I have taken online classes every semester for three years, so I thought that I knew what to expect when the whole university went online. Boy, was I wrong. On day one, I rolled over in bed and grabbed my laptop that I conveniently placed on the floor next to my bed the night before. It was 8:50 a.m., and I thought I was fully prepared for my 9 a.m. I signed into Zoom, made sure my camera and microphone were off and settled into my pillows for my hour and 15-minute long lecture. Well, after a few minutes of listening to the Professor go over the syllabus, I found myself drifting back to sleep. Before I knew it, it was 10 a.m., and the class was just about over. I learned nothing about the class or the procedures, but I did learn that I needed a desk to work at ASAP.
My need for a desk made me realize two problems. One, I live with my fiance in a one-bedroom apartment that is made for one person; therefore, I definitely had no room for extra furniture. Problem two was that I had no money to buy a desk anyway. So, I needed a quick solution to create a small workspace that would fit in my apartment, take up limited room and cost nothing. It was a true challenge, but if I didn’t find a solution, I knew I wouldn’t accomplish anything this semester.
The gears in my brain started turning, and I realized that I had a small, fold-up table on my porch that I never used. It was about 2ft. by 2ft. and it would fit perfectly between my bed and the wall if rearranged some things in our room. I ended up having to get rid of our whole dresser and move our clothes to small cubbies and a clothes basket. It was a small price to pay because the table fit perfectly, and I was halfway to creating a desk!
Then, I needed a chair. The porch chairs were way too big to bring inside, and my kitchen table chairs wouldn’t fit either. Luckily, I had a pouf that I used as seating in my living room that worked out perfectly. When I wasn’t using it, it fit perfectly under the table so that I could get in and out of bed. The table also doubled as a nightstand for me to keep my medicine and things on. I decorated it with a couple of pictures and put sticky notes of due dates above it. (S/O to Her Campus at VCU writer, Niya, for the sticky note idea!) Finally, it was complete, and ever since I made it, I have accomplished much more than I thought I would be able to this semester.
The moral of the story here is that having a designated place to work on homework and attend Zoom classes really changed my ability to keep up with school for the better. I encourage anyone who is struggling with keeping up or focusing on school to find a place to put or create a desk or desk-like area to work at. Even with limited space, where there is a will, there is a way.