14 Game Changing Tips For How To Survive Online Classes

Looking for tips on how to survive online classes? Here are some amazing tips that will help you stay sane in your online classes.

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If you’re in online classes, you might be looking for some tips on how to survive online classes.

As someone who took tons of online classes in college, I know how much of a struggle taking these classes can be. Whether you’re wondering how to stop being bored in your online classes, how to motivate yourself, or you’re looking for tips for online class success, I’ve got you covered!

Here are my best tips for how to survive online school.

This post is all about how to survive online classes.

The Best Tips For How To Survive Online Classes

Table of Contents

How To Stop Being Bored In Class

It is so easy to get bored in online classes and just completely check out. Here are some of my best tips for how to stop being bored in online classes.

1. Actively Listen

One way to stop being bored in online classes is to stay engaged and really try to learn something from every class. One of the best ways to do this is through active listening.

When you’re actively listening, you’re really absorbing the information and actively trying to learn. A way to help you do this is to read the material for class beforehand. When you do this, during class you can listen for explanations on things you’ve already read about.

For example, a few semesters ago I had an accounting class I would get SO bored in. However, once I started doing the readings and trying the homework before class, I was able to actively listen, which helped me stay engaged during class.

So, getting some knowledge of what your professor is going to lecture on beforehand could help you stop being bored!

2. Take Notes (In Your Own Words)

Another way you can stop being so bored in class is to take notes in your own words. I know for a lot of people taking notes can be super tedious, but trying to take notes in your own words can really help you pay better attention.

When you’re taking notes in your own words instead of just writing things down verbatim, you’ll be actively listening during class to try to get a grasp on the concept. This will also help you understand the material MUCH better and do better on assignments and tests!

Taking notes this way not only will help your grades, but it is also a lot less boring than just copying down what the professor is saying.

3. Get A Hot Drink

If I was ever having a lot of trouble focusing in online class, I would grab a hot drink like coffee or tea. For a lot of people, getting a hot drink is centering and will help you focus more!

4. Do Something Non-Distracting With Your Hands

Doing something with your hands, like coloring, doodling, messing with a fidget block, etc, can help you stop being so bored during class. And it seems counterintuitive, because a lot of teachers preach against distractions like this, but it can actually help you pay MORE attention in class (I learned from a psychology professor).

This coloring book would be great for coloring to stay focused in class. If you need something a little more subtle, this fidget ring or kneadable eraser would be perfect to give you something to do with your hands to help you stay focused.

5. If Your Class Is Just Boring And You’re Not Learning Anything, Do Something More Productive

Some online classes are just plain boring, and no matter how hard you try to stay engaged, you don’t learn anything. I had a few classes like this. Even though I tried to learn something from the lectures, it was a waste of energy to try to focus when it wasn’t teaching me anything.

If this is how your class is, I’d recommend finding something more productive to do for the class if you can. If you’re able, try reading the materials or working on some of the class homework. You want to make sure you’re still learning something for the class so you’ll be prepared for any tests or assignments.

How To Motivate Yourself

Often in online classes it can be hard to be motivated to do work because there isn’t really anyone checking up on you. Here are my best tips for how to motivate yourself to do online classes, along with how to get work done when you aren’t feeling super motivated.

6. Schedule Out Time To Do The Class

One reason that people have trouble getting motivated to do online class work is because they don’t have a set schedule for class.

With online classes, if you don’t have a meeting time and can just do your work whenever, it is important to block out a set time every week to do your course work.

When you have time every week that you’ve set aside and dedicated just to do work for that class, you won’t have to work as hard to motivate yourself as you would if you were trying to do it when you have other things to do.

When I had online classes without a set schedule, I would choose a day of the week where I didn’t have work for other classes, and I would dedicate that day to doing course work for my online class.

7. Prioritize Important Assignments

When it comes to online classes, there can be a lot of homework to work on at once. It can be easy to get decision paralysis because you don’t know what is most important to work on.

To avoid this, it’s important to make a plan for what order you’re going to do assignments in. I highly recommend using the Eisenhower matrix for figuring out what order to do your assignments in. I swear by it and it helped me so much throughout college when it came to prioritizing the right things.

8. Have A Plan Of Actionable Steps

After you figure out what order to do assignments for your classes in, it is important to divide tasks into actionable steps.

Dividing the work for your assignments into smaller steps will keep you from getting overwhelmed, and you’ll feel more motivated because you won’t have to do so much work at once.

9. Reward Yourself After Doing Work

One way to help yourself get motivated to do work for online classes is by rewarding yourself when you get work done.

The reward could be watching some Netflix, buying dinner, going out, whatever will motivate you to get some work done!

Tips For Success

10. Limit Distractions

When you’re doing homework for online classes, try to limit any distractions. I would recommend putting your phone in a different room, not having anything distracting playing on the TV, etc. You’ll be able to get work done faster this way!

11. Youtube Ambiences

Something I swear by for doing work at home is Youtube Ambiences. There are tons to choose from, but my favorite ones that really put me in the mood to study were coffee shop and library ambiences. If you have trouble focusing on homework at home, I would definitely look up some study ambiences on Youtube to play on your TV!

12. Write Assignments Down In A Planner

One of my biggest tips for success in online classes is to keep track of everything in a planner. There can be a lot of assignments for online classes. Writing everything down in a planner will help you make sure you’re not missing any due dates.

13. Let Your Professor Know If You’re Having Trouble

Because online professors don’t really get to see/ talk with students as much, they don’t really have a way of knowing if students are struggling.

If you find yourself falling behind, I would recommend reaching out to the professor and letting them know. Odds are, you aren’t the only one! If you let the professor know you’re having trouble, they might help you out and extend the deadline.

14. Don’t Underestimate How Much Work They Are

One of the biggest mistakes people make with online classes is underestimating how much work they are. I’ve done it a couple times and having to squeeze in all the work last minute is…not fun.

This is also why it is so important to schedule out time to work on stuff for your online classes!

Read my post 14 Genius Tip For Online Classes To Help You Be Successful In Class for more tips!

This post was all about the best tips for how to survive online classes.

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14 Game Changing Tips For How To Survive Online Classes