For a lot of people, the choice between online traffic school and traditional school is an easy one. Would you rather go into a hot, stuffy classroom on a Saturday afternoon to hear a disgruntled, bored teacher tell you about the basics of driving, or would you rather sit in the comfort of your own home as you complete your course online whenever you feel like it?
Even if the in-person course is with a great teacher, it doesn’t change the fact that you have to make the course fit into your schedule and not the other way around. For many, scheduling purposes alone are enough to choose an online traffic school so that they have the freedom to decide when they tune in, review course material, and take the quizzes.
But one of the things they might not consider is how challenging it can be to focus on the work at hand. In a classroom, you have limited distractions—a teacher won’t stand for you to be on your phone, watching videos on YouTube, or chatting with people on Facebook.
When you’re completing traffic school on your own at home, it’s your responsibility alone to focus and get the coursework completed despite whatever other things might come up.
If you fail, it could mean points on your license that might stay there for years.
People who make the transition to work-from-home understand the struggle.
Suddenly, instead of having someone watch over you and in turn motivate you to get your work done, you’re now in charge of managing your time smartly to finish the work. But the thing about traffic school is that it’s not working you’re getting paid for; instead, it’s more of a last resort to keep your driving record clean and honestly, it can be kind of boring. So what can you do to ensure that you get through traffic school quickly and efficiently while also passing it 100%?
Schedule The Time
One of the big places where people fail with online traffic school is simply never setting the time aside for it. They think they can complete the course any time—which is true—and so they feel less pressure to put the time in their calendars and get it done. Then three months pass, it’s the day before the deadline, and they completely freak out that they need to complete the course in one night only.
Here’s the thing: online traffic school isn’t that long, to begin with. Some states require the course to be as little as six hours long. Sure, you can try to cram all of that information into one night, but it’s also possible to break it up into twelve 30-minute sessions. If you commit to 30 minutes a day every weekday, you’ll be done in less than three weeks! Write in the time in your planner, or add it in an app—whichever you use to keep yourself organized.
So as you’re planning out your week, it’s helpful to add in blocks of time for your traffic school. It will not only act as a reminder but give you a higher level of commitment to completing the course as quickly as possible, no cramming necessary.
Get Enough Sleep
We know how boring traffic school is. Whether it’s an in-classroom or online school, most students can’t help but doze off.
While good sleep varies from person to person, getting at least seven hours of sleep will help students excel in online learning.Getting a good night’s sleep will help you be more focused and motivated.
Additionally, it has been proven that getting enough sleep improves memory, and students tend to get higher marks. That’s why establishing a consistent routine when waking up and going to bed is important because it will help you increase productivity and improve your overall health.
Put Your Phone Away
Just like when you’re on the road, your phone can be a major distraction. Between text messages and social media notifications, you might aim to sit down and work for 30 minutes but only actually get 10 minutes of work done.
Practice self-restraint here and put your phone away or on airplane mode, and you’ll be able to work much more efficiently. If you focus your efforts completely on the course—and not dividing your attention between your phone and your lessons—you’ll be able to get everything done much faster.
Create an Effective Study Space
An effective study space or area is essential to help you be more effective.
Taking your online classes near the television or game console is not a brilliant idea. As much as possible, stay away or minimize possible distractions.
Getting a comfortable table area where you can sit upright is an ideal study space. You can also try studying with the door closed to minimize noise and to keep you focused.
Set A Timer
Sometimes, the second we sit down to get something done, we immediately think of all the other things we want to do. Once you’ve started a lesson, try to complete it without taking yourself away from the computer.
No running out to the fridge for a snack, no stop for a drink, no quick stroll outside. Take care of these things before or after your lessons and use a timer to make sure you don’t distract yourself.
Temporarily Block Other Sites
It can feel extremely tempting when you’re on the computer to hop onto sites like Facebook, YouTube, or Buzzfeed. They’re fun and entertaining, but they’re also going to derail your efforts of getting your traffic school course complete. When you’re setting aside time for lessons and quizzes, don’t open other windows to see what’s going on elsewhere on the web. Just like your phone slowing down the progress of the courses, websites will distract you as well.
If you find it especially difficult to “just say no” to shopping online to look at other sites, consider using something like SelfControl, an app that temporarily blocks websites for you. It doesn’t harm your computer, it’s not permanent, but it will remove the temptation altogether. For people who have a harder time disconnecting and practicing self-control, this can act as extra help.
Keep Track of Your Progress
When you keep track of the lessons you’ve finished and where you left off, you will be able to focus on more important things to achieve your goal.
In online traffic schools, most schools will have a feature where you can track your progress and how many lessons are left before you finish the entire course.
Tracking your progress will also keep you disciplined and motivated towards the end of the course. Tracking the time that you’ve spent to finish a course can help you set a daily routine or schedule.
Ask for Help
When all else fails, ask a friend or family member for help and see if someone would be willing to check in with you on your progress for accountability. You risk feeling like you’re being nagged by this person, but it’s important to keep in mind that they’re just looking out for you.
After all, if you fail online traffic school, this could mean points on your license for years to come. Is that really what you want?