journal of information,
knowledge, and management, Vol 5, 115-125.
http://ijikm.org/Volume5/IJIKMv5p115-125Gafni448.pdf
• Mind tools (2011). Time Management Beat Work Overload. Be More Effective.
Achieve More. Retrieved from
http://www. mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_HTE.htm
• Northam, S. (October, 2005). Tips for time management with online learning.
Online Journal of Nursing Informatics (OJNI), 9, (3) [Online]. Available at
http://ojni.org/9_3/northam.htm
• Yager, J. and Thorph M. J. (June, 2011). Time management for online learners.
Retrieved from
http://www.elearners.com/projectworkingmom/resources/be-an-
online-student/time-management-for-online-learners/