Whether you’re a returning university student or fresh out of high school, we all have a bit of experience with online school under our belts. And by experience, I mean fatigue. We were all unprepared for what a struggle it would be to keep ourselves stable, healthy, and as happy as can be expected during online learning.
As we push through the last couple weeks of January, let’s use the lessons we learned last year to make things easier for us this time. Here are three tips from my experiences that you can implement into your own routine.
Set alarms
We all know the bitter feeling of having our sleep interrupted by a morning alarm. As annoying as it may be, these alarms make a world of a difference in starting your day off right.
It can be hard to keep track of every meeting – especially if you have to use multiple different platforms for each class. To remember what you have to do, where you have to do it, and when you have to do it, set an alarm five minutes before all of your class meetings and lectures.
For example, I use the Alarm app on my iPhone, and I label each alarm with the class name, the type of meeting it will be (lecture or discussion), and what platform the meeting will take place on.
Ex: RELS2013 Lecture – Collaborate Ultra.
Use a calendar
If there’s one thing I’ve learned throughout the pandemic, it’s the importance of having a calendar and sticking to it. Whether it be a digital planner or a paper calendar on your wall, that thing will save you from a lot of unnecessary stress.
A calendar or planner is great for writing down your deadlines. But if you want to stay organized, you shouldn’t stop there. Try taking an extra hour or so out of your day to look at your syllabi and find all of your assignments and readings. Mark out time for doing your readings in between classes or on the nights before.
On top of that, write down the dates and times that you will dedicate to working on assignments. When you have your school life planned out in this manner, it will help prevent you from doing your work at the last minute (take it from a professional procrastinator).
Keep an active and healthy lifestyle.
Over the past few years, we’ve all learned how easy it is to do nothing, especially when there’s nothing to do. But no matter how good it feels to put your 10 a.m. class on mute and sleep until noon, try your best to break that habit.
Now, I’m not saying that it’s bad to take a mental rest day. I know how important those are in times like these. However, I am saying that you shouldn’t do it as frequently as you’re tempted to.
Try to wake up as early as you would when school was in-person. Forget that your classes are just one click away and keep your routine as “normal” as possible. This way, instead of kicking yourself for being unproductive, you can feel proud of the way you used your time.
It’s also important to stay active. With online school, you’re no longer walking from building to building on campus, so try to give your body the same amount of activity that it’s used to. This doesn’t mean you have to do an hour-long, full-body workout – try to do 10 minutes of cardio, abs, yoga, or even just stretching every morning. Taking a walk outside will get your body moving while also offering a refreshing change of scenery from your at-home classroom.
I hope these tips help you navigate the remainder of online learning. Staying on top of your school work while taking care of your mental and physical health will help you remain calm when the world outside seems a little too unpredictable.