Life is busy and when you are taking a course it will feel extra-busy. If you are not organized and on top of things you will be unnecessarily stressed. You might end up working too late and sleeping less to try to finish assignments; or drinking too much coffee—but these are not good coping skills. Even though this is only a short course, the following tips can apply to your life in general.

1. Develop a Routine. Being consistent is the key to success. When you first get the information about all the modules in this course, write down a weekly schedule. Include things like when you will do your homework. The more specific you can be about your tasks, the more likely are to stick to them, for example, you are more likely to follow through on “do reading assignment for Module 1 on Monday evening from 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm”, than if you write “Monday – homework”.

• It is not possible to stick to a schedule 100% of the time and sometimes you will fall off schedule, but it is easier to get back on track if you have a plan.

2. Set rules for yourself. This is part of being specific. The rules can be things like “complete all projects two days before the actual deadline”.

3. Write things down. Or if you are a technology person, record a reminder in your phone. No one has a perfect memory and trying to remember everything is stressful.

4. Don’t multitask! We have been led to believe that multitasking is a good thing, but it does not result in the best outcomes because our brains are trying to focus on too many things at once. If something else you need to do comes into your mind while you are working on something, write it down so you remember to come back to it and return to your task.

5. Find the best spot you can to work in. Many of us do not have dedicated workspaces for course work or quiet spaces in our house where we can focus. Finding a place free of distraction might be impossible, consider if there is a quiet community space outside of your home that might be better.

6. Don’t work for too long. It is easy to think that two-hours straight working on something is better than working for shorter periods, but the opposite is true. If you have two-hours-worth of work to do, the results will be better if you set a timer and only work in 30 min. blocks. Your brain needs at least a 10-minute break from learning – but don’t take more than 10 minutes or you will fall off of your schedule!

7. Arrive early. Leave last. There is a saying “Early is on time. On time is late. Late is unacceptable”. There are of course times when you cannot arrive somewhere on time because of weather or traffic or other reason, but when you arrive late to class, you miss information. When you miss starting with the group, your instructor might be kind and backtrack, but this wastes their time and your classmate’s time. At the end of class many students race out the door as soon as possible. Resist the urge to do this. Chances are that one or two classmates have been waiting for the room to be quieter to ask important questions. You might be surprised at what you learn if you hang out in the room a little longer. Five extra minutes can make a big difference!

8. Connect. Talk to your classmates. Set up an online chat. Chances are they are having similar challenges and victories as you are. Learning is better in community, do not isolate yourself from your co-learners

Learning Activity 1: Getting Organized

The eight tips for being an organized learner are also useful in the workplace.

Instructions

• In a small group discuss each of the eight tips, discuss how they might also be useful for an employee.
• Choose one person in the group to take notes, and then share your ideas with the class.