Achieving success or passing with flying colors in distance learning courses can prove to be an exasperating process. The process can be especially daunting for working professionals who are pursuing distance courses along with their jobs. Distance education also possess peculiar challenges for its students as it offers more freedom and flexibility, something that is not possible in full-time courses. This unabated freedom, however, implies that the non-full time students have to comparatively exercise more discipline and focus.
These facts have been recently weighting heavily on my mind, eventually paving way for this article that enlists handful of useful tips. I’m hopeful that this article will serve its purpose by helping distance students in maximizing their productivity and achieving great results in their exams and assignments.
1) Admit it that it is going to be little tough:
As I’ve mentioned above that parallelly doing a job and distance course can prove to be really overwhelming. The process can prove to be so daunting that some students may even have the temptation of quitting the course all together. These tempestuous students probably were not quite prepared to face the challenges that awaited them. But had they accepted the hardship and challenge that awaited them, they probably would have made great stride in their distance course. ‘Acceptance’ basically helps in preparing us mentally and to effectively summon discipline and focus. Discipline and focus, by the way, are mandatory traits to succeed in any education related pursuit.
If above mention of words like hardship and challenges has already made anyone panicked then don’t be. Simply take a deep breath and read through other motivational points mentioned below.
2) Keep reading those motivational books:
Even though motivational books are not part of your distance learning curriculum or syllabus, they are still must read. Motivational books will keep you inspired and propel you out of your comfort zone. Some distance courses like MBA courses are really rigorous courses and hence students need fuel from external sources to keep them inspired. Motivational books written by motivational experts and great achievers can prove to be that worthy external source. They will teach you about the art of self-discipline, time management and other valuable things that will help in keeping your productivity and efficiency at an optimum level. Resultantly, this will obviously bode well for your pursuit to score well in exams as well as assignments and thereby brighten your prospects for achieving a rewarding career.
3) Make a study plan:
It is always handy to have a concrete plan when embarking especially on those educational pursuits or courses that are meant for fetching a rewarding career for yourself. A study plan or for that matter any plan essentially creates a clear path to help you navigate through hurdles and hardship. A hassle-free and smooth navigation obviously ensures that your ambitious goals are eventually achieved, alas painstakingly and with lot of efforts.
Your study plans must explicitly include following details:
- Daily & weekly time table
- Evaluate properly which subjects are difficult to crack for you
- How much time are you willing to dedicate for supposedly tough subjects
- Make a monthly goals in terms of covering subjects and assignments.
- Make a list of your toxic bad habits and create an actionable plan to overcome them. These toxic habits apparently act as an impedance in your goals.
Whatever plan you make, make sure to write down your plan on a paper or type it on MS word document. Avoid making merely an oral plan as it does not have the same impact as the written one. Above all, merely making a plan is certainly not enough. Your willingness to succeed and perseverance will eventually determine the success of your plan.
4) Your study room/space must vibrate with positive vibes:
Distance learning is solitary in nature and much of your learning will take place in your study room. This simply means that your study room assumes huge importance. It must conventionally reverberate with positive energy and become a source of much needed motivation for your studies. There are many simple ways that can transform your room into reservoir of positive energy. For instance, you can paste the small posters of inspiring quotes or fix photos of your favorite idols on the wall. If such simple hacks don’t work for you then simply ask yourself what really gets you going or makes you feel inspired.
Irrespective of which hacks or tips you decide to implement, make sure that your study rooms doubles up as your strength and not your weakness.
5) Collaborate & connect with your co-students
It is obvious that you will be connecting with fellow students of your course for live lectures and webnair sessions. However, connecting with your students on an unofficial level can equally prove to be a great idea for knowledge sharing. These knowledge sharing sessions will not only help in resolving your many queries but also provide impetus for your motivation. Besides, these unofficial knowledge sharing sessions can prove to be a great stress buster
Other useful tips for distance students
- Don’t forget the art of time management
- Strictly keep social media away while studying
- Give mental health and over all health due importance
- If possible, finding a mentor for seeking proper guidance
