Imagine this, you are at university enjoying yourself, going out with your friends and then suddenly one month later you’re at home in quarantine… Oh wait.
Now you have much more time on your hands and wondering what in the world should you do. You can watch Netflix, scroll through Instagram, watch YouTube, but you have probably already done those things.
In the back of your mind you also know that you should be studying and not letting weeks of online lectures and assignments pile up on you. Keeping up to date with your university studies can be even more challenging with online lectures. Depending on your university, your lectures may be live, recorded or both.
Live Classes:
The problem with live classes is that paying attention can be really hard especially if you have your phone right in front of you. If you only do one thing, do the following: put your phone in a different room while your lecture is going on. That is the best way I have found to stay focused, as there is less chance of getting distracted. Think of it this way, no one is doing anything, there are no parties or events, so there is really nothing to miss out on by leaving your phone for a few hours.
The main benefit of live classes is that you have a schedule to follow. This is really helpful in staying on track.
Recorded Classes:
Recorded classes mean you have no schedule, no schedule means you have all the time in the world to do what you want. While this has been my dream since I started university, it is really bad for productivity. To combat this, the most important thing you can do is create a schedule for yourself. This involves scheduling time in your day for University work and the other things you want to do.
I have been scheduling the tasks in my life for over 3 years and it has helped me academically and with mental clarity. If you have never done it yourself, start after reading the tips below. If you don't create a schedule right after reading this, you just wasted 5 minutes of your life. 😀
Besides a schedule for your studies, creating a daily checklist of things that you enjoy doing to keep you in a positive mind state is also really important during these stressful times. Ex: Exercise, Meditate, Read, Watch your favorite TV show, Play video games, Call your friends. This is an important thing to do even if you have live classes.
The Only Tips For Creating A Schedule You Will Ever Need (mainly because its quite straightforward):
- Create a To-Do list of all the things you need to do. This will give you an idea of how much you have to do. Seeing things in a list format can make them more manageable.
- Spend 3 minutes thinking about your ideal day, think about all the things you love and enjoy doing and block out time for those things.
- Block out times in the day specifically devoted to your studies.
- Set time to relax, spend time with family and call friends so that you have a balance.
- Make it manageable and realistic. It is better to create a schedule that you can stick to consistently rather than one you can only do for a few days. Consistency is key.
- Keep the schedule simple. Start with scheduling 1 day. Then 1 week. Reorganize the schedule at the end of every week. "Simplicity is the key to brilliance" - Bruce Lee
I have also attached a 1 week schedule template to help you out. Feel free to make a copy and adjust to suit your own lifestyle.
Main Takeaways:
- Don’t be lazy, make a schedule that you can consistently stick to. Try your best to stick with it. If you mess up one day (which you will) don't beat yourself up just try to fix it for the next day.
- It may seem simple to make a schedule, but that is what makes it so effective. Try it out
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