Now that you've had time to think about how you want to approach teaching online, you might also benefit from thinking about how you will manage your time. The advantage of online learning is that you and your students do not need to wait until a particular day of the week to meet and discuss the course and ask questions about what is happening. The converse is also true: you may feel that you need to always be available, which won't be helpful to you or your students when you feel burnt out. Do let students know what time of the day you usually respond to emails so that you can establish some boundaries and manage their expectations. Time management (yourself and your students) is covered more deeply in Course 3 of the USG Online Certification Series. In this course, you will also develop communication policies, which will also help you manage your time.

Time Management Matrix

Stephen Covey’s classic book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, provides guidance to both novice and seasoned online instructors. Ironically, you probably do not have time to read this 381-page book. However, it’s worth reviewing concepts of urgent vs. important tasks, as summarized by Eric Jackson (Forbes) and illustrated by this time management matrix. Jackson, referring to Covey, recommends starting the week by creating a two-by-two table where the top is labeled “urgent” and “not urgent” and the side is labeled “important” and “not important.” Take 10-30 minutes thinking about these 4 quadrants. Then, fill in the quadrants with what you want to spend your time on in the coming week.