Life gets turned upside down for many people when a global pandemic hits. Education is one of the many areas which can be hit hard, with students sometimes forced to take their studies out of the classroom. But studying during a pandemic can be full of opportunities too, and focusing on those can help you to get through a rough time. If you’ve found yourself in the middle of your studies during a pandemic and want to get the most out of your situation, this guide is for you. It is full of handy tips and guidance for looking after yourself and getting the most out of your education while studying from home.
Watch Your Time
Keeping a schedule can help you to stay on track while managing your time well. Studying from home removes the need to commute and can allow some extra time in your day to do the things you enjoy. Buy a paper diary or download a time management application or online diary to use.
You will normally be given a schedule of online lectures and workshops to attend throughout the week as part of your course. But while you might ordinarily join a friend in the library for a couple of hours of extra study, the temptations of home life can make this aspect more challenging. In this situation, setting out a timetable for yourself can help to keep you focused while you study from home.
Factoring in downtime, hobbies, and other activities is a good way to give your new timetable the best chance of being sustainable in the longer term. This often means you’ll start to see it as a positive thing which helps you to organize your life, rather than something which restricts you and only means work.
Create an Amazing Workspace
Our surroundings have a massive impact on our lives and wellbeing. Whether it’s work, study, eating, sleeping, driving, or walking, a poor environment can negatively affect us physically and mentally.
If you don’t have a workspace which is suitable for you to use at home for studying, consider investing in a good desk, chair, and other accessories you may need. Sometimes, it might not be clear how long you’ll be working from home, which can make it difficult to decide how much money to spend. In this scenario, check out local selling groups and second-hand furniture shops to see what they have on offer. You can pick up great deals in this way, and you don’t have to worry about spending a lot of money.
When you think about where to position your workspace, look for an area of the home that is well lit. This is particularly important if your online classes involve video calls where you will be interacting with your peers and tutors.
Think about where you’d enjoy spending several hours of your day. This may mean rearranging other furniture to accommodate your new workspace. You could also consider adding lighting, flowers, and other decorations to brighten up the area or make it more appealing. Ensure there is space on the table for you to have a drink, laptop, pens and paper, while being comfortable at the same time.
For some students, bursaries and grants may be available to help cover the additional costs associated with working online. Your university or college may also offer furniture on loan, which can help to reduce costs.
Utilize Your Free Time
You may have significantly more free time in your day simply because you’re no longer commuting to your place of study. Or maybe you’ve decided to start studying during a pandemic and feel like it isn’t taking up as much time as you expected.
Whatever situation you’ve found yourself in, if you have some extra time in the day, then there are ways to use it to your advantage. Think about the things you’ve put off in the past because you don’t have the time. Now is your chance to discover new things or revisit old hobbies and pastimes.
Having more time could also allow you to relax and de-stress – something which most of us need to do but few of us manage. Rather than feeling like you must be busy all the time, there is a lot of benefit in using the extra time to do nothing instead of something.
Put Your Wellbeing First
Studying from home means that it is often easier to put your wellbeing higher up the priority list. The time saved on commuting is an opportunity for extra sleep in the morning, while the flexibility of being at home allows you to enjoy home-cooked meals all the time if you choose.
The extra time you gain by studying online instead of traveling could also mean you have time to take a leisurely stroll every evening, or hit the gym for a workout after you’ve finished for the day.
Spending more time with family and friends, having more flexibility around appointments, and being able to take a quick power nap are just a few of the other benefits which can result from home studying.
It’s no wonder why so many people – regardless of pandemics – choose this method of study. For example, people who choose to study a criminal justice degree online with Central Christian College often do so because it works much better for them and their routine. But whatever subject you want to study, and no matter where you live, if you have an internet connection, there are options to learn from the comfort of your home.
Find Time to Tune Out
Just because there is a lot happening, doesn’t mean that you need to be switched on all the time. Studying can already take a lot of mental energy away from you, so save what you have left for the things which help – not hinder – your progress.
During large scale events like pandemics, it can become easy to get sucked into the daily stream of news and negative stories. If this affects you, consciously keep away from too much exposure to news content. It can be difficult to do when you’re talking to other people during online classes, and logging onto the internet, but knowing your own personal boundaries can be helpful.
Let Others Know What You’re Doing
This is particularly important if you live with other people – whether they are family members, friends, or house mates. If there is a pandemic, it’s likely the other people will also be at home, which can create challenges.
Speak with the other people living in the same space and come to an arrangement that works for everyone. You may be able to juggle the hours you are working or studying, or spend parts of the day in a different space to help accommodate the requirements of others.
Make it clear to others in the living space that you are studying, and let them know if you need the environment to be quieter. You could consider communicating which days and hours you’ll be studying at the start of each week, to allow others to be as flexible and helpful as possible.
Get a Good Internet Connection
With many people trying to get online at the same time, there may be strains on your local network. This could cause things to slow down, causing technical disruptions to your online classes and workshops.
Paying a little extra for a better internet connection can help you to get more out of your time spent studying at home. This is particularly important to bear in mind if you will be participating in video calls often, since this can take up extra bandwidth and is more likely to cause buffering or lagging.
Take a Break!
Home studying for some people brings more distractions, but for others it can take away all the distractions of being in a shared space with other students. This can mean that you end up spending hours sitting in front of a computer without taking the time to stretch or stand up.
Not only is it critical for your physical health that you move your body every 30-45 minutes, but it’s also important for your mental wellbeing. Studies have shown that people can only concentrate for around 20 minutes at a time with maximum effect. Once you’ve been working for an hour or more, you are likely to feel yourself slowing down and needing to take a comfort break.
Setting regular alarms to remind yourself to stand up and walk away from your computer, even if it’s just for one minute, can dramatically increase your wellbeing and help you to get more from your time at home.
Create Some Social Time with Other Students
Finding a good balance between study and social time is a challenge for many students – both working remotely and from a physical space of study.
During a pandemic, finding face-to-face social time becomes even trickier, as people are more likely to stay at home and businesses are increasingly at risk of closing.
Scheduling time with friends to have an online chat, watch a movie online together, or enjoy a few drinks can help to mix up your routine. If you don’t like studying alone all the time, ask other students if they would like to form an online study club. This could be a place where students can drop in and spend some of their study time together throughout the day.
Outside of your own program of study, you can look at local or national groups through social media networks. There are often groups which have been set up as peer-to-peer support networks for students. This will allow you to find other people studying the same subjects as you, but also gives more opportunities for socializing online.
Set Goals at the Start or End of Each Day
Having something to work towards can help to keep you on track and feel a sense of satisfaction at the end of each day. Accomplishing just one thing can make you feel more motivated.
At the start of your day, take a few minutes to set some simple goals that you’d like to accomplish. This can also include personal goals, such as working out, meditating, calling a friend, or cooking a nutritious meal.
Towards the end of the day, revisit the list you’ve made and see how far you’ve managed to get through it. This is an opportunity to reassess your goals, add some extra if you’re ahead of schedule, or review those you’ve achieved.
When setting your goals, remember to create targets which are realistic. For larger goals, you could consider creating a weekly list, a monthly list, or even a list of everything you want to achieve during the year.
Don’t Spend Hours on One Thing
If you would normally go to a campus, walking between classes and switching between topics or formats can help keep you productive throughout the day. But studying at home could mean that you’re more likely to become engrossed in a particular topic or theme. Spending hours of your time on one thing all at once isn’t often productive, so if you’re doing this, take a step back and consider whether it’s effective for you.
It’s crucial to prioritize your time if you want to get the most out of studying during a pandemic. Making the most of your time might mean stopping something to revisit later. Chatting with peers and friends might also give some insight into what others do to manage their time well.
Remember Things Are Different
Life during a pandemic can be worrying, stressful, and full of new challenges. It’s important to remember that things are different, and you can cut yourself some slack when it comes to managing your time, looking after your dependents, or taking care of your home.
Being open and flexible to change, exploring new ways of working, and putting your wellbeing first are all key in navigating a challenging time.