When I heard we would need to do online school during COVID-19 I was actually really worried about how it would affect my work ethic! Going to class motivates me during the week and increases my productivity in school overall. I mean the good news is that all of us people doing school online are in the same boat. Some people are probably going to love it and if you’re anything like me, probably not so much…
To be honest, there’s possibly nothing worse for my performance than being stuck at home. I need a change of scenery once in awhile when I’m working. So naturally I do most of my work at the library as I find I’m the least distracted there. There’s something about being surrounded by books that makes me focus. I know it might sound strange, but it’s so true!
When I study at home I find I snack more, get tired more easily, get distracted by the television or end up down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos. I quite literally have to trick my mind in order to focus.
If you have a hard time with online school during COVID-19, here are a few things that I do to focus.
1. Create a Routine
I won’t even lie to you guys and say that there weren’t many days that I rolled out of bed 5 minutes before class started during online school. It was terrible and I have definitely learned what not to do.
We only had a about a month left when we started online school and I had just moved back home. It definitely took a lot of adjusting.
This September I am vowing to start creating routine and taking better care of myself. That way I won’t absolutely go nuts! At the very least this may involve taking a shower, making breakfast and putting on some clothes before class starts. At least do something that’ll wake yourself up!
I am also planning to work the gym and blogging into my school schedule this semester. Thus, I will likely decide to plan out my days/ weeks. I don’t normally do this when I’m at school. I usually just make a checklist of things I needs to get done. However, having a routine came much more naturally when I was going to class. Therefore, I think planning out my days will really help!
2. Have a Work Station
This is really important and I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to do this yet. I do know I spent way too many days working in bed or on the sofa. The problem with this is that our brain associates bed with sleeping and the sofa with watching T.V. or whatever other activity you do there.
If you have a space that is dedicated to studying, you will get into that studying mode way more easily. We currently have a desk in our bedroom but it’s not exactly an ideal place to study because my brain still associates that room with sleeping. It literally makes me more lazy by being in there.
If you have a home office than that’s great. If you have a desk in your bedroom like me, getting a table lamp can really help. In order for this to work you will need to turn on the lamp each time you go to study. Every time you then turn on the lamp your brain will start to associate it with studying. This is a term called classical conditioning and boy is it a life saver!!
If you’d like to learn a little more on classical conditioning here’s a quick video.
I also like to play classical music when I study. There are three reasons for this:
- There have been studies to suggest we retain more information when we play music with no lyrics.
- Creates dopamine in the brain and whatever stimuli is present will be retained much more easily when our brain is in reward mode.
- My brain is conditioned to associate classical music with studying as that’s the only time I listen to it.
3. Plan Breaks/ Get Out of the House
Go to the gym, get a coffee or go for a walk. Seriously it’s important to take breaks and leave the house. It is not good for your mental health to be inside all day everyday especially if you’re going to be working 24/7.
I found it especially hard to get out of the house at the beginning of Covid. There was nowhere to go at that point. Walking in the park was even off limits! Make your breaks intentional. I would even suggest writing some things you could do on your breaks so that you don’t run out of ideas!
Here’s my list:
- Go to the gym
- Cook lunch and eat it outside
- Listen to a podcast
- Call a friend
- Go to Starbucks and get a coffee
- Journal
4. Stay Engaged
Now that we have to do online school during COVID-19 it’s so much easier to get away with not paying attention. Let’s be honest and say that morning classes were tough enough when class was in person. Now if you fall asleep during class chances are your teacher isn’t going to know about it. However, if you actually want to do well in school, I would keep yourself engaged. At the end of the day it’s on you whether or not you do well. Why not make your life a little bit easier in the long run by being present.
