With the rapid change of structure caused by the coronavirus pandemic, many of us that are full-time, on-campus students are left with a drastically new routine. Not only are most of us back home and getting acclimated to being around our families 24/7, but the lack of in-person class time can make us feel more lax than usual. I know that for me, it took over a week for me to fully put away belongings from my dorm. My outside responsibilities seemed to pile over my academic responsibilities, and the stress of starting classes online started to take up more of my mental space.
However, these changes make for a great opportunity to revamp your at-home school regimine. For one thing, the common online class tool that many of us college students are utilizing is Zoom for synchronous class time. Other professors may be uploading asynchronous work, like voice-over lectures posted to school interfaces like Blackboard or Canvas. The differences with how each of our classes are presented can cause some confusion.
To wean from this madness, try to add normalcy back into your routine by getting ready in the morning before your Zoom sessions or before digging into narrated presentations. Doing some skincare, eating some breakfast, putting on some makeup, and changing into some comfy clothes can help get us in the groove of tackling our schoolwork.
Also, if some of your classes that used to meet a few times a week combine face to face sessions and asynchronous work, jot down the times when you meet with your class on video and schedule times on other days when you want to complete your independent work for said class. Not only does it prevent you from forgetting the new procedures for your classes, but it keeps you knowing what to expect for your day.
Keeping a to-do list for how to spend your leisure outside of academics is also not a bad idea. Some of us may find ourselves with a lot more time on our hands with online schedules, while others may unfortunately be assigned more work. :( Looking at this list can inspire us to de-stress, and possibly discover new at-home hobbies!
I know switching gears when the semester is almost over can put our brains into a frenzy–but remember just exactly that! We have roughly one month of school left, and then we get even more freedom with how we spend our days…in quarantine that is. :(