Time Management Strategies to Thrive Online
Update: As of December 2019, Jami Rush is Dr. Jami Rush upon completion of the Doctorate in Educational Leadership program. Congrats, Dr. Rush!
Online students have a lot on their plates. Many juggle work, family, and social lives on top of school. 
Jami Rush knows the balancing act well. Beyond her roles as wife, mom, and Director of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Learning Center, Rush is also pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership.
She offers some tips for staying on top of your studies, so you still have time for the “everything else.”
Keep a calendar
It’s something students hear over and over because it’s important. Get organized and make it a part of the morning, afternoon, and nightly routine, says Rush.
In a hybrid program, it’s wholly her and her cohort's job to be proactive about assignments between face-to-face meetings.
“If I didn’t have my planner... I start to feel anxiety just thinking about not having it,” she says. “Each week I make sure I'm working toward whatever project or assignment that will be due.”
She encourages students to maintain their regular coursework schedule even if there’s a holiday or other break.
“Don’t use that as an opportunity to completely disengage from your schoolwork. Keep your scheduled class or lecture times in your calendar and follow through with that obligation,” she says.
Doing so will keep you on-task and allow you to see where you can enjoy down-time without falling behind.
“It’s OK every now and then to say, ‘OK, I need to have fun,’” Rush says. “You need to have that balance where you’re not stressed all the time.”
As a working nurse practitioner, Dr. Samantha Lilley says setting a schedule was key. That's how she succeeded academically and maintained a work-life balance as she earned both her Master of Science in Nursing online and her Doctor of Nursing Practice online at UL Lafayette.
“I didn’t just hope I had time to spend with my daughter or hope we had time for a date night,” she says. “We planned park days, we planned family time. If I wouldn’t have, I don’t know if it would have ever happened.”
Track your progress
Remember that you are responsible for your progress. It’s your job to track your education and know how you’re doing in a given course.
Rush recommends keeping track of all feedback you’re given to prepare for future exams and projects.
“There’s some relief when you calculate your grades and you can make a 39-F on the final exam and still finish with an A,” she says. “On the flip side, you may see, ‘Oh, I need to make a 76-C if I want to finish with a B or an A.’”
Knowing where you stand lets you stay focused and know when you need to reach out for help. That way, you can connect with other students or take advantage of tools for online students to meet your academic goals.
“There’s no guarantee you’ll be told how you’re doing. It’s on you,” says Rush. “Nobody wants you to fail, but you need to make sure you take control."
“‘How am I doing?’ is completely OK to ask.”
Give yourself breaks
Using the Pomodoro Method, set a block of time to work before taking a break to shop for gifts or scroll Instagram.
Rush learned about this technique during a lunch-and-learn held by the Grad School and it’s been a game changer for getting things done.
It works like this: set a timer for 25 minutes of work, take a 3–5-minute break, and then repeat. After four work sessions, take a 15–30-minute break, which Rush says “feels like Christmas.”
“Anybody can focus on a task for 25 minutes. Whether it’s reading for 25 minutes or writing for 25 minutes, studying or making your flashcards. Whatever it is,” she says. “For four rounds of 25 minutes, a little less than two hours, there’s so much accomplished because you’re not distracted. It’s a wonderful technique.”
Several apps and websites are available to help with this technique. Some even offer settings to block specific websites (think Amazon, Facebook, etc.) during that time or shut down functions completely to limit distractions.
Build a support system
A semester is 15 weeks, not forever. Rush says it’s crucial to find people who understand that.
“I'd tell them, 'I’m probably going to say no to you because I have something else that cannot wait,'” she says.
As an online student, those boundaries are especially important.
“If you were a student on campus, would you be asked to skip class to go to work? Would you be asked to skip class to hang out with your partner or to start dinner early?” Rush asks. “What would be the reasonable expectations of you if you were on campus? If you set those expectations early and maintain them, it'll become habit for you and the people in your life.”
She also suggests finding an accountability partner.
"Find someone with a common goal. You need someone to encourage and challenge you,” she says. “You work together in that regard.”
