In an ideal world, everyone would come to a venue and study their PT course on the gym floor, but that just isn’t practical for everyone. People are busy, have commitments, or there is no training venue near-by! This is why a distance study or virtual course can be ideal. Our distance & virtual course study options allows for ultimate flexibility. You can study in your own time around your other commitments. While studying from home has obvious benefits to those who can’t commit to classroom study, this method of learning is not without its pitfalls. It takes a lot of dedication, motivation and planning to get it right. Here are our top tips for effective how to study from home.
1 – Have a Routine
Just because you are going to be studying from your own environment, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stick to some routines and good practices. Set your wake-up time and stick to it, eat breakfast, put some clothes on and get studying. Stick to the routine every day. If you’re studying around work commitments, it’s the same principle. Set a specific study time and stick to it on a regular routine.
2- Get Organised
Before you start studying at home, make sure you have everything you need to hand. Pen’s, paper, water, login details, cables and chargers. If you have everything you need to hand you will have no reason to waste time looking for stuff. Setup your study area, whether it be a desk or the kitchen table. Make sure when you start you only have those things you need to prevent distractions and keep it tidy.
3- Don’t Overdo It
Most providers will give you a recommended amount of study hours per week to complete the course. This is a good guide for your studies. What you don’t want to do is set unrealistic goals or try to cram too much in to one day. Think quality of learning over quantity. Don’t make sessions too long and when you feel yourself zoning out, take a break.
4- Focus
It’s easy to allow yourself to become distracted when studying at home; tv, radio, podcasts, people, online shopping, they can all be a distraction. To give yourself the best chance of working through your planned study, find a dedicated room or space, remove any distractions and focus on the task in hand.
5- Plan Ahead
Put study sessions in your diary, set alerts and update weekly. If you put your study time into a diary you are more likely to stick to it. Yes, sometimes you might have to start later than planned, or cut a session short, but having a plan will make it easier to stick to studying.
6- Get Support
The onus is on you to complete the online course, but that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. Our online personal training courses come with the support of our Learner Support Team and Tutors – make use of them. They are here to help you with your course and to provide answers to questions and guidance. If you are struggling with parts of your course, take a breath and give us a call.
7- Upgrade to Part-Time
If you do start to get behind, or are struggling with the course or find that your schedule allows more time, don’t be afraid to get in touch and switch your course from Distance to a Part-Time personal training course. Perhaps some gym floor sessions and being in a classroom environment is what you need to finish the course. You have the option to do these in-person or virtually.
8 – Celebrate the Wins.
Don’t forget to congratulate yourself when you finish a module or pass an exam. If you were training with peers in a classroom course, you’d be off to the pub on a Friday to celebrate, be sure to do the same or something similar when you get a good result studying online.
9- Make Sure you get Some R&R
You’re not a machine, you need a break. Be sure to find a balance. If you’re studying from home you’re likely working in a job too. It can be easy to let studying and work be all consuming. Plan days where you will study less and play more. It will help you to re-focus and come back to the course reinvigorated and ready to crack on.
10- Remember Why you Started
Why are you doing this course? Is it to start your dream career as a Personal Trainer/Fitness Professional, to learn more about training to help you with your own training? Whatever the goal, take a bit of time to remind yourself why you started the course. Putting things into perspective will only help you focus on the task in hand.
Study from Home Summary
Studying from home does have its challenges, but when you graduate, it can be extremely rewarding. Planning and preparations is key to your success.
