Since the Coronavirus started, most of our lives as we know it have changed drastically. Everything we now do revolves around face masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing. And if dealing with a global pandemic isn’t enough, students have to keep up with their studies as well. Florida State has taken as many precautions as they can to keep their students as safe as possible by having no face-to-face classes being held after Thanksgiving break and making select classes hybrid—which includes a mix of face-to-face learning and remote learning. Even with that, school is still proving to be difficult. Personally, it’s hard to stay focused on a screen with other things so easily at my reach. Social media is a big one. It’s easy to switch from Zoom to Instagram just to “check my notifications” and end up on the app longer than expected with a lecture going on as background noise. Nothing about school is typical anymore, so we have to learn to adjust. We’re all in college trying to figure it out, so here are my 3 easy tips on how to be as productive as possible in COVID times.
1. Organize.
Organize everything in your life, from your planner to your room. You’re already spending so much time at home, the last thing you want is to be surrounded by clutter. Organizing your space will help you feel motivated to actually do schoolwork. Organizing will help your cleaning process because you won’t have to stress about where things are. Organizing will also increase productivity. Habits like making your bed have been proven to increase productivity and happiness levels because you’ll feel more on top of the tasks you need to complete.
2. Create a routine.
Creating a routine is always great, especially in college – it’s practically necessary. A routine will not only help you academically but in your personal life too. Routines eliminate time spent unproductively. Academically, a routine will create success in your classes by simply creating habits. Including good habits in your routine eventually becomes second nature and won’t seem as difficult as it once was. As for your personal life, a routine can contribute to better sleep, better health and better stress levels.
3. Take notes.
This may seem like a no-brainer but take notes! It’s easy to follow along with the lecture slides and refer to the modules later. Though this works, it’s not always the most effective choice. Handwritten notes are known to increase comprehension because it forces you to slow down and spend more time comprehending the material, as opposed to quickly typing it.
College is very different from what we once knew. Hybrid to asynchronous classes have taken over and we just have to deal with it. Let’s try to make the best of it by making things easier on ourselves and using effective tips that will help us be as successful as possible this school year!
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