For working parents who want to purs e their education online, constant motivation is a great first step in achieving your career goals. If I could offer one piece of advice to parents considering going back to school, it would be to just start. Take baby steps at first if you need to, but once you put yourself out there and start your education journey, the rest will fall into place.
Here are some tips I’ve learned from ASU Online students that will help you to balance schoolwork and family, even during the busiest times of year.
[Get tips from moms on how to succeed in online education.]
1. Set up a support system in advance: Share your educational goals and how you are planning to accomplish them, and let your family know how important it is to have their support. Have conversations with your kids about why you are returning to school to bring them along on the journey and help them understand what you are doing.
2. Plan and prioritize: Obstacles will inevitably come your way, but keep a balance in your life and don’t neglect the things that are most important to you. Planning will help you stay sane and focus on what really matters. Make it a point to schedule one-on-one time with your kids on a regular basis, so that despite busy schedules you have set time and activities with them to look forward to.
[Study these holiday survival tips for online students.]
3. Make studying a family activity: If you are catching up on reading for a course, sit in the same room as your family so that your presence is felt. Or, if you have school-aged children, study at the same time as them. It’s a great bonding experience and will show your kids how important learning is for both of you.
4. Create an environment that helps you excel: While you may often do coursework around your family, there will be times you need a quiet space for taking tests, communicating via video conference with professors or fellow students or studying for an exam. A quiet workplace free of interruption will help keep household noise at bay and allow you to fully concentrate.
[Learn how online education can benefit adult learners.]
5: Multitask: Students often share their stories about multitasking with me, and I love hearing the creative ways they find time to work in their studying. Some parents do their reading while riding exercise bikes or on the treadmill, while others listen to lectures while cooking dinner. Many of our students are taking online courses, parenting and working full time jobs, but they manage to do it all by managing their time carefully and multitasking.
The takeaway: Even when you are pulled in many directions, stay confident in yourself that you can make it all work. Through dedication, support from your family, planning and time management skills, you can do anything you set your mind to.
More from U.S. News
3 Challenges Online Education Helps Adult Learners Overcome
Overcome 5 Obstacles of Live Online Classes
Know Your Time Management Limits as an Online Student
Consider How to Balance Parenting, Pursuing an Online Degree originally appeared on usnews.com