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Online studying offers numerous benefits. You get to learn at your own pace (from the comfort of your home), access significantly more resources, and manage your schedule. But that last part isn’t always easy.
When left to your own devices, you might start procrastinating and losing track of time. Then, before you know it, finals are approaching, and you’re nowhere near prepared.
Luckily, we have a solution for this common challenge here at the Open Institute of Technology (OPIT)—or two solutions, to be precise.
One, there are no finals. You’re continually assessed by the incredible faculty, pushing you to engage with the material throughout the course. And two, OPIT’s amazing class coordinator, Sara Ciabattoni, is here to help you overcome specific challenges with procrastination and other issues (e.g., complex and overwhelming tasks).
For this guide, we asked Sara to share her top 10 time management tips. Since time is money, let’s dive in!
1. Reflect on Your Current Time Management Approach
Do you constantly feel overwhelmed and fail to keep up with your tasks? If so, something’s not working. It’s probably time to reassess your approach to time management. And by this, Sara doesn’t just mean your studying time. Instead, she implores you to reflect on how you usually manage time in your everyday life.
Become aware of your time management habits (both good and bad), and a more effective approach to studying is right around the corner.
Let’s say you excel at focusing in the morning but find it difficult to do so in the afternoon. In that case, leave your most demanding study tasks for the morning, aka your peak focus hours. The more time passes, the less complex your tasks should be.
Similarly, if you tend to procrastinate, your goal is to answer a single question – why?
Sometimes, the cause is something silly, such as the so-called FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), which keeps you glued to your screen. In other situations, the cause might be more serious (e.g., an innate fear of failure). Whatever the case, address these underlying issues promptly, as this is the only way to make the most out of your study time.
2. Create a Manageable Routine
No one can do it all at once (And no one should!). So, start by making a list of priorities and turning them into a to-do list. Make seven to-do lists, and you have a manageable weekly schedule that suits your day-to-day life.
If you struggle with prioritizing tasks, you can use the ABC method. Here’s an example to help you visualize this method in practice.
Let’s say you’re pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree (BSc) in Modern Computer Science at OPIT. The elective “Agile Development and DevOps” subject teaches you to implement software projects successfully.
For this subject, an “A” task would be to prepare for a specific real-world scenario developers encounter every day. You’ll experience several of these valuable and time-sensitive scenarios, making them tasks of the highest priority.
For a “B” task, you can practice using Microsoft Azure. This task is important but not as urgent as your “A” task.
Finally, a “C” task can entail working on your negotiation skills to help you convince team members to adopt a specific DevOps methodology. As you can probably guess, “C” tasks are tasks of lower priority, usually because they’re less time-sensitive.
3. Introduce Variety
Sure, this tip doesn’t directly impact your time management. However, it does play a huge role in whether you’ll stick to your studying routine.
If you always study in the same place and in the same way, you’re bound to get bored and lose motivation. So, try mixing things up a little.
For instance, instead of re-reading the course materials over and over again to memorize them, try turning them into a flowchart or a mind map. These handy visual tools can help you grasp concepts differently and make studying more engaging.
4. Take Advantage of All the Available Resources
OPIT prides itself on the wealth of resources available to students, each crafted from scratch. But these resources aren’t only concerned with studying. The OPIT Hub also contains helpful tools you can use to navigate your online studying journey.
One of these resources is a weekly planner designed to turn your priorities into a manageable weekly schedule. Like everything at OPIT, this planner is highly customizable, allowing you to tailor it to your unique needs and preferences.
5. Connect With Others
At OPIT, we also set priorities. One of them is for our students to never feel alone. That’s why we offer an extensive support network to ensure you always have someone to turn to.
So, don’t hesitate to ask for help if you feel stuck or lost. Besides OPIT’s staff, you should connect with your peers and even form online study groups. This will help you keep up with your tasks in a more collaborative and supportive environment. And hey – you might even get to make new friends from all over the world!
6. Don’t Forget About Downtime
Creating a solid schedule isn’t about filling every available moment with a task. Sure, it’s important to get your work done. However, it’s equally crucial to prevent burnout. How can you do this? By including downtime in your schedule.
Of course, you can use your downtime however you see fit. But Sara suggests spending it with your loved ones whenever possible. This will boost your mood and overall well-being, making subsequent studying a breeze. It will also help you achieve the most coveted of all goals – a healthy work-life balance.
But don’t forget – “work” is still a key element of this balance. So, make sure the people in your life also know your schedule (and are willing to respect it).
7. Never Sacrifice Your Basic Needs
Sure, it might seem to you that you’ll get more done if you wake up super early. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Failing to get enough sleep can only make you less productive, both that day and in the long run.
So, make sure you leave enough time for a good night’s sleep in your schedule. For the best possible results, aim for seven to nine hours.
8. Avoid Jam-Packing Your Schedule
When it comes to estimating how much time you need to allocate for a specific task, remember this – it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Overestimating the time you’ll need for a complex task trumps underestimating every single time. Why? If you underestimate the time you’ll need to complete a task, you’ll feel extremely stressed upon realizing that your deadline is approaching and the work is not yet completed. This will cause you to fall behind on your entire schedule or, even worse, rush through work and compromise its quality.
Overestimating, on the other hand, provides a safety net for unforeseen challenges. Finish the task(s) before the allocated time, and you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment like no other! But it’s OK even if you don’t, as there’s enough time for everything.
Another approach you can take is to break larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. Then, you can allocate a shorter amount of time to each sub-task and feel great when you get it done.
9. Be Kind to Yourself
You can devise the perfect studying plan for the week with enough room for studying, revising, and relaxing. You can even go into the week refreshed, ready to take on any challenge. And yet, it can all fall apart the second that week begins. And that’s OK!
Some days just don’t go as planned. You might receive some bad news or encounter unexpected challenges that disrupt your schedule.
So, be kind to yourself if you’re going through one of these days. Remember that the day will pass just as quickly as it came, and you’ll be back on track in no time.
10. Measure (and Celebrate) Your Progress
How can you tell whether your schedule is truly working? By measuring your progress, of course! Format every task as a SMART goal, and you’ll always know where you stand.
Let’s see what this means using another subject at OPIT – “Web Development.”
- Specific: “I will learn to create a domain hosting comparison report.”
- Measurable: “I will create at least three reliable reports.”
- Attainable: “I have already received the theoretical knowledge necessary for this task.”
- Relevant: “Creating these reports will enhance my understanding of existing domain host options.”
- Time-bound: “I will complete the three reports by the end of the week.”
If you succeed in completing these reports by the end of the week, give yourself a little reward. It’s crucial for you to celebrate your progress, no matter how small or big. This is the only way to stay motivated in the long run and maintain a positive mindset throughout your academic journey at OPIT.
There’s No One-Size-Fits-All Solution
When it comes to student support, OPIT emphasizes a personal approach to every student. That’s why it’s crucial to remember that no single time management solution will help all students. After all, each student faces specific challenges, leads a unique lifestyle, and has an individual learning style.
However, as long as you combine Sara’s tips with methods that have proven successful for your specific circumstances (and preferences), you should have no issue excelling at online studying.
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Source:
- Il Sole 24 Ore, Published on July 29th, 2024 (original article in Italian).
By Filomena Greco
It is called OPIT and it was born from an idea by Riccardo Ocleppo, entrepreneur, director and founder of OPIT and second generation in the company; and Francesco Profumo, former president of Compagnia di Sanpaolo, former Minister of Education and Rector of the Polytechnic University of Turin. “We wanted to create an academic institution focused on Artificial Intelligence and the new formative paths linked to this new technological frontier”.
How did this initiative come about?
“The general idea was to propose to the market a new model of university education that was, on the one hand, very up-to-date on the topic of skills, curricula and professors, with six degree paths (two three-year Bachelor degrees and four Master degrees) in areas such as Computer Science, AI, Cybersecurity, Digital Business; on the other hand, a very practical approach linked to the needs of the industrial world. We want to bridge a gap between formal education, which is often too theoretical, and the world of work and entrepreneurship.”
What characterizes your didactic proposal?
“Ours is a proprietary teaching model, with 45 teachers recruited from all over the world who have a solid academic background but also experience in many companies. We want to offer a study path that has a strong business orientation, with the aim of immediately bringing added value to the companies. Our teaching is entirely in English, and this is a project created to be international, with the teachers coming from 20 different nationalities. Italian students last year were 35% but overall the reality is very varied.”
Can you tell us your numbers?
“We received tens of thousands of applications for the first year but we tried to be selective. We started the first two classes with a hundred students from 38 countries around the world, Italy, Europe, USA, Canada, Middle East and Africa. We aim to reach 300 students this year. We have accredited OPIT in Malta, which is the only European country other than Ireland to be native English speaking – for us, this is a very important trait. We want to offer high quality teaching but with affordable costs, around 4,500 euros per year, with completely online teaching.”
Read the full article below (in Italian):
![](https://www.opit.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/EFMD-300x186.png )
Source:
- EFMD Global, Published on July 12th, 2024.
By Stephanie Mullins
Many people love to read the stories of successful business school graduates to see what they’ve achieved using the lessons, insights and connections from the programmes they’ve studied. We speak to one alumnus, Riccardo Ocleppo, who studied at top business schools including London Business School (LBS) and INSEAD, about the education institution called OPIT which he created after business school.
Please introduce yourself and your career to date.
I am the founder of OPIT — Open Institute of Technology, a fully accredited Higher Education Institution (HEI) under the European Qualification Framework (EQF) by the MFHEA Authority. OPIT also partners with WES (World Education Services), a trusted non-profit providing verified education credential assessments (ECA) in the US and Canada for foreign degrees and certificates.
Prior to founding OPIT, I established Docsity, a global community boasting 15 million registered university students worldwide and partnerships with over 250 Universities and Business Schools. My academic background includes an MSc in Electronics from Politecnico di Torino and an MSc in Management from London Business School.
Why did you decide to create OPIT Open Institute of Technology?
Higher education has a profound impact on people’s futures. Through quality higher education, people can aspire to a better and more fulfilling future.
The mission behind OPIT is to democratise access to high-quality higher education in the fields that will be in high demand in the coming decades: Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cybersecurity, and Digital Innovation.
Since launching my first company in the education field, I’ve engaged with countless students, partnered with hundreds of universities, and collaborated with professors and companies. Through these interactions, I’ve observed a gap between traditional university curricula and the skills demanded by today’s job market, particularly in Computer Science and Technology.
I founded OPIT to bridge this gap by modernising education, making it affordable, and enhancing the digital learning experience. By collaborating with international professors and forging solid relationships with global companies, we are creating a dynamic online community and developing high-quality digital learning content. This approach ensures our students benefit from a flexible, cutting-edge, and stress-free learning environment.
Why do you think an education in tech is relevant in today’s business landscape?
As depicted by the World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs 2023” report, the demand for skilled tech professionals remains (and will remain) robust across industries, driven by the critical role of advanced technologies in business success.
Today’s companies require individuals who can innovate and execute complex solutions. A degree in fields like computer science, cybersecurity, data science, digital business or AI equips graduates with essential skills to thrive in this dynamic industry.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the global tech talent shortage will exceed 85 million workers by 2030. The Korn Ferry Institute warns that this gap could result in hundreds of billions in lost revenue across the US, Europe, and Asia.
To address this challenge, OPIT aims to democratise access to technology education. Our competency-based and applied approach, coupled with a flexible online learning experience, empowers students to progress at their own pace, demonstrating their skills as they advance.
Read the full article below:
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