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Update: As of December 2019, Jami Rush is Dr. Jami Rush upon completion of the Doctorate in Ed. Leadership program. Congrats, Dr. Rush! 

Online students have a lot on their plates. Many juggle work, family, and social lives on top of school.

Jami Rush knows the balancing act well. Beyond her roles as wife, mom, and Director of the �鶹AV Learning Center, Rush is also pursuing her doctorate in .

She offers some tips for staying on top of your studies, so you still have time for the “everything else.”

Keep a calendar 

It’s something students hear over and over because it’s important. Get organized and make it a part of the morning, afternoon, and nightly routine, says Rush.

In a hybrid program, it’s wholly her and her cohort's job to be proactive about assignments between face-to-face meetings.

“If I didn’t have my planner... I start to feel anxiety just thinking about not having it,” she says. “Each week I make sure I'm working toward whatever project or assignment that will be due.”

She encourages students to maintain their regular coursework schedule even if there’s a holiday or other break.

“Don’t use that as a chance to completely disengage from your schoolwork. Keep your scheduled class or lecture times in your calendar and follow through with it,” she says.

Doing so will keep you on-task and allow you to see where you can enjoy down-time without falling behind.

“It’s OK every now and then to say, ‘OK, I need to have fun,’” Rush says. “You need to have that balance where you’re not stressed all the time.”

As a working nurse practitioner, Dr. Samantha Lilley says setting a schedule was key. That's how she maintained work-life balance while earning her M.S. in Nursing online and her Doctor of Nursing Practice online.

“I didn’t just hope I had time to spend with my daughter or hope we had time for a date night,” she says. “We planned park days, we planned family time. If I wouldn’t have, I don’t know if it would have ever happened.”

Track your progress 

Remember that you are responsible for your progress. It’s your job to know how you’re doing in a given course. 

Rush recommends keeping track of all feedback you’re given to prepare for future exams and projects.

“There’s relief when you calculate your grades and you can make a 39-F on the final and still finish with an A,” she says. “On the flip side, you may see, ‘I need to make a 76-C to finish with a B or an A.’”

Knowing where you stand lets you stay focused and know when you need to reach out for help. That way, you can connect with other students or take advantage of tools for online students to meet your academic goals.

“There’s no guarantee you’ll be told how you’re doing. It’s on you,” says Rush. “Nobody wants you to fail, but you need to make sure you take control."

“‘How am I doing?’ is completely OK to ask.”

Give yourself breaks

Using the Pomodoro Method, set a block of time to work before taking a break to scroll Instagram.

Rush learned about this technique during a lunch-and-learn held by Grad School. It’s been a game changer for getting things done. 

It works like this: set a timer for 25 minutes of work, take a 5-minute break, and then repeat. After four work sessions, take a 30-minute break, which Rush says “feels like Christmas.”

“Anybody can focus on a task for 25 minutes. Whether it’s reading for 25 minutes or writing for 25 minutes, studying or making your flashcards. Whatever it is,” she says. “For four rounds of 25 minutes, a little less than two hours, there’s so much accomplished because you’re not distracted. It’s a wonderful technique.”

Several apps and websites exist to help with this technique. Some even offer settings to block specific websites (think Amazon, Facebook, etc.) or shut down functions completely to limit distractions.

Build a support system 

A semester is 15 weeks, not forever. Rush says it’s crucial to find people who understand that.

“I'd tell them, 'I’ll likely say no to you because I have something else that can't wait,'” she says.

As an online student, those boundaries are especially important.

“If you were a student on campus, would you be asked to skip class to go to work? Would you be asked to skip class to hang out with your partner or to start dinner early?” Rush asks. “What would be the expectations if you were on campus? If you set those early and maintain them, it'll become habit for you and the people in your life.”

She also suggests finding a partner to hold you accountable.

"Find someone with a common goal. You need someone to encourage and challenge you,” she says. “You work together in that regard.”