As the majority of the U.S. remains in quarantine, college students finishing out the semester online have to rapidly adapt to a new learning medium. And, as one of these college students myself, I’m beginning to realize this transition isn’t an easy one.
I’ve found that the most difficult part of taking online classes from home is finding the motivation to actually do the work. Though I certainly haven’t cracked the code to fully understanding how to be productive from home, I’ve picked up on a few tips and tricks that have helped me along the way.
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Get dressed
This may seem like a basic tip, but, for me, it’s a game-changer. If I don’t change out of my pajamas when I wake up in the morning, nothing is getting done. There’s just something about getting up and ready that flips the switch in my brain from “sleep all day” to “get something done.”
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Set (realistic) goals
When I say goals, I mean productivity goals. Usually, I try to make a mental list of everything I need to get done and push the most time-sensitive assignments to the top. Not only does this make a daunting list of assignments much easier to digest, but I feel accomplished at the end of the day when I know I’ve completed everything I set out to do.
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Carve out work time
I am certainly guilty of not taking advantage of this step, and it’s made online classes significantly more difficult. I’ve noticed I tend to work throughout the day, but I take frequent breaks in between assignments. This method has left me easily distracted and slightly negligent. Yet, when I take conscious steps to set and adhere to work time constraints and avoid distractions, I get a lot more work done.
