Practically everyone is an online student right now – at least where I live, they are. Finding ways to make sure you can stay on task is challenging. I used to go to coffee shops for anything school or work-related, so it has been incredibly challenging to stay focused and get work down. I am one of those people if I’m at home, I don’t have the motivation to do anything but procrastinate.

Today I wanted to share some of my “life hacks” with you for staying on task and organized as an online student.

#1 Have a dedicated area for studying

I went out and invested in a desk dedicated to studying and working. But a dedicated workspace can also be a kitchen counter or a dinner table. I highly recommend not lying down and studying or sitting on the floor. It creates bad habits and encourages laziness. Keep other distractions away from that space like game consoles and things you do in your free time for fun. Also, make sure always to keep the desk neat and organized.

#2 Invest in a daily planner

I bought a simple student planner from Target. I organize my planner by color coding (see my YouTube video) my classes because it is easier to separate the class assignments. It honestly takes some stress away, so it doesn’t look like one giant mess I need to finish.

#3 Buy SEPARATE NOTEBOOKS AND FOLDERS FOR EACH CLASS

If you end up needing to print out assignments for your classes, I think it’s important to keep everything organized by class, separately. I know some people who keep all their assignments for five different courses in one folder or take notes for all the courses in one small notebook, and it ends up just being one giant disorganized mess.

#4 Plan out your “school days” ahead of time

A basic simple schedule I follow:

8 am – Wake up/Breakfast
9 am – Homework (here I like to specifically write out what assignments I need to be done for the day)
12 pm – Lunch/destress a little
1 pm- Finish any unfinished assignments
4 pm – Free time (workout, edit videos, stream, dinner)
11 pm – Bedtime

#5 TAKE BREAKS AS NEEDED

I don’t think I need to explain this one.

#6 Stay Hydrated