Time, or the lack of it, is an important factor in why many adult students choose to earn a degree online. Balancing work and personal obligations with school isn’t easy, but a little thought and planning goes a long way to help working students balance various commitments.

Here are some tips to help students pressed for time make sure they stay on track during an online course:

• Take 10 minutes at the beginning of the week to map out designated study times. Schedule these times in, either on your desk calendar or phone. Having a visual reminder will help stave off procrastination.
• Keep all online course materials in a specific place, such as a home office desk drawer, and pack necessary course work in your work bag the night before to avoid scrambling for printouts and notes in the morning.
• Put your commute to work; don’t let that valuable time go to waste. Drivers can pop in a course-related CD while those on the bus or train can catch up on course lectures via podcasts, look over notes, or outline a paper.
• Squeeze some studying in during your lunch break. Boot up a laptop at a café with wi-fi or sneak into a free conference room at the office to complete class work. Just don’t spill coffee or drop mustard on the keyboard.
• Find a buddy in the class and set up a study group. You’ll be more likely to keep your study appointment and at the same time help build class camaraderie. Bounce your ideas off other students and ask them to explain tricky material. If meeting in person isn’t possible, hold a virtual session via video chat.

These are just a few of the many ways fitting an online course into an already busy lifestyle isn’t as difficult as it may seem.