Finals have just ended, but a new semester is around the corner for a lot of online students. Even if your most recent classes were brutal, don’t take it easy just yet. Keep your motivation levels at their peak by creating a schedulefor your upcoming semester. You can create your own through your smartphone, a wall calendar, or by using a virtual calendar tool and timer. Whatever method you choose, seeing the actual assignments you have coming up will keep you in check.

Remember: “Out of sight, out of mind.”

The American Time Use survey provides fascinating data on what we do each day – and how much time we spend doing it. Work takes up about 7.6 hours, sleeping 8.6, and eating and drinking 1.23 hours. On the days we do housework, we spend about 2 hours doing it. The days get shorter when we add in childcare, errands and more. Adult learners face another time balancing act, finding hours in a crowded day for studying. What gets left out? Free time or “me” time is often sacrificed.

“Many online learners tend to believe they can be masters of the universe, able to write 10-page papers, get the kids off to school, make dinner, and numerous other tasks. If only this were sustainable…” says John Moore, Ph.D., professor of health sciences at the online American Public University System.

Hectic schedules and layers of responsibilities can lead to burnout — and that can have a huge impact on a student’s ability to do well. Moore says that burnout can be a barrier to higher grades or even degree completion. But you can change this, and the solution may be simpler than you think.

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