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Find out how to fit your learning in around holiday celebrations, with some tips and tricks for learning in December and January.
In London the evenings are cold and dark, mulled wine is simmering, and yards and yards of Christmas lights are appearing as if by magic. The UK, along with many other countries around the world, is gearing up for the start of a season of food, fun and festivities – be they for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Hogmanay or one of many other celebrations.
During this period most of us get time away from work or university and we all intend to put this time off to good use – but it’s not always easy. To help, we’ve had a good think about a few ways to keep up with your courses, as well as the merriment.
1. Create a schedule
When you’re in holiday mode it’s easy to lose track of the hours and days – before you know it, it’s the New Year and you’re back at work. To avoid this, try to plan your schedule beforehand – mark certain days, or hours, as learning hours and set reminders on your phone or in your diary so that you stick to them. By doing this you can easily space out your learning and balance it with festive activities.
2. Set a goal
What do you want to have achieved by the end of the holiday period? Or by the end of December? Try setting yourself a goal. It might be something practical like ‘finish Week 5 and 6 of my course’, or it could be learning-focused like ‘understand conversational Italian’.
Write your goal out nice and big on a post-it note or piece of paper and stick it somewhere you can see it, so each day you’re reminded of what you’re working towards.
3. Learn step by step
(The steps you see here are from our new course on the UK Parliament.)
A key thing to remember over the holidays is that you can learn in really small chunks – learning doesn’t have to take over your whole day. All FutureLearn courses are split into steps so you can do a little bit here and there. If sitting down for a solid hour of learning isn’t working for you, try 10 minutes at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
4. Reward yourself
If you’re still struggling to keep going with your learning, try setting yourself some rewards. If you finish five steps, you can have a one-minute scroll through Twitter. If you finish 20 steps, you can have a cup of eggnog or hot chocolate. Little rewards can help keep you motivated if you’re struggling.
Got any other tips on keeping up your learning during December and January? Let us know in the comments below.
For more advice on learning check out Using FutureLearn. Or if you’re now feeling motivated – get started on your courses.
The post How to keep up your learning over the holidays appeared first on FutureLearn.
Continue reading...
In London the evenings are cold and dark, mulled wine is simmering, and yards and yards of Christmas lights are appearing as if by magic. The UK, along with many other countries around the world, is gearing up for the start of a season of food, fun and festivities – be they for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Hogmanay or one of many other celebrations.
During this period most of us get time away from work or university and we all intend to put this time off to good use – but it’s not always easy. To help, we’ve had a good think about a few ways to keep up with your courses, as well as the merriment.
1. Create a schedule
When you’re in holiday mode it’s easy to lose track of the hours and days – before you know it, it’s the New Year and you’re back at work. To avoid this, try to plan your schedule beforehand – mark certain days, or hours, as learning hours and set reminders on your phone or in your diary so that you stick to them. By doing this you can easily space out your learning and balance it with festive activities.
2. Set a goal
What do you want to have achieved by the end of the holiday period? Or by the end of December? Try setting yourself a goal. It might be something practical like ‘finish Week 5 and 6 of my course’, or it could be learning-focused like ‘understand conversational Italian’.
Write your goal out nice and big on a post-it note or piece of paper and stick it somewhere you can see it, so each day you’re reminded of what you’re working towards.
3. Learn step by step
(The steps you see here are from our new course on the UK Parliament.)
A key thing to remember over the holidays is that you can learn in really small chunks – learning doesn’t have to take over your whole day. All FutureLearn courses are split into steps so you can do a little bit here and there. If sitting down for a solid hour of learning isn’t working for you, try 10 minutes at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
4. Reward yourself
If you’re still struggling to keep going with your learning, try setting yourself some rewards. If you finish five steps, you can have a one-minute scroll through Twitter. If you finish 20 steps, you can have a cup of eggnog or hot chocolate. Little rewards can help keep you motivated if you’re struggling.
Got any other tips on keeping up your learning during December and January? Let us know in the comments below.
For more advice on learning check out Using FutureLearn. Or if you’re now feeling motivated – get started on your courses.
The post How to keep up your learning over the holidays appeared first on FutureLearn.
Continue reading...
