When you first were told your courses would be moved to an online forum, you were probably thinking it’d be super great to work from home. You’d be simultaneously listening to a lecture while also rewatching an old episode of The Office on Netflix. 

As Admiral Ackbarr from Return of the Jedi once said: “It’s a trap”.  And that’s because working remotely is … or it can be. There are so many different obstacles to working remotely that will get in the way of your productivity. 

This is why we created a list of steps you can take to stay productive while taking online classes.

Tip #1: Clean Your Room Office

A majority of the students taking online classes do not have the luxury of having their own in-home office or even a desk – which makes their bedroom double as their office. While it may be tempting to just grab your laptop and work from the comfort of your perfectly slept-in bed, you’re not going to accomplish much that way.

Just think about it this way, would you be able to do your best work at an in-person lecture if there were plates of old food and random socks all of the lecture hall? The answer would be no. Do yourself a favor, make your bed and clean up your workspace. 

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Tip #2: Create a schedule

Whether you’re taking classes remotely from the dorms, an off-campus apartment, or in your childhood bedroom at your parents’ house, it’s really easy to fall into the routine of not having any routine. So, to fix this problem we would like to suggest you make yourself a schedule.

Before the start of every week, map out when you have online lectures and what tasks and assignments you need to get done. You should also schedule mealtimes, breaks, and time to do anything else you need (like showering – hint hint).

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Tip #3: Put on your big boy/girl/person pants on

That old saying about looking good and feeling good actually has merit – what you wear affects how your behavior, attitudes, personality, mood, confidence, and even the way we interact with others. So if you decide to wear the same outfit, let’s say your PJs, every day this week – how do you think you would feel? Not great would be the answer to that little riddle. By changing into a normal outfit every day, you’re mentally setting yourself up for success by separating when you work and when you relax. So do yourself a favor and change into something a little less comfortable. 

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Tip #4: Communication

Here’s the thing, online classes are not meant for everyone – unless everyone is under quarantine, then it’s meant for everyone. Whether you’ve taken a class online before or not, you need to understand you’re bound to run into times where you literally have no idea what the hell is going on. During those times it’s critical (for your GPA) that you talk to your classmates or professor to keep yourself on track. 

It’s better to ask a thousand questions and know exactly what you’re doing versus staying quiet and doing something wrong.

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Tip #5: Know when to be done

For the same reason you need to clean your room office and get dressed to get yourself in the mindset of being at work every day, you need to have different signals that let your brain know when to call it a day. By this, we mean you should try packing up your laptop, books, and supplies.

If you don’t put what you’re working on away, you’re never going to really be able to tell when you’re done working/studying – which will lead to burn out. If you’re burnt out, you’re not going to be very productive. 

So, what tip did you think was most helpful for staying productive while taking online classes? Comment below!

2024-04-25 12:28:12 Dominic Anzalone