13 Things You Need To Do Before & After Taking An Online Course

I honestly believe that online courses are the best thing that ever happened to bloggers.  It’s now easier than ever to learn everything you need in order to become a successful blogger because courses are structured in such a logical way that will help you get from point A to point B.

But there are a few things you need to do when taking an online course to make sure that you’re absorbing all the information you can possibly access and get real results.

We tend to take online courses for granted, flip through the content too fast and not take that any action based on what we just learned. (Been there, done that.)

After taking dozens of courses myself I learned that every course can be a valuable resource and a turning point for your blog, business or for your self-improvement if you approach it the right way.

If you want to make sure that the money invested in those courses actually pay off and that you make the most of it, here are three things you need to do when you’re taking an online course:

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3 Things You Need To Do When Taking An Online Course

💎  Sit down & sit still!

I used to go through courses as I was doing daily chores or working on something else in the background. As a result, I was not focused, I was not committed and I was not properly registering all the information.

So if you’re going to take the time to go through a course, commit to it! Sit down, avoid distractions and be laser focused! (I used to roll my eyes whenever I attended a webinar and the presenter asked us to close all other tabs but turns out they are right. Our brain can only focus on so much at a time.)

So make a conscious decision to dedicate your full attention to that course or module for a certain period of time and I promise that you’ll already feel like you’re taking away much more from it than before.

💎  Take notes in your learning style.

We all learn and retain information in different ways. Identify that and then take notes in a way that resonates with how you learn best. If you’re a visual person, save some screenshots or make sketches. If you learn best by listening, record yourself summarize the information and play it back.

Scribble down in a notebook, save screenshots and doodle strategic plans. Record voice notes or type in it an email. Whatever works for you.

But take the time to take notes. This way you’ll be committed to paying attention to the information and summarizing it will help you retain it better and revise it later.

💎  Create a To-Do list. 

As you go through the modules or lessons, you will probably identify what’s been missing in your current strategy on that particular topic. Or what you’ve been doing wrong.

To make sure you follow through and make a real change once you finish the course, create a to-do list for every module. Instead of feeling overwhelmed after you finish it, you will have a clear, step-by-step action plan to follow.

Creating a list of action items will also help you analyze the information you’re getting and relating it to your situation. Therefore, you will clearly see what needs to be done and because you took the course, you will know exactly how to do it as well.

But paying attention and taking notes when going through an online course is often not enough. And people who stop at that wonder why they are not seeing the results that were promised by the course creator.

And I can tell you why!

While it’s very important what you do when taking an online course, the crucial part comes after. What things you cross off your to-do list, how well you analyze your progress, how often you check back with what you’ve learned.

To help you navigate the “after” part better, I’ve put together a little ebook that contains the 10 steps you need to take after you take an online course. Here are 3 of the most important ones:

3 Things You Need To Do AFTER Taking An Online Course

💎  Ask questions!

It’s pretty much impossible to go through an online course (no matter how in depth it is) and not have any follow-up questions. Sometimes, maybe the information makes perfect sense, but it’s not applicable to your blog niche. Or maybe the course was published a while back and you want to double check to see if the information is still relevant.

A lot of “online students” don’t think for a second to get in touch with the course creators and that’s when they miss out on an opportunity to make the most of their learning experience.

So don’t hesitate to get in touch with the person who created the course, give your feedback and ask your questions. Or have conversations with fellow students and compare notes and strategies.

Question the content itself even. Make sure it’s viable and full-proof. But don’t be afraid to ask questions.

💎  Measure and track your progress.

Once you start implementing the action items on your list and the ones recommended in the course, it’s important to keep an eye on your results.

As I follow through with what I’ve learned in the course, one thing at the time, I make sure to keep analyzing what I’m doing, measure the results it’s bringing and track my progress. That way, if something is going really well, I can usually tell what caused it and replicate my success. Or if something is not going the way I expected to at all, then I can readjust and experiment again.

Tracking my progress keeps me highly motivated to follow through with all the suggestions that the experts in my field recommended. It keeps me focused and it gives my strategy a purpose.

💎  Keep up to speed with any updates.

When it comes to the digital world, things move so fast that sometimes course creators don’t have time to update the information in real time, so it’s up to you to keep up with any progress made in the industry or topic that the course was about.

Keeping an eye out for relevant updates in the area you’re trying to master is a great way to keep on top of your game and be one move ahead.

There have been several occasions when a course that’s only been on the market for only a couple of months has some lessons or tips that are no longer valid due to fast evolution of certain aspects it includes. So make sure you double check any vital information and do your part of the research after you’ve taken an online course.

Want to know the other 7 steps you need to take in order to make the most out of any online course you enroll in (free or paid)? Then don’t leave until you download my ebook below!

Have you taken any online courses lately or have any tips on how to absorb the information in one? Discuss in the comments section below!