Time Management
One of the greatest benefits of online learning is flexibility.
You can choose when and where you complete your coursework, but that same flexibility means the structure a traditional class schedule would normally provide is now something you build for yourself. How you manage that time can shift from one term to the next, depending on your course load, your schedule outside of class, and what's going on in the rest of your life.
This section offers strategies for scheduling, prioritizing, and staying focused, so you can keep adjusting your approach as your circumstances change.
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Successful online students create a plan, follow a routine, and stay ahead of due dates. The strategies below can help you do all three:
- Schedule Your Time
- Prioritize What Matters Most
- Aim to Finish Early
- Limit Multitasking
- Manage Your Environment
#1 - Schedule Your Time
Treat your online courses like face-to-face classes by scheduling dedicated study periods each week. Protect that time as if you were physically attending class.
Include blocks for:
- Planning and organizing upcoming work
- Reading course materials
- Watching lectures and other videos
- Participating in discussions
- Completing assignments
- Studying for quizzes and exams
Look at the entire term and use either a digital or physical planner to map out the due dates. Revisit it weekly to make sure you’re on track, and strategizing to accommodate your other life responsibilities and commitments.
#2 - Prioritize What Matters Most
Not every task has the same level of importance. Plus, it is very easy to get distracted when there is a lot on your plate. Instead of trying to juggle multiple things at once, make decisions about what needs to be tackled in that moment. You can also say “no” at times when you need to prioritize school.
One helpful strategy is the Eisenhower Matrix, which helps you decide what to do first:
| Urgent | Not Urgent | |
|---|---|---|
| Important | Do it now. | Schedule it. |
| Less Important | Delegate if possible. | Limit or eliminate. |
Tip: When your workload feels overwhelming, focus first on tasks that are both important and time-sensitive.
#3 - Aim to Finish Early
Consider due dates as anchors, not starting signals. Set a personal goal to complete assignments before the deadline, not just by it. Even better, try to finish assignments 24 hours early whenever you can.
Work backward from each due date to set your own milestones. For example: finish research by Wednesday, a draft by Friday, and a final version by Sunday.
Benefits include:
- Reduced stress
- Time to review your work
- Protection against technology issues
- More flexibility when unexpected events occur
#4 - Limit Multitasking
Online environments are full of distractions, and managing those can help you focus your time on what matters most.
- Close browser tabs, apps, and notifications unrelated to your current task. Each open tab is a potential distraction.
- Batch similar tasks, like readings, discussion posts, or assignment research, together to limit the mental load of switching gears.
- Try the Pomodoro Technique: study for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, and repeat. This pattern builds focus while helping prevent burnout.
#5 - Manage Your Environment
Your physical environment matters, too. A few adjustments can go a long way toward maximizing focus and limiting distractions.
- Set up a consistent workspace, whether it’s an actual desk, a spot at the kitchen table, or a corner at the coffee shop. Having a consistent spot signals it’s time to focus.
- Put your phone on silent and turn off non-essential notifications.
- Let your friends or family know that you're unavailable for a certain amount of time.
The right productivity tools can make it easier to organize your coursework, keep track of deadlines, and plan your time. Depending on how you prefer to work, you might use:
- Planners and calendars to organize your schedule and upcoming deadlines
- Canvas tools to keep track of assignments and course responsibilities
- Task management tools to organize daily tasks and larger projects
- AI tools to help plan, organize, and think through your work
Explore the options below and find the tools that work best for you.
Use a Planner or App
Whether you prefer a paper planner, digital calendar, or task management app, choose a system that helps you stay organized and motivated.
Consider:
- Color-coding courses, work, and personal commitments
- Creating categories for assignments, exams, and projects
- Setting reminders and notifications for important deadlines
- Reviewing your schedule daily and weekly
Free Planner Templates
Explore free templates from:
Tip: Planners are personal. Some prefer colorful and creative layouts, while others need a simple, minimalist design. Digital or paper—choose the format that you are most likely to use consistently.
All of your courses will be in Canvas, where you can easily track your assignments and due dates. Two tools built into Canvas can help you track your tasks across your courses.
The Canvas Calendar automatically shows the due dates for your classes, and you can add your own items to the calendar. Watch the video below for an overview on using the Canvas Calendar:
Tip: If you use Google Calendar, learn how to link them together.
The Canvas To-Do list is part of your dashboard and another great way to track what’s coming up in your classes.
As a UC student, you have a Microsoft 365 account, which includes several tools that can help you manage tasks and stay on top of coursework.
Microsoft To Do
Microsoft To Do is a simple task list that helps you track what needs to get done, in one place, across your devices. It works well for day-to-day task tracking: assignment due dates, errands, or a running list of "things to do this week." You can set reminders, mark tasks as important, and break larger tasks into smaller steps.
Best for: keeping a personal, day-to-day list of tasks and deadlines.
Microsoft Planner
Microsoft Planner is built for organizing larger projects, especially ones with multiple steps or people involved. You can create a plan, break it into buckets (categories of work), and add tasks with due dates and assignees. It's a good fit for group projects or any assignment with several moving parts you want to see at a glance.
Best for: managing multi-step projects or group work where you need to see progress across several tasks at once.
Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant built into Microsoft 365 that can help you plan, organize, and think through tasks. As a student, you might use it to break a big assignment into smaller steps, draft a study schedule, summarize a long reading, or brainstorm an outline before you start writing. It works alongside apps like Word, Excel, and Outlook, so you can ask it questions about what you're already working on.
Best for: getting help planning your approach to an assignment or talking through where to start.