During this global pandemic, amongst other uncertainties and anxieties, we are also faced with the issue of remote learning. Most university courses have decided to do online learning rather than in-person classes in an effort to keep students and staff safe. Not only does this deprive students of having a university experience (that ought to be some of the best years of their lives), they are also left to struggle with this new method of learning and figuring out how to attend classes online and to make the most of online resources.
Some people may have quiet spaces to work in, somewhere to just put their head down and focus on their course material. For others, it may not be so easy. Their living situation might mean their concentration levels are affected greatly. Some people are living at home with their family and with everyone working from home, it could become a very hectic environment, full of disruptions and distractions.
I’ve personally been struggling to get into a work mindset while in the comfort of my own bedroom; there’s so many distractions around that I can’t help but procrastinate!
After nearly missing a seminar because I simply forgot I had one and having a pile of work that mysteriously kept growing, I decided to set down a routine to somewhat mimic what a day at university would be like.
First, and the hardest part of the day, I aimed to wake up and get out of bed by at least 8am. During the lockdown, a lot of us have suffered from a horrible sleeping pattern which needs an annoying amount of will power to be fixed. The key is to not hit snooze. Whatever you do,
Do NOT hit snooze.
Not everyone is a morning person but I’ve found that waking up early in the morning really sets the tone for the day. There’s less time pressure to get things done, you don’t lose most of the morning as you would if you had a later start, you can end up being quite productive. An earlier start means you can sit down for a few minutes and just set a plan for the day; list the seminars and lectures you have and take some time to look over any required reading before they begin. By waking up early, you could also mimic a working day where you have lunch around the time you would at university and ‘end’ the working day when you would end on campus. This allows you to separate your academic life from your home life. If not fully, it at least allows for a better structured day.
After you’ve got a good sleeping pattern down, the next step is to inform your family of your class times. I found that communicating with my family and letting them know when I had a seminar and lecture allowed me to have a somewhat quiet working space. If they know you are in class, they may consciously try to prevent making unnecessary noise and will be more cautious in how they move around the house. If you are in any accommodation that is a shared space, it is always best to let your housemates or flatmates know you have a class. It allows for a less disruptive space and your (hopefully) considerate friends or family will be conscious of the fact that you need an hour or two of quiet.
I’ve also found that time allocation allows for a more productive day. After you’ve made that list of tasks to complete in the morning, you should allocate a time slot to each one. This ensures that they get done and stops you from procrastinating and putting them off. Perhaps an hour to read an article or two hours to complete a lecture and make notes. If you don’t allocate specific times of your day for different tasks you run the danger of having Netflix take up most of the day; it’ll start off as an hour of a show and before you know it, it’s 6pm and you still haven’t even started the first task. Time is tricky, it quietly slips away unnoticed when we’re not paying attention.
Pay attention, keep a firm grip on it. Don’t let it all go to waste.
Although this experience can feel quite isolating, we are all in this together. We’re all embarrassed of our face in the webcam, we’re all afraid to be the first person to speak up in a seminar, we all accidentally leave our microphones on making the sound echo. It happens to all of us. We’re all still getting used to this new way of learning. Even the staff face the same struggles as us because this is just as new and strange to them as it is to us.
There will be an adjusting period. It will be difficult to form a routine that works, but it will happen. Don’t worry if things keep going wrong because that leads you closer to a method that works for you. Every mistake is a step closer to a more efficient way of working; now you know not to speak at the same time as someone and to just click the little raise hand icon or to ask your question on the chat.
The key is to communicate with those around you and to be patient with yourself during this adjusting period. Every new idea is daunting at first until it’s not so new anymore. Once you’ve found a routine that works for you, this whole experience will hopefully become easier and less daunting.