With the forth week of classes about to start, I thought it’d be great to share some tips and tricks for staying motivated for online classes. I’m usually the one to put things off and procrastinate, but I’ve been trying to fix that, especially since I find working from home much more distracting.
Create a Workspace
This tip may seem like a no-brainer, but last spring I kept working in different places and found it hard to focus. I recommend keeping the space where you work separate from everything else. Make sure that one of the only things you do in that space is work. For me, I have a desk in my room that I use just for school. By mainly doing work in this space you trick yourself into thinking it’s time to work whenever you go there.
Minimize Distractions
This has been my hardest struggle. I live at home with my family and dogs so it can be very distracting when the dogs bark or my siblings want my attention. For this I recommend closing the door to your workspace if you are able to or listening to some music or background/white noise to help drown everything else out. Not only that, but because everything is online sometimes I find myself on random websites or even Netflix. Honestly, I’m still working on this one, but what’s helped me is disconnecting from the wifi when my homework doesn’t require it.
Take Breaks
This goes hand in hand with the above tip. By taking frequent breaks you are able to keep your mind focussed on what you’re working on. Personally I like time limits when taking notes, so I’ll work for 30 minutes, break for 5 minutes, and repeat. For worksheets or anything quicker, I’ll take a 10 minute break after I finish one or two sets of problems. When on breaks I suggest you get up and walk around, go to the bathroom, have a snack, or have a quick conversation with someone. Do not sit still or go on your phone, this will just add to you feeling restless.
No Phones
This is a very common tip, but it has helped me whenever I do work. Put your phone somewhere that you can’t see, behind your laptop, behind you, in your desk drawer, or even in another room. It doesn’t matter where, just make sure that it is out of your line of sight. Out of sight, out of mind. I find myself looking over at my phone whenever it would light up, and inevitably I would pick it up for every random email, disrupting my flow of work.
I hope you found at least one tip to incorporate into your work routine. Stay happy, healthy, and productive!
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