Staying Productive While Working From Home

While many of us have been “working from home” the last 2 months, some of us are about to tackle this for the first time as summer school starts in May for post-secondary students. In particular, summer courses start for me this week. The end of my last semester consisted of writing papers, not anything different to what I’m normally used to, however, this coming semester I will be teaching myself at home, something I’ve never really been fond of. Unfortunately, I had a rough experience in my first-year of university, attempting an online class, and ultimately figuring out that the best way I learned was in person. As that is no longer available and I’m hoping to graduate in the fall, this is my only option. And with the added pressure of this unsettling time, I think I have the right to feel a bit nervous. But in preparation for the semester ahead, I’ve come up with a plan that will hopefully help me handle the courses I’m about to take and make studying this summer, a little easier.

Schedule & plan

Routine and consistency is something I feel like I’ve been lacking as of late so I’m going to try and create a routine, the best way I know-how. I have classes twice a week, back-to-back for a total of 6 hours and later on in June I have a third class starting up. I’m going to attempt to keep my habits and time spent working on my classes consistent. I’m hoping that by having a clear start and end time, I won't feel like I’m suffocating with the number of hours I’m putting into my classes while still maintaining some time to do things that I want to do. Although I understand upper-year courses require a good amount of study time, it is easier for lines to be blurred now that there’s no physical definition between school and home (and for others, work).

Let the people around you know what your schedule is. If you’re living at home and used to studying away from your loved ones, it may be challenging to gather enough space from them in order to get done what you have to. Be open, honest, and express your expectations of them while you’re on live-video lectures or spending a few hours teaching yourself. While you may still be adjusting to being home this much, everyone else may still be adjusting to having you around. Be patient with yourself and everyone you live with.

Before you start for the day, plan out some items you may want to have on hand with you while you’re in a lecture or studying. Having water, coffee, or even a couple of snacks for the hours you plan to be working on hand will allow you to stay focused and limit the amount of time you may get distracted.

Plan out a workspace that you’ll feel comfortable studying and watching lectures in. I have a desk in my bedroom that I have always used for writing or studying. I find having this distinct space that I use to get work done a helpful way of separating work/school from personal time. I have never been one to be able to work from my bed as there’s a lack of physical support while typing as well as a lack of separation from sleep and work. However, a few of my friends have shared with me that they do their best productive work while in the comfort of their own bed so I guess to each their own. It may also be nice to plan out a backup space in case you start to feel a little stir crazy spending so much time in one place. Feeling that uneasy feeling may also be a good indication that you’re in need of a well-deserved break!

Suit up

No, I don’t mean actually “suiting up” but rather physically doing something to differentiate between a time you would use to sleep and a time you would use to be productive. No matter what time I wake up (and believe me my sleep schedule is out of WACK) I have to change out of my pajamas. I find it’s a great step to “starting your day” regardless of the time. I also make sure to make my bed every “morning” as another way of signifying that sleep time is over and it’s time to get stuff done. You can even go as far as to put a little makeup on if that’ll help you feel more ready to get started on whatever you need to do.

Random tidbits

Don’t feel bad about taking a break. If you need a 20-minute break, take one! If you don’t think 20-minutes is long enough, you do you! As long as you’re getting what you need to get done, do it at a speed that works best for you!

Socialize! Don’t stop interacting with people just cause you’re in a lecture. I’m sure you’d be messaging a friend if you were physically at school so why stop at home? Professors can be boring but as long as your thoughts circle back to the lecture material, who are a few texts going to hurt?

When it comes the time when we’re allowed out again, leave home and learn. I’m hoping once this unsettling time passes, I’ll be able to meet up with a friend at a coffee shop or a library and spend a few hours studying there.

Remember to give yourself a few days off. Days that you would spend at your part-time job or days you would have off from commuting to school. Don’t feel like you have to study every day just because you’re at home so much. I don’t plan to.

Wishing you the best of luck if you have a summer course(s) starting this month! While it is a challenging time it’s also the perfect opportunity to better yourself and make progress into receiving your degree/certificate/diploma! You’re one step closer to finishing this chapter and hopefully, once it is done, you’ll be relieved you decided to take a course(s) this summer! Good luck!

xx Lex