The new school year has begun, however, it is drastically different this quarter. Campus is closed and classes are being taught online. As a first year, I was ecstatic to dorm, use campus recreation, and attend big lecture halls. Instead, I am at home sharing a room with my younger sister and completing my schoolwork on my dining room table.
Before the school year began, I was worried I would be unmotivated to do my schoolwork since I was at home learning from a distance. I wanted to adjust smoothly into online college classes and not fall behind. So, I needed to begin prepping before the school year began.
The first thing I did was open up my calendar app on my laptop and copied my class schedule into it. My iPhone and MacBook are synchronous, so I am able to see the same calendar on both of my devices. This way I can set reminders 15 minutes before each of my classes start so I won’t forget. This may be silly, but sometimes I spend too much time doing other things that I lose track of time. As professors began emailing the class zoom links, I added the URL in the description of each class time slot on my calendar. This made it much easier to access each link before class and keep them organized. I also fill my calendar of the times I will work out, do homework, and other responsibilities.
Along with my digital calendar, I bought a physical planner as well. I am using it to write down any homework assignments and due dates. I bought a cute inexpensive pink planner with flowers from Target. I also bought different colored pens to color code each class’ homework assignment to make writing in it much more fun. Having a planner makes it much easier to keep track of due dates and homework assignments.
Being this organized helps me with time management. This way, I don’t catch myself scrolling through Tiktok for hours or binge-watching YouTube videos when I have important schoolwork to do. Also, planning out each day helps me beat procrastination. During breaks in between my classes, I check my planner for any homework assignments I can complete while I wait for another class to start. My homework assignments are then being completed throughout the day, and I am able to go to bed at a decent time. Sufficient sleep is very important for college students, and time management plays a big role in that.
College is hard and learning from a distance can be even harder. However, these are some techniques that helped me. It’s common to be unmotivated some days, but techniques like these can better your online learning experience too.