If you’re a fan of listening to a few tunes while you study, check out these free, online music players!

• Pandora Radio: A smart online radio service that builds stations based on your preferences, and plays you music you’ll like!
• MySpace: If you’re looking for a particular artist, song, or album, you may be able to find it and listen for free on MySpace.
• Last.fm: Another smart online radio service that saves your music preferences, check it out!

Happy listening (and studying)!

By: N. Cooper

Have you caught yourself staring at the computer screen lately, mind a blur, drool dribbling down your chin, and papers strewn everywhere? Do you know the signs of burnout when you see them, because if you don’t you may be headed for a widespsread circuit combustion if you’re not careful.

Like a computer, the more items running in the background the slower the computer. When you over extend yourself you get burned out quicker, and the projects you’re working on for school can suffer in terms of quality. Make sure to check your internal “task manager” to see where your energy usage is being spent, it could help you out in the long run.

Here’s a great list of energy zappers from Sherrie Bourg Carter, Psy.D. via High Octane Women:

• Wearing tight clothes
• Sporting high heels
• Clutter
• Working straight through without breaking
• Negative people
• Heavy lunches and junk food

Most online students work from the comfort of their couch or home office, so the heels may not be applicable, but uncomfortable clothing could be. Wear sweats, or slightly looser clothing when you’re powering through a big term paper. As for clutter, it causes anxiety, and gives you something else to be distracted about. If you don’t have time to tidy up a certain area move to a different part of the house with minimal distractions.

[related: 4 Tips for Succeeding in an Online College Course]

Working straight through can be very daunting, and puts a lot of pressure on yourself to finish by a certain time. Space out the work, and don’t put it off!

Last but not least, negative people and food. If your friends or family have nothing positive to say at a time of high stress, tell them (politely) you’ll talk later and leave it at that. And junk food, while tasty it’s a wreck on our bodies. The heavier the meal the more sluggish you’ll feel, and motivation will take a rest with you.

If you’ve felt like you’re on hyper speed lately then you probably need to slow down a bit. Take the time to prioritize what you’re working on, and find a happy medium that fits with your class schedule and time constraints.

By: J. Mason

There’s only a few days left in 2011, so make the best of the time you have left. While a new year for many is simply changing the page on the calendar, others view it as the time to set new goals and guidelines to follow in their lives. You’ll need to decide if you want a wish list, or a task list.

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If you’re planning on celebrating the big holidays this week, but are nowhere near done with your work, give yourself an early present and take a break.

To cover your tracks email your professor to find out when they’re expecting the next assignment to be due to them; if it’s before or after the holiday. Your instructor may be taking some time off too, and if you’re lucky you’ll have a later due date. But again, check with them first.

It may not seem like much, but for those in stress packed programs like an M.B.A. it’s hard to breathe at times. Give yourself the day off, hide your books, unplug your computer and set aside the smartphone for a while. Enjoy the time off with your family and friends, even open up a few presents while you’re at it. Indulge in the holiday, and then get back to reality the day after.

If you’re looking for something to motivate you back into learning after your break, check out some tips getting motivated in an online setting.

Happy Holidays from the Online Learning Tips Family!

By: J. Mason