The opportunity to study or work remotely may seem like a lucky chance to have more free time, manage more than you typically do when having to leave home, and complete everything you planned a long time ago. Nonetheless, it can be tricky. Usually, you don’t perceive your home as a space for high productivity, as you generally retreat to it after a long and exhausting day. If you have to stay home and keep up with your learning activities, there are some things to keep in mind to get everything done and really enjoy your free time afterward. The issue is the discipline required, and this is the tough part. With that in mind, here is how to make housebound productivity possible.
Upright position only
Studying remotely usually makes it appear that you can do everything without even leaving your bed. It’s a nice idea, but practically, it turns out to be super unproductive. When you are in bed, you feel at ease, and your mind is set to relax, not work. When you are sitting at your desk, your brain understands it’s time to learn or work. Try not to mix up your productivity areas with your resting locations because you risk destroying both. Even if you do great work or study well in bed, you may one day catch yourself unusually anxious to such a degree that you can no longer fall asleep that easily. Having a certain place to study ensures that the process won’t spoil the happy places for you.
Make a schedule
Try to evaluate the amount of time you spend studying. To do so, you will need an alarm clock, though you might have hoped that you wouldn’t use it again during your remote studying period. To make studying at home easier and prevent it from looking like house arrest with books, schedule your activities and do them one at a time. If you want to manage enough assignments every week, it’s best to make to-do lists every day. It is always pleasant to tick off everything you planned, even if it’s simply brushing your teeth. While studying remotely, there is little outside control in terms of when you start and how much time you take for a break, so you have to do it yourself.
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Feel free to chill
The bright side of studying at home is that you don’t need to wait until the break if you feel tired. You can walk around your house, lie on the sofa or just watch something funny on the internet any time you want. It is a good form of relief when you feel overloaded, since nobody is there to judge but you. So, you can ration the time you have the way you want, and taking a good rest can be amazing after writing a productive assignment or finishing a tough chapter in a textbook. It is a chance for you to come up with new rewards for your achievements.
Dress to kick ass
Staying at home doesn’t mean you can remain in your pajamas all the time. In fact, it works just the way it does with not leaving your bed. If you change your outfit to something comfortably casual, the chances you will be productive are higher. Plus, you can get accustomed to the outfits you thought were too much to put on outside (we all have such things). Moreover, when you slip back into your PJ’s after finally completing all that you planned, it will feel safe and even more comfortable. You don’t work in what you sleep in, simple as that.
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Have a little time out
If you can, have at least a little walk outside. It will improve your mood and give you a reasonably substantial sense of connection with the outside world. Not leaving the house at all is bad for your mental health. It is both a sign and a cause of depression, as it traps you in a circle of isolation and inability to change anything. If there is no chance to leave the house, do the minimum and have a walk on your balcony, or look outside the window at the very least. Connection to the reality outside your walls is important and it’s easy to feel imprisoned if you have to stay home.
Don’t get disconnected
Stay in touch with your family. First, it’s always great to communicate with people. Second, it’s even better to contact those individuals you care about. Third, it’s amazing to know that they’re alright and to show them that they have no reason to worry about you. It’s difficult to be away from your friends and loved ones for a long time, but there are a lot of ways to connect with them online. Besides, if you feel lonely or isolated, a five-minute talk with someone important to you will brighten up your day. So stay in touch, and try to have a short chat every day.
Have fun while studying
While you have to study at home, you can figure out your own productivity hacks that are unavailable in the classroom. You can turn on the music as loud as you like your neighbors, as having background music is better for concentration than playing it through your headphones. You can also repeat or recite what you’re learning out loud without looking weird. If it works for you, you can turn on your favorite show and watch it (or have the background noise) while doing an assignment. Besides, there are plenty of free online learning platforms where you can find topics you are interested in. In this regard, there are no limits to your comfort, especially if you are an introverted person, so use this time to have a little fun.
Look alive in the online group discussions
While not on campus, you need to keep up with the syllabus. Make sure you check the group chats and online study boards at least once a day. Besides, it’s also useful to communicate with your classmates and work on completing complicated tasks together. If you share your accomplishments with your classmates, it will be easier to keep up with the group. Don’t hesitate to ask others for help with complicated topics or subjects, as support is also important while you’re forced to physically stay away from the group. Plus, the situation is common to everybody, so you can gain some comfort in knowing that you’re not alone in your struggle.
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In fact, remote studying is a great chance for you to control your leisure and education. At the same time, overcoming procrastination is a huge challenge to your self-organization. When you learn how to separate your free time from your studies in the same room, you will realize how enjoyable it can be. Nonetheless, it takes effort to maintain control. We hope that our tips will make it easy for you and that you will make the best of your time at home. If it feels lonely, just remember that it’s not permanent after all.
