I don’t know about you but this whole "online classes" thing leaves me with a less than pleasant feeling. In fact, it’s downright anxiety-inducing.
I’m the kind of person that much prefers face-to-face classes or even studying in school in general. There’s something that makes it a lot easier to be productive and be in the "study zone" when you’re at school, ya know?
It is probably because whenever I’m at home, there’s so many distractions and obstacles that lure me away from keeping to my study plans. It was hard enough to do so prior to COVID (back when we had physical classes to keep us accountable and on-track). There’s the bed, the fridge, tv, Netflix and the list goes on.
So how are you and I going to study and stay on track at home and away from school?
Fortunately, it’s not a lost cause. There’s a couple of simple things you can start implementing into your life to help keep you productive while working from home.
9 Easy but Essential Tips to Stay Productive while Studying at Home
1. Create a Study Space. Free of distractions.
Do you know why schools and libraries are so effective at keeping you in the "study zone"?
It’s because they’re spaces dedicated for studying. Designed and optimised to be void of as many distractions as possible.
You can do the same at home. Create a space that holds the same benefits where you can work without distracting objects.
2. Optimise your Caffeine Intake
If you’re the kind of person who likes to drink coffee in the morning to wake up, this is a tip for you to time when you choose to charge up.
While the popular consensus is to enjoy a cup of coffee upon rising or shortly thereafter, there is a popular thought that drinking coffee too soon after waking up would decrease its energising effects.
This is because cortisol, a stress hormone which enhances alertness and focus, is at its peak level 30-45 minutes after you wake up and it’ll slowly decline throughout the day. Drinking coffee while this hormone is highly active is said to mess with your cortisol production levels and you become MORE dependent on caffeine.
A general advice is that if you wake up around 6.30am, take your coffee between 9.30am and 11.30am.
There’s no long term study on whether the time of your coffee intake bears significant impact on your energy levels in relation to your cortisol level or if there’s any harm at all.
But hey, if you’re willing to change up your morning ritual, you may as well make the most of your day by timing your caffeine to complete your goals.
3. Schedule your day like you’re in school
Just like with the study space tip, an easy tip is for you to recreate the focus and productivity of your school-mode by working on a similar schedule as in school. This especially applies when it is completely up to you when you choose to "attend class" aka watch the recording online.
Try to create and stick to a set timetable.
It may be a little bit odd in the beginning since you don’t need to go through the process of moving from class to class. However, similar when you have to take some time to get used to a school schedule after coming back from a break, the same can be said for your created schedule.
The best part about it? You can create a timetable that’s customised to work with your study habits. Decide how much time you want to spend on different classes.
Need for time to study and practice your calculus assignment? Add it. Already got the concept of evolution in your head and understood? Shorten your revision period then. Work better at night and less alive during the morning? Have your brain do the heavier and challenging work when you're at your best.
Additionally, depending on when you’re most productive, schedule your study sessions around then too. or if you’re the kind that generally wakes up late, you can edit your schedule to accommodate that.
Optimise your study-at-home schedule to make it fit your study needs and to fit your lifestyle.
4. Dress for what you’re doing.
I know, pyjamas are super duper comfortable. And isn’t the point of stay-at-home the convenience of just staying in your sleep wear and not go through the hassle of getting ready?
But what you wear can actually impact your motivation towards the task at hand.
When you’ve showered and gone through your "preparing for school" routine, there’s a sense of feeling of purpose. You know you’re going to school or going out and doing something. It puts you in a more focused, aware and productive mindset.
This is different from the laze-at-home feeling which will probably be the case if you were to stay in your most comfortable outfit.
Additionally, when you get dressed, it signifies a shift in your day. It helps you to separate between the different areas of your home-life, namely "the student" and "the one relaxing at home".
At the end of your schedule and when you want to do that transition that symbolises the end of the "study hours", change your clothes again into something more comfortable. Your environment may not be changing around you since you’re stuck at home/your room so it’s important to create your own way and routine to signal the shifts in your day.
5. Take Notes
Even when in-person classes were still a thing, if your schools permitted, a couple of classes probably had recorded version for you to go back and revisit the topic for revision purposes.
I remember there were a couple of instances where I didn’t attend lectures and I had the recordings. But what did my young and foolish self do? I didn’t watch it until 3 weeks before my exam or watching it at 2x speed in the wee hours of the morning because I was trying to find the answer for an assignment that was due the next day. Either that or I didn’t really pay attention much because there was the idea that I could just rewind and play it again.
Firstly, don’t do what I did. Definitely not something I recommend.
Back to the point, online lessons work in the same way. In fact, even more so. It’s so convenient that it’s easy to choose laziness and opt to not engage with the lesson much.
Try to take notes with the good ol’ pen and paper. Taking your notes by hand helps you to increase your focus and allows you to process the information instead of just taking down whatever the lecturer said and not taking the time to understand what’s being said.
6. Take Breaks
One of the most cliché and over-stated tips when it comes to studying and productivity but there’s a reason why it’s so important.
After long study sessions, you will get tired. Plus your brain would become less effective in absorbing and retaining whatever you’re trying to study.
You can study for as long as possible, but you wouldn’t be studying productively.
Take breaks periodically throughout the day, as often as you need to. Of course, it’s not meant to be long breaks- you shouldn’t be losing your motivation! But don’t be afraid to take some time (15 mins is a classic) here and there. Maybe you can make use of something like the Pomodoro Technique as your study method.
A key note to make is that when we refer to a break, it should be the kinds of breaks where you get away from your study space and you take your mind off of the task you’re working on.
It doesn’t count as a rest if you’re still at your desk and you continue to think about all your studying and assignments. Why not take the time to stretch, do a little bit of exercise or get something to eat? Whatever to clear you headspace as much as possible during that break.
7. Virtual Study Groups
If you’re the kind that studies a lot better in a group setting, you may be wondering how that will pan out given the gathering restrictions in place.
Those same technologies that you use to call and vide-chat with your friends like Zoom, Skype or even a normal voice call, can help you to keep that dynamic of studying in a group but with a lot more options and benefits.
For one, you can record your calls. You can revisit the calls and refresh what has been said. This feature is especially handy if you (or your friends) decide to do a teaching-style revision where you teach the topic to someone else (or even yourself) in order to go over the information.
Plus, the mute button exists! Especially if you prefer to study alone, having your peers on call within the virtual space makes it easy in case you need to ask a question or what not. Virtual study groups are literally that sweet spot for friends who want to study together but have different studying styles.
It can also make studying at home less lonely and maybe even fun.
You have people to talk to and you’re also getting some social interaction while being held accountable to actually studying.
Try to coordinate study sessions with your friends and/or your classmates so that you’ll can help each other. Discuss ideas, the lessons itself, analysing texts together and swap study tips.
8. Get out
Sure, you’re on a study-at-home or even work-from-home mode but for the sake of your own sanity, get out.
And I mean that in a several different contexts actually.
Don’t become a hermit. Please. You’re a student and even crabs, the quintessential "hermit", socialises. Even in an academic setting, build relationships with your classmates by engaging in online discussions.
I don’t know about you but after a whole day of studying and not talking to anyone, I low-key feel a little bit crazy. It’s not fun.
Take a walk around your nearby park, pick up a new hobby or improve a skill. Do something that allows you to escape the study mode.
Exercise works very well too. You’re probably aware that exercising provides a lot of health benefits. It produces endorphins and serotonin which helps you to remain relaxed, focused and more productive.
No one’s telling you that you need to do a full hour workout (if you do, props to you 'cus I could never). There’s a lot of quick workouts you can find and do in your home. Don’t like to do normal workouts? You can even do dance-workouts (there’s even K-pop versions).
End of the day, stay healthy and don’t be afraid to get out of that bubble that tends to happen when you stay at home for long periods of time studying.
9. Look Forward to Something
Give yourself rewards when you accomplish different things. For example, before setting out to do a task, set a goal. When you meet it, reward yourself with a break to do something you enjoy like watching an episode of your favourite show or something.
This ties in really well with the pomodoro technique.
It gives you that motivation to actually complete your goal because you want the reward comes after accomplishment. Of course, in order for this to be effective, you should put something you really wanna do as a reward.
Because you’re studying from home for long periods of time, it’s pretty easy to fall into a slump. You’re in the same place every day, day in and day out. Use these 9 tips mentioned in this article to stay on top of your game, keeping you motivated and productive throughout this time as we ride out the consequences of this pandemic.
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