In the last few months university students had to quickly adapt to a new way of learning. Presential classes used to take up majority of their time and daily routines were based around that. With classes now being online, students are suffering from a lack of schedule, which makes it hard to keep an organized routine and get things done. It’s easy to get lost and let the hours roll by. The best way to keep a good performance it’s adapting your previous routine to your new reality at home. You must simulate a schedule even if you don’t really have one.
- Morning Classes
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If you take morning classes, you definitely see the good side in online lessons. You don’t have to wake up so early to get to college. That’s great if you want to get an extra hour of sleep but be careful not to overdo! It’s very appealing to wake up five minutes before class and watch it from your phone in bed, but that will only make it harder to concentrate and learn.
In our regular life we spend a lot of time awake before classes start, getting ready and then getting to college, and that movement wakes us up. Having breakfast and taking a shower (or just washing your face) can have the same effect. And you can do all that by waking up just half an hour before class.
- Night Classes
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Separate an hour between your afternoon tasks and the start of your lesson, that way you can rest a little bit and then get ready with enough time. You shouldn’t watch your lessons in your pajamas just because you aren’t going anywhere after, that will make your body think it’s time to rest.
Keep up your eating schedule, if you used to have dinner before class or after class you should continue to do that. Don’t eat during class, that will distract you and your teacher might ask you a question when you have your mouth full. And don’t watch your lessons in bed, you will relax more quickly and sleep earlier if you have two different spaces for learning and sleeping.
- During Classes
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A lot of people have been struggling with concentration on online lessons and the best way is to try to represent your classroom in your own house. First choose a place with a table and a comfortable chair and watch your classes there every day, that gives the sense of routine. Avoid places where you know your family will be walking by, it’s better to choose a room with a door you can close.
You wouldn’t use your phone in front of your teachers, and you shouldn’t use it just because they can’t see you. Leave your phone in another room or at least put it on nighttime mode so you don’t get distracted. Take notes and write things down, keeping your body occupied will help your mind to focus so you won’t start staring at the wall. If you have any questions don’t be scared to ask your teachers, they will appreciate the interaction.
- Afternoon Assignments
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Now that you have a good routine to follow during the morning or nighttime, you can focus your afternoons on starting or finishing projects. Separate your big assignments in a few different parts so you can do a little bit every day, that way you don’t get overwhelmed. Try to complete small assignments on the day their given and don’t forget to write down texts you need to read and tests you need to study for.
- How to organize your schedule
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It’s easier to keep a routine when you have a place to organize your activities for the week or month. You can do that with a planner or a bullet journal (or both). An easy way to plan your day is by separating it in three separate spaces. The first one will be used to write down projects that need to be turned in that day, mark the calendar as soon as the assignment is given (even if it’s months away) so you don’t forget about it. The second space is for listing things that you need to do that day for college, make a checklist and write them down in order of importance or how close they are to the due dates. And then leave one section for things that are unrelated to school, whether it is work or just personal life.
Time management and consistency are very helpful to keep a steady routine, but don’t forget that resting is also important. Create a reasonable schedule that you will be able to keep up for a long time, instead of making a very quick-paced routine that only lasts a few days.
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The article above was edited by Amanda Ardigó.
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