For many students, distance learning will present a radical break from their regular study routine. Suddenly, their responsibility will undergo testing as they have more free time and less supervision – the ideal breeding ground for all those bad habits that cost students their grades.

If you’re getting ready for a semester or two of distance learning, you might need some help to adjust. The transition might not be seamless, but there are some ways to make it as painless as possible. Here are some tips to help with that.

Develop a Schedule that Works for You

The very first thing you’ll want to ensure is that your working habits stay as strong as they’ve ever been. You can also see the challenging situation as an opportunity to improve on them. The most important part will be creating a work schedule and sticking to it.

In case you have recorded lectures to watch, you might consider watching them in the same time you’d attend a lecture. Trying to make the online schedule follow what would be the regular schedule is a great way to ease into the transition as much as it’s possible.

Get the Gear You Need

One of the best things about distance learning is that you can take it anywhere where you can take your computer. This tends to work better if your computer is portable, so you might consider getting a laptop if you don’t already have one.

You will look for discount school supplies, even if you’re hunkering down for a semester of distance learning. Just wait until you’ve figured out exactly what you’ll need. Having some stationary might be useful, but you might not need as much of it as you would in a regular setting.

Find Ways to Stay Organized

Computers excel when it comes to providing access to tools that can help you stay organized. You’ll need those tools because, with distance learning, deadlines will soon start to look less strict and more like a kind of recommendation.

Once one thing falls through the crack, you’d be surprised how easy it will be for others to follow, and how hard it will be to get things back in order. That’s why you should create a set of organization tools, reminders, and all, to ensure that things get done when they need to get done, and not when you get around to doing them.

Study the Strategy Provided by the College

This type of situation might be a test of your self-discipline, but it’s not like you’ll be responsible for everything. The college will have to come up with a plan, they’ll have to let you know how to communicate with the professors and take care of most of the logistics.

For your part, you should get acquainted with your college’s response to the situation as thoroughly as possible. There should be no doubt in your mind about important stuff such as turning in work, asking questions based on lectures, and any help you might need to keep your engagement levels strong.

Find a Nice Place to Study

If you’re not provided with a place where you’ll have the peace necessary to study and do coursework, you’ll have to find it for yourself. Your room might suffice if you don’t have a noisy roommate or two, and if it has all the amenities you need for distance learning.

When working from a place that’s not commonly used for work, you must carve out some space that will be dedicated to work alone. Try not to work from your bed. Find a corner of your room or apartment you can use only for distance learning and use it for those purposes alone.