Similar to many others, my school is having yet another semester online. It feels like we are stuck in a never-ending cycle of being stuck in our homes. It does not have to be all bad, though; we can use this time to our advantage and grow from it. It’s tough, but we’ll all get through it eventually, and hopefully, soon, everything will be normal again. I’m going to give you a few tips on how to get through the spring semester without totally losing your mind.
- Get Organized
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The first thing you need to do to succeed is to organize organize organize! During online school, everything falls onto you; there isn’t a lot of reminding you. I am usually a very organized person, but I have gotten even more organized through online schooling. My tip is to invest in a daily planner, post-it notes, and different color highlighters. At the beginning of every week, write down every assignment, lecture, quizzes, zoom calls, and reading you have that week. Write the due date next to the assignment; I highlight the yellow due date to make it stand out. As you go on and complete tasks, highlight them to show they are done; this also gives you a sense of accomplishment. In addition to writing everything down, I find it incredibly helpful to print out the schedule that is provided by the professor. This way, you have something you can easily refer to every week. If you have important dates to remember weeks in advance, I like to write them on a post-it note and keep it on my computer.
- Get Out of the House
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You must step away from your computer a few times a day. This will help your eyes and your mental health. It is so easy to start to unravel when you’re looking at all of the homework you have to do in such a short period of time. When you’re feeling this stressed, nothing will get done anyway, so it’s better to take a little break. Go for a walk around the block or around town. This is good for getting some exercise and clear your head. You could also go for a drive and listen to some music to calm your stress. It is always nice to run some errands or maybe get some coffee with your friends; that way, you have something to do that you can look forward to and distract you from your hectic schoolwork.
- Pick Up a Hobby or Activity
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Picking up a hobby is great to do when you’re stressed or upset about school. You can start something new or get back into something you used to enjoy. Maybe try some new yoga poses, scrapbook, play solitaire, maybe looks for that old DS and give it a charge and play the games you used to love or make one of those friendship bracelets everyone loved to make in grade school. Taking a little break from typing and turning on a show is also a great distraction. I love mindless reality tv shows like 90 Day Fiancé and its spin-offs. You can also start a new show or binge one of your favorites