Prioritizing Time
Get Better at Prioritizing
Due dates are important. Set your short and long-term goals accordingly. Ask yourself:
- What needs to get done today?
- What needs to get done this week?
- What needs to get done by the end of the first month of the semester?
- What needs to get done by the end of the second month of the semester?
- What needs to get done by the end of the semester?
Your time is valuable. Treat it accordingly by getting the most you can out of it.
Above all, avoid procrastination.
Procrastination is the kiss of death to the online learner because it’s incredibly difficult to catch up once you’ve fallen behind. Do you have a problem procrastinating? We’re going to ask you a few questions in this final segment and if you find yourself saying, “Sounds like me,” more often than you say, “No way,” you’ll really want to be on your guard so that procrastination doesn’t become an issue for you.
Procrastination Checklist
Consider the following issues:
- My paper is due in two days and I haven’t really started writing it yet.
- I’ve had to pull an all-nighter to get an assignment done on time.
- I’ve turned in an assignment late or asked for an extension when I really didn’t have a good excuse not to get it done on time.
- I’ve worked right up to the minute an assignment was due.
- I’ve underestimated how long a reading assignment would take and didn’t finish it in time for class.
- I’ve relied on the Internet for information (like a summary of a concept or a book) because I didn’t finish the reading on time.
If these sound like issues you’ve struggled with in the past, you might want to think seriously about whether you have the tendency to procrastinate, and how you want to deal with it in your future classes. You’re already spending a lot of time, energy, and money on the online classes you’re taking — don’t let all of that go to waste!
