Your graduation gown is pressed and put away. Your bags are packed and your mom is weeping in the driveway. In other words, you’re headed off to college and with that comes a plethora of opportunities for personal growth, academic achievement, and soul-searching. Many of you will be taking advantage of the convenience of online classes, either as your entire schedule or for a few classes. So are you ready?   "Preparation is the key to success."- Alexander Graham Bell In contrast to your academic career thus far, you will be 100% responsible for your education. This entails checking in for lectures, being aware of due dates, taking exams, and being consistent. If this sounds daunting you’re not alone. It’s not easy to go from teachers and loved ones helping you navigate through school, to being on your own with your education in your own hands, but with BestSelf’s help, you’ll be prepared to crush it.   The Transition High School is out of the way (what a relief amirite?) and you’re finally on your way to studying what you want; the advantageous way of doing that is by taking classes online. The biggest thing to be aware of is the responsibility that’s been added to your shoulders. Unlike elementary school and through grade 12, your professors are not going to be there to make sure you’re getting your work done. Most of the time the attitude is, you're paying for this education, either from loans, grants, scholarships, or by your own means, and you are therefore in charge of it. Professors get paid whether or not you show up or not, and as a result, they don’t always take attendance. Online classes are no different. When you enroll, you are confirming that you will take on this new amount of personal accountability. Obviously, there are some pros and cons to taking classes online. Such as, for the most part, you can work on your assignments when you have time, (advantageous to night owls and early risers) you also are not required to set foot in an actual classroom. This is convenient for those not having to travel to campus, however it makes it more difficult to commit yourself to working your courses each day because you are not technically required to go anywhere at a certain time. However, arm yourself with a bit of motivation, “know how,” and drive and you can succeed.    Knowledge is Power So what’s the 411 you need to know for online success? The first thing is knowing where others have fallen short. We’ll call these the five deadly sins for online success or FDSOS. Procrastination: Trying to complete an entire online course in the span of one night is just an impossibility. I don’t care how many Red Bulls you’ve consumed. Distraction: Nothing says, ‘hey quit what you’re working on and hang out with us’ like a room full of noisy if not well-intentioned roommates laying out plans on how to best prank the RA. Over-Achievement: Enrolling in courses is easy and can actually be exciting but don’t overdo it. Consider taking only a couple classes to find out how you handle the workload. Underestimating: Don’t fall for the old “online classes are a breeze” myth. In fact, as convenient as they may be, they can actually be considered harder because you’re on your own. Sink or Swim: If you find that you need help, don’t feel like there’s no one to ask. Every online course has an advisor or teacher running it who is there to help. If the class you are taking is also physically available on campus, you can go directly to the professor and ask for help. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to introduce yourself to your teacher if possible, so you have a relationship established as you launch into your course. It was no mistake that this acronym had the phrase SOS at the end of it because if you find yourself falling into these traps, there is always a way to get help and get back on your feet and here’s how you do it.    The Plan Now that you know what not to do to succeed online, here is the breakdown for the road to not only successfully getting through your courses but to excel. And because this is BestSelf, you’ll also learn a few life lessons along the way. Your “Classroom”: One of the most important things to do when taking an online course is knowing where to do it. If you remember, one of the sins is distractions. It is unbelievably easy to be distracted while you’re studying so arm yourself against it. The best thing to do is to decide where your workspace is going to be. Pick a place that will be free from distractions. A favorite place is a library or a study room. You can even use your own desk area as long as it’s quiet while you work. Likewise, get educated confirms the value of having a study space will help you stay in school. Schedule: According to US News, deciding on a schedule is a big advantage. Blocking out a time of day will help you stay accountable to your coursework and will teach you the value of planning ahead. Time management will be entirely up to you so use it wisely. Stay Organized : Most of the time a syllabus will be provided along with due dates for all assignments and exams. Using tools like our wall calendar or a spreadsheet to keep track of when things are due will be a lifesaver. In fact, Karen Stevens, a chief advisor from the University of Massachusetts- Amherst said, "Students really, really need to be organized from the beginning to be successful in an online course.” She also notes the importance of scheduling assignments, having a clean and quiet workplace and keeping track of assignments. Furthermore, developing organizational skills and good time management skills now will be a huge advantage when you enter the workforce. Efficiency: Now that you’ve picked out the time and place you’re going to work on your courses, it’s time to use your time efficiently. It’s pretty easy to feel your eyes glaze over as you read the lecture notes, and you’ll have the urge to update your Facebook status to something like “bored, save me,” or Instagram the latest picture of your cat, but you’d be committing the deadly sin of procrastination. Taking a break occasionally can be helpful if your time block is a large one, but if you know you’re going to fall into the social media trap frequently, then it might be a good idea to turn your phone off and block the fun sites on your computer. Another thing to be aware of is how you're coping with your workload. Part of being efficient with your time is multitasking, but if you’ve signed up for one too many classes and can’t devote the same amount of hard work to all of them, then you might need to consider cutting back.  When it’s all said and done, taking online courses can be tricky but not impossible. In fact, between the self-management skills you will be learning, and the personal responsibility you will be giving yourself, one could say that taking classes online will better prepare you to enter the workforce more than physical classroom attendance. Forbes concludes, “if it fits your learning style and you can muster up the discipline, the right online course can change your career and your life.” It is certainly a lofty endeavor, and not for the faint of heart, but with a little preparation, a lot of discipline, and a bit of your BestSelf, you can reach your goals and succeed.  

I was recently visited by a good friend I went to university with. He’s still in the field of architecture, and it was the first time we’d seen each other since I’d given up on the industry in favor of entrepreneurship. During his visit we talked a lot about the Architecture industry as a whole, our biggest problems with it, and why I ultimately decided it wasn’t what I wanted. I described moments at my job when I was working on designs for a high-end luxury apartment in the Lower East Side and thinking, “If I stay in this job, I will never be able to live like this.” Not that I dreamt of luxury penthouses and a $70,000 custom millwork closet (yes, this happened), but I did dream of financial freedom and travel, as well as working for myself. As I mentioned in my previous post, when I was working at my job in architecture, I started a side project, Very On Brand, which after 18 months of work was making decent money, especially compared to the $40,000 I was making at my job (which does not stretch far living in New York City). I was only able to work on Very On Brand on weeknights and weekends, which slowly became harder and harder as I juggled this new life. In the 6 months prior to quitting my more stable job, I kept thinking what if I had the time and resources to make my newer venture full-time. What could I create if it was my only focus? Then the negative thoughts would kick in. I don’t have an MBA. I never took a business studies class in high school. What do I know about running and growing a business? I wasn’t about to quit my job, join an MBA program, and then start a business. I didn’t have the time, patience, or money for that. I needed to learn the basic principles of business, both running and growing one. I made a reading list for myself of all the business books I had heard about from people I admired or that had been recommended to me personally. I spent $237.91 on 22 books, a hefty investment for me at the time and got reading. The Reading Challenge I must read my list of 22 books before I was allowed to quit my architecture job. In January 2013, when I made the list, I was already itching to get out of the corporate world, so it was the perfect fuel for me to consume as many books as possible. Every morning and evening on my subway commute I would consume as much knowledge as possible, knowing that this could be my escape from the 9–5. I quit my job November 26, 2013. Here’s the list of books that made it possible to build not just one, but two businesses: Personal Mindset & Inspiration: 1. Outliers — Malcolm GladwellUnderstanding the true stories of success and how people have thrived.Malcolm Gladwell presents the idea of it taking 10,000 hours to master a skill. I loved the great anecdotes of how hard work and luck (family background, birthplace, or even birth date) can play equally into success. 2. The Tipping Point — Malcolm GladwellMalcolm Gladwell explores the moment when a trend or idea reaches the magic “tipping point” when it spreads like wildfire. 3. The Millionaire Fastlane — MJ DeMarcoBecome a producer instead of a consumer to attain wealth, and stop trading your time for money. This book partners well with the concepts from Rich Dad, Poor Dad (in the Finance section below). 4. Good to Great — Jim CollinsA 5 year study on what differentiates good companies from great companies.This is a great book for playing the long-game with your company as opposed to a quick fix. Productivity: 5. The Four Hour Work Week — Tim FerrisTakeaway: Making more money by working less — an alien concept, especially coming from architecture where we tend to work many more hours than we’re compensated for. I also learned the power of outsourcing.This alone has has helped my productivity immeasurably. I recommend this book to everyone whether they’re an entrepreneur or not. 6. The Compound Effect — Darren HardyTakeaway: I’m using the formula laid out in this book to become the best version of myself. This book is a basic manual for success and living an extraordinary life. 7. The 80/20 Principles -Richard KochTakeaway: Focus on critical tasks which require only 20% of efforts and create 80% of results. Hugely powerful concept, and I’ve found it to be generally true with my businesses. I used it with Calm the Ham to define my top customers — the 20% that give me 80% of revenue. Then I asked myself, How can I better serve these people? 8. The Ultimate Sales Machine — Chet HolmesTakeaway: Stop doing 4,000 different things in my business. Through pigheaded discipline and determination I should do 8 specific tasks perfectly 4,000 times instead. The time management chapter of The Ultimate Sales Machine was very helpful as I used to struggle with this. I took the advice from Chet Holmes and made an awesome planner to organize according to my most mission-critical tasks which later evolved into the Self Journal. 9. The Power of Habit — Charles DuhiggTakeaway: Through learning the science of habits creation, I’ve learned how to break some of my bad ones. There’s also great stories of how corporations have used habits to sell products. (The toothpaste one was my favorite.) Business: 10. The Personal MBA — Josh KaufmanA great overview of everything I needed to know (and more) about business without any fluff or buzzwords. 11. The Lean Startup — Eric ReisAllocating resources as efficiently as possible so your business is organized for fast learning. Great book for how to make best use of limited resources. 12. The $100 Startup — Chris GuillebeauTakeaway:Startup inspiration: You don’t need much money to begin a life of adventure and purpose. Proof: I started Calm The Ham with less than $500. 13. Crush it — Gary VaynerchukGary Vaynerchuk wrote this great book on turning passions and interests into real businesses. He explains how he uses passion, social media, and transparency within his businesses to crush his competition. 14. The E-Myth Revisited — Michael E. GerberTakeaway: Putting things in place so I’m working on my businesses instead of in them. This has allowed me the freedom to grow revenue and have more free time. 15. Purple Cow — Seth GodinHow the key to success is to stand out among my competition and avoid distinction in today’s economy. 16. ReWork — Jason Fried & David Heinemeier HanssonShort yet impactful read by the thought leaders of 37 Signals. Stay small, embrace constraints, and build less. 17. This Book Will Teach You How To Write Better — Neville MedhoraThis short read by Neville Medhora of Appsumo is a great introduction to copywriting and learning how to write better, converting people into customers and mind-hacks that make it easier to simply write. Sales: 18. To Sell is Human — Daniel PinkTakeaway: “Selling” is not a dirty word. This book helped me become comfortable with the idea of selling. This book is great for understanding concepts behind sales and how to approach them. 19. Pitch Anything — Oren KlafA great introduction of how to structure sales calls or presentations to ensure prospects are engaged enough to buy in. Coming from a non-sales background, I found this especially interesting. Finance: 20. Rich Dad, Poor Dad — Robert T. KiyosakiTakeaway: This book really drilled in the concept of wealth, liabilities and assets. I remember sitting on the subway commute and thinking, Why didn’t I read this book 10 years ago? Better late than never. 21. I Will Teach You To Be Rich — Ramit SethiTakeaway: Personal Finance doesn’t have to be boring. I applied savings and negotiation tactics from this book to my life which both made and saved me money. 22. Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion - Robert B. CialdiniTakeaway: Focus on the people and what drives them to make the decisions they make.  Originally posted on LittleMight.com