Whether you’re squeezing in a traffic school course to waive a traffic ticket, defensive driving to lower your insurance rates, or a driver’s ed class to get your license for the first time, there are a lot of reasons to take the course online. You can take the lessons whenever and wherever it’s convenient for you instead of sacrificing extra time out of your schedule to sit in a classroom. You’ll likely receive 24/7/365 support so your questions can get answered any time of the day. And you will have a multitude of options to choose from, ensuring that you enroll in a class that works well for you.
But what if you’re struggling to complete your online course?
This can be incredibly stressful because you want to complete it but you might dread hopping online to work on the lessons so much that you avoid doing it completely. Perhaps you’ve picked up extra shifts at work and simply can’t find the time, maybe the learning style of the course doesn’t work with your strengths and weaknesses, or it could just be that you’re having trouble focusing. If completing your online driving course has become a major pain point for you, maybe some of these suggestions can help.
1. Know When You’re Most Receptive
Being productive isn’t just about managing your time – it’s also about managing your energy. Different people feel the most awake at different times during the day. Your circadian rhythm determines whether you’re a Morning Lark or a Night Owl.
If you’re a morning person, perhaps thirty minutes to an hour after breakfast works best for you. If you’re a night person, then maybe studying in the late afternoon is more beneficial. Doing this is a better approach than forcing yourself to absorb more information at a time when you’re at your lowest.
Knowing how your body clock works make it easier to figure out the best time to study. Syncing your schedule when your energy is at its peak can lead to better results.
2. Set Up a Study Schedule – And Stick to It
An advantage online driver’s ed gives you is the freedom to go through the content as frequently or as often as you prefer. Although this allows for greater flexibility, finding pockets of time may not be the best option.
If you’re squeezing it in between activities, while waiting for your ride, or after doing your homework, you might not be in the right state of mind to retain information. Sometimes, it’s better to set aside a specific amount of time each day – it doesn’t have to be long periods – to go through your coursework.
Studying for the same amount of time each day will allow you to build a habit – something that will eventually become part of your routine. If you can schedule it at the same time each day, you can get even better results.
3. Avoid Distractions
It’s difficult enough to balance all the things going on in your life, and now you have to add an online driver’s education course to that. But let’s not give up so easily.
Sometimes, where you study makes a big difference. Imagine trying to complete your online course in the middle of your living room with the television blaring in the background. Now compare that to going through your lessons in a more conducive environment.
Which one do you think will work better for you?
Whether it’s temporarily disabling notifications on your phone or getting cooperation from friends and family by letting them know when they can or can’t disturb you, having fewer distractions may give you a better chance of getting through your materials.
1. Make The Time Commitment
Sure, it’s a nice idea to complete lessons here and there as you find the time—as you’re waiting for dinner to be ready, late at night before you go to bed, or Sunday morning before meeting up with friends. But in practice, this can be a lot harder to implement. The course material can come off as dry and boring, and it’s easy to prioritize other things over completing something that you’re not that excited about.
If a complete sense of dread washes over you at the thought of logging into your courses, then give yourself some tough love and try to knock it out in bigger chunks. If ten minutes here and there isn’t working for you, set aside two hours of your evening and get to work. Turn off your phone, eliminate other website distractions, and get to work.
Unfortunately, the DMV doesn’t really have much compassion for people who can’t seem to find the time to fit the coursework into their lives. If you blow it and fail to complete your final tests by the deadline for something like traffic school, then that’s it! You’ve just gotten a point (or points) on your license.
Although the course material may be less than thrilling, think of the end goal: keeping your license, paying less for insurance, or getting your driver’s license. Those are all extremely positive things that will have a wonderful impact on your life, and the only way to achieve them is by putting in the time and effort. Remember that for every hour you finish, you’re one hour closer to the final goal.
4. Research And Look For Something Different
There are a lot of schools out there that offer the same old course material in about the same fashion. If you’ve decided to switch online driving courses, ensure that you don’t just sign up for a nearly identical course from a different school!
If the material was too boring for you to pay attention to, consider signing up for Improv Traffic School. They incorporate humor and entertainment into the lessons to make the somewhat painful task of traffic school a little more bearable. iDriveSafely is an incredibly reputable agency that offers all types of driving courses, and they’ve even started video streaming for more visual learners. DriversEd.com is perfect for new drivers and even offers a free trial if you’re curious but not quite ready to commit.
Just because you have to enroll in an online driving course doesn’t mean you have to be completely miserable taking it. If you’re having a hard time getting the work done, then remember that you still have other options that can be more convenient and enjoyable for you!
5. Look Into A Refund
We can’t emphasize enough that taking an online driving course is not the most exciting thing you’ll ever do in your life. However, if you’ve started a course and dislike the way the lessons are laid out, have a hard time taking in the information because of how it’s presented, or you’re unhappy with it in any way, consider asking for a refund.
We put a high value on schools that offer a money-back guarantee for this reason. Everyone possesses a different style of learning, and one course that is great for one person might not work at all for you. If you’re putting in the time and failing to get through the lessons with ease, then maybe it’s not you—it’s them.
A lot of courses will offer you a sneak preview of their first lesson or two without requiring a credit card. If you have this option before you sign up for any course, take it. You’ll quickly learn if it’s a course that jives with your personality and learning style. Otherwise, many schools will offer a money-back guarantee as long as you haven’t taken the final test yet. You could get through all the lessons, decide not to take the test, and ask for your money to be returned (although we’re not sure why you’d go through the trouble!). The point is, if you’re unhappy with the course for whatever reason, any reputable company will happily give you your money back.