Online High School Students! Here’s How to Keep Your Focus This Summer

If you’re trying to get your high school diploma through online summer school courses, it can be easy to lose focus. And that’s totally understandable! The sun is out, the pool is open and many of your friends may all be out having fun. So how do you stay motivated to stick to your studies?

The easiest single motivator is to keep your eyes on the prize – after all, you do want to finish high school, don’t you?! But since we know that’s easier said than done, here are a few tips that can help you stay on track.

Come Up With a Schedule and Stick To It

The flexibility that online summer school offers can also be a potential pitfall – if you let it be. What we mean is that if you think you’ll just study whenever you feel like it, or whenever inspiration strikes, you probably won’t. That kind of thinking at least opens the door to let earning your diploma fall by the wayside, and that’s especially easy to do during the summer.

So, to avoid that, make sure you create a schedule for yourself, and stick to it. This means you have to hold yourself accountable. The flexibility of online summer school allows you to create your own schedule, but it’s on you to stick to it. Think of when in the day you are most productive, and least distracted, and set your hours to study during this time.

Make Sure You Take Breaks

This pairs well with setting your schedule. Just because taking your summer school classes online allows you to learn at your own pace does not mean you should cram a week’s worth of learning into one day. If that works for you—great! But you should not feel like you need to get everything done right now.

We think it’s best for you to take breaks every now and then, so you don’t end up stressing yourself out. We know well the horrors of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), but trying to do too much, too quickly often leads to unnecessary mistakes. Relax, slow down a bit, and take some breaks. Then when you come back, you’ll be fresh and concentrate better!

Set Goals and Reward Yourself When You Meet Them

Offering yourself incentive to meet certain goals is a great strategy. If you finish a lesson, give yourself an extra-long break and go do something you enjoy. You can set checkpoints throughout the lessons and make attainable goals for each. You can build these goals into your schedule. It’s the most complete online summer school plan!

Don’t Forget to Engage Socially

Online summer school can tend to isolate you, but you have to make sure that you reach out to your teachers and peers regularly. You won’t be going to classes or seeing them every day, but you can still connect through video conferencing, discussion forums or even social media. This interaction can help you along and let you know there are other people going through the process with you as well, even if they aren’t sitting right next to you.

Above All Else, Stay Positive

Summer school can be a real drag, but the flexibility of online summer school should help you be able to enjoy your summer while working toward your high school diploma. So, don’t let it get you down! You’ll have setbacks, and may occasionally miss out on something, but the end reward will all be worth it. Trust us!