Hot Tips for Studying Online
WORDS BY TAYGAN BEATON.
Maybe you enjoy studying online, relishing the ability to create your own schedule, or the freedom to roll out of bed and get right to it. Yet for those of you who find campus life pleasing or have not studied online previously, here are four hot tips to get you through it.
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Make Space & Decorate
Studying a full-time workload online, makes screen time skyrocket. When those screens are also used for fun, socialising, and relaxing, focussing purely on studying can be tricky. The good news is, you can help your brain separate study screen time spent studying from other activities by dedicating a physical space to it. If you don’t have access to an office, simple changes in your space like the following suggestions, can help with concentration and setting mental boundaries. Experiment with allocating a “study time only” chair, closing the door, donning a “studying” outfit, getting creative with lighting and music, or rearranging your desk (think of house plants and stationery).
Take Breaks
If your mind is drifting, take a break! It takes discipline to resume study after a break, but have fun with it! Make yourself a list of break activities that take five minutes, rather than big, complex tasks you can get lost in. For instance, I like to practice handstands: it gets the blood flowing and I can’t do it for long.
Make a List, Check it Twice & Pick Your Favourite
Perhaps sorting your due dates onto a spreadsheet or calendar sounds like torture. However, if you record your obligations for the following weeks, you can pick your favourite thing to do first! Select the task that seems the easiest or most fun, even if it is not a priority. Sometimes I do the opposite of this and save the best until last by watching all of my least favourite lectures first.
Bring Friends
Sometimes you have to hunker down and just do it, but for those class-wide projects or exam study, you can make it social! Create a study group on Zoom or start a group chat with people in your tutorial. Watching lectures online can be an event if you make it one, so gather some classmates and grab some popcorn. Alternatively, take a break from university and organise lunch with a friend. Just because you’re not on campus, doesn’t mean you must go it alone.
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If you are studying online for reasons beyond your control, remember: you are not alone. Self-motivation can be difficult so be kind with yourself! Sometimes that means allowing yourself to do the bare minimum. Striving for a work/life balance is difficult at the best of times, so it’s okay to be a little slack during these hard times. Just do the best you can.
EDITORIAL NOTE: This article has been reuploaded and was originally published in 2020.