It’s safe to say that this year has definitely been weird. Whether you are chilling in bed all day, taking classes online, or going in a couple times a week for in person learning, your idea of a “normal school” day is long gone.
I know I have already had my fair share of procrastination (like, MAJOR share) and I won’t lie it has been rough. I know I speak for way more than just myself when I say the motivation towards school is at an all time low. Classes are so different, and the emptiness on campus makes me forget we are in a new year of school. Regardless of my new laziness, I powered through those first few weeks and I finally feel like I am starting to get into the school mindset again. In those weeks really I started to think, what even IS the school mindset this year? And how can I get back into my productive ways? Let’s talk about it.
First of all, I strongly believe that this year mental health and wellness matter the most. We are literally in the middle of a global pandemic. Add that to school, homework, staying in touch with
friends, and anything else that might be going on. It’s a lot. That’s why I believe we all should cut ourselves some slack this year. The school mindset might be very different for you than it was last year, and that’s ok! Looking back to last year I think I spent more time in the library than I did sleeping (which is 1. not healthy and 2. definitely not the case now). I initially felt guilty about this, until I realized that it is so important to prioritize your health and wellness over school. Yes, classes are important, and no, I am not saying to skip all of your classes because you feel like it, but I am saying that you need to make sure you’re looking after yourself!
This leads me to the important question, how can we start to get back into our productive habits? I think the most effective way is to start small. It is so easy to lose track of time when most of your day consists of zoom meetings, so I recommend starting by writing down your schedule. This could be in your planner, in the notes app on your phone, literally wherever would be most convenient for you. This can go a long way, because once you know the concrete things happening in your day you can begin to fill in the time gaps with different things you need to get done. I started doing this every night to prep for the next day and I can honestly say that it has helped so much. Just knowing my schedule and being able to refer back to it throughout the day keeps me from slacking off or getting lazy.
Once you start to get into the habit of making a schedule, I guarantee that you should see your motivation make a comeback! We got this!
HCXO,
Annie :)