Virtual Education Tips You Need in 2020:
How to Prepare & Motivate Yourself for Online Learning
This year has been—ummmm, well, let’s just say unique.
And that’s putting it nicely (and calmly).
We won’t harp on how challenging and tumultuous 2020 has been (right now, anyway). Instead, we’re here to talk about something we’ve all been learning how to do better and better as our unique year marches forward—pivoting.
We’ve all been pivoting—hard—since 2020 began. We’re learning, we’re growing, we’re making changes, and we’re doing all best—all while trying to keep our businesses above water, our attitudes positive, and our own careers thriving.
It’s been a lot of work, no doubt.
And now, as we move from late Summer into early Fall and realize that most of the in-person events we had planned—workshops, tradeshows, programs, educational opportunities, etc.—are more than likely not happening the way we planned, we must learn to pivot once again.
Only this time, we need to figure out how to prepare and motivate ourselves for pivoting to online forms of education.
We know what you’re thinking—online/ virtual learning is not the same as in-person, hands-on experience. And, in some ways, you’re correct. But just because online learning is different doesn’t mean we can’t benefit substantially from it!
Online education can be an enormous boom to our careers and our businesses—we just need to know how to optimize those experiences to help us grow and thrive (without getting distracted by our surroundings and being unable to focus on our videos and virtual experiences).
That’s precisely what this article is all about.
Sit back, get to reading, and learn how you can easily and effectively optimizing your online learning experiences!
Schedule Your Online Education
Some people can be flexible with their online education, some people can wing it, some people can just fly by the seat of their pants and get it all done on their unique schedule—but if this isn’t how you learn best, don’t beat yourself up.
We find that when we schedule our online education sessions and make “appointments” for a specific, consistent time, it’s easier to attend class. If you were taking a class in person, you’d have a set time you’d attend every week, right? What’s stopping you from that doing with your online education?
Not a thing! Get those planners out and make those appointments, people—your education deserves a place in your schedule.
Create a Space That’s Dedicated to Learning
We don’t all have dedicated offices or workspaces, so we know that this isn’t always an option. That being said, if you can create a space—any space—in your home that’s solely dedicated to your education, you’ll likely see a big boost in your productivity.
Why? Because you’re telling your brain that this specific space is for a specific thing—it’s less likely that you’ll be distracted by the other parts of your life.
So, get out of the kitchen, hop out of bed, and set up a dedicated workspace—creating these types of boundaries can work wonders for your productivity.
Use the Right Tools
If you can swing it, invest in some quality tools for your online education.
We’re not saying you need to drop thousands of dollars on a standing desk, a MacBook Pro, or Airpods, but we do think that having quality tools like a dependable laptop, a comfortable desk, and some sort of headphones can work wonders.
Your tools don’t need to be pricey; they just need to work efficiently!
Distractions: Be Gone!
Strip your space of any distraction that could keep you from focusing on your lesson.
Send the kids off with your partner or babysitter. Take the dog for a walk beforehand so he’s all settled for your hour session. Turn the TV off. Tell your loved ones you’re MIA for an hour.
Value your education by focusing on your education.
Be Early to Class—Make it Priority
Don’t show up last minute to class if you can help it. Sure, it’s bad form, but more than that, it means you weren’t taking time to prepare for class.
We understand that this isn’t always possible, but on the days when you can, show up early to your online class and take a few minutes before it starts to prepare yourself.
Don’t Dip Out of Class Early
You most likely wouldn’t bail out of class early if you were going in person, right? So, don’t do this online.
Remember, it’s easy to feel like you’re not really in class when you’re online, but the reality of the situation is that you are in class. You can only benefit from the time you’re there, invested, and engaged, so optimize and maximize that time!
The instructor is there for you and wants you to grow, don't take advantage of that.
Have you found serious success with online workshops, tutorials, conferences, and more? Share that experience with us! Our reply section below is dedicated to comments from our community—that’s you!—and we welcome any and all feedback you can offer.
So, share away, people—we can bet your beauty community will appreciate it.
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