While it has been nearly a year since the coronavirus pandemic hit, virtual schooling and learning from home is as prevalent as ever, with many students feeling the burnout of home-based learning. Sometimes it can be a struggle to get into your own groove when you are learning virtually. The environment is completely different, and thus it can take some getting used to. If learning from home is taking a toll on both your grades and your well-being, follow these four tips to help your productivity and keep your head above the water!
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1. Plan Your Day: Part of what can seem so scary about learning and taking courses from home is all the newfound freedom you have. When in a standard classroom environment, everything is structured around time: a time you are required to arrive, a time for a break, and a time to leave. At home, you start to work whenever you want (unless directed by your teacher), which can turn out to be overwhelming and a little chaotic at points. You don’t want to find yourself caught up in a Netflix binge, starting your assignments at 9 p.m. and getting to bed at 3 a.m.
To help solve this problem, establish a schedule for your day. Designate specific times for your breakfast, course meetings, lunchtime, working on projects/assignments, class discussions with your classmates and/or teacher, and dinner. Though you might not stick to the exact schedule you make for yourself all the time, having a timeframe to go by will continue to motivate you as well as help you accomplish your goals throughout the day!
2. Define a Workspace: Learning from home requires a great deal of both self-discipline from distractions and dedication. To help foster a great work and learning environment for yourself, it is absolutely necessary to create an adequate workspace. If you work from your bed or from your couch, you’ll be more prone to wanting to relax rather than work. Doing this can work for some people, however, if you not only want to feel productive but also get work done, having a workspace is your best option.
Now, not everyone has an extra room in their home to dedicate to work/learning, so if you don’t have an office, you can make one! Find an area in your home/apartment that has minimal distractions, plenty of light (natural is the best), and enough space for a table or desk with a chair to work from. Include some visuals to inspire you, along with some items that can create a positive atmosphere to your space, like a favorite picture or candle. A dedicated space will motivate you to get all your work done as well as give you a sense that you are in a traditional classroom environment!
3. Take Care of Yourself: Just because you are taking courses from home does not mean that you can’t take breaks. You may think that learning from home is a luxury in itself and thus, your breaks are unnecessary, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Dedicating yourself tirelessly to your coursework is admirable, but it won’t benefit you in the long run.
The less you are able to collect yourself and relax your mind, the more you will be prone to make mistakes, burn yourself out, and end up unmotivated. If you’ve been focused on a certain project/task for a while and feel yourself getting tired, take a break!
4. Eliminate Distractions: We all are guilty of going on our phones while trying to be productive and get work done, it’s an unfortunate reality of how we operate in our society. Let’s be real though, you know you aren’t going to get any work done when you’re on Twitter or watching YouTube, so if you actually care about your job and want to get your work done while at home, don’t tempt yourself.
Additionally, I recommend that if you are someone who has a fierce social media addiction, set yourself a timer for 10-15 minutes, indulge in your Twitter feed, and then get back to work. Once you set a time limit for yourself, you’ll not only feel better after your break but you’ll also be able to jump right back into work!
With the severity of the coronavirus pandemic, virtual learning has become the new norm. If you’ve felt swamped with coursework and are struggling to be productive, planning out your day, creating a proper workspace, taking care of yourself, and eliminating possible distractions can help you maximize your potential!
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