Being in a semester during a pandemic means being sent into quarantine or lockdown is a very likely possibility. Since the outbreak began in March, the phrase a “new normal” has taken on a greater amount of significance. For college students, this “new normal” might mean attending Psychology class from underneath a blanket or having an entire English class stare at the posters on your wall every time you contribute to the discussion. All of this, paired with the limitations on socializing and weekend fun, can make it quite difficult to stay motivated and productive. Here are some tips and tricks on how to keep your work-engine chugging along until finals are over and you can take a week-long nap.
Work Day Routine
Whenever you ask a successful person how they achieve all of their responsibilities, they will most likely say that they have a healthy routine that they follow religiously! However, for college students (especially for college students in a pandemic), there are many unpredictable and uncontrollable factors that might make it hard to create a strong full routine. A more manageable yet equally effective way to do this is to have just one routine to kick-start a school/workday. This can be as simple as playing a certain song or playlist every morning, taking a walk and buying a latte, having a quick morning yoga session, having a wake-up solo dance party, or even just making your bed and cleaning your room before tackling your tasks.
Create a “Classroom” and “Office”
On a similar note, creating a “classroom” or “office” environment can be super important—environment is key to mindset. While it might seem nice to be able to do your classes from your bed, it is actually proven to be counterproductive to mix chill-out-in-bed-time with grind-time. The reason for this is because you associate certain spaces with certain activities and moods. Laying in bed surrounded by all your fuzzy blankets and pillows isn’t exactly the best environment for writing a five-page paper. On the other hand, your hard wooden desk chair isn’t where you would want to cozy up for an episode of your favorite show. Forming a distinction between these two “spaces” in your dorm room can really elevate your productivity! This doesn’t mean just moving between your desk and bed, however; creating this “classroom” or “office” space can include lighting a specific candle, flicking on a lamp or using a different light source, opening your window for some fresh air and background noise, or even putting on a more put-together outfit. This can also improve your mental health because once you leave your productive space––blow out the candle, flick off the lamp, close the window, and put on comfy clothes––you can turn to a stress-free, relaxation mindset for the night.
Stay Organized
This tip definitely is a cliché for being motivated and productive, but that’s because it works! Staying organized, and having various tools of organization, is key to getting everything done and feeling accomplished. It can also be beneficial to have an aesthetically pleasing way of keeping track of all your assignments, meetings, and to-dos. Having a calendar or keeping a planner are two ways to do this. Bonus: it is so satisfying to check or cross off a big assignment!
Pencil In Some Procrastination Time
One tip that might be less common is to pencil in some time for procrastination. The misconception around procrastination is that it is bad and should be avoided, but every college student can admit to falling prey to its trap––often for hours and hours. Rather than setting the impossible goal of completely abolishing this practice, it is more realistic (and even healthier) to set aside some time prior to starting a stressful day. Giving yourself thirty minutes between each assignment or commitment to scroll through Instagram or explore new Tik-Tok worlds can provide the re-charge you need without the guilt, resulting in a more positive mindset and, therefore, more productivity.