Studying from home is vastly distinct in comparison to attending physically in a classroom. It requires lots of self-discipline as well as being active instead of passive in learning new things.
It’s really hard to focus and feel motivated while studying alone. Especially while having many distractions in your home environment as it consists of your phone, TV, laptop, and much more.
Here are some tips that simply help to stay productive and focused during remote study sessions.
1. Create a schedule and stick to it
The first and the most important tip for being more productive and focused is to set a clear schedule and stick to it. Consistency in your study schedule helps your brain be more active and maximize brain capacity as well as stay concentrated. You need to be able to adjust your schedule as things change. It can be achieved by creating a simple list of tasks you want to finish during the day and assigning each task a specific amount of time to keep track of the progress. In my experience, this is more easily done using a mobile application. Put the hardest things on the top of the lists, complete them, and get motivated knowing that the next will be easier. However, to help keep the focus consider taking periodic breaks to relax your mind by doing activities you enjoy.
2. Get rid of distractions
To do anything well you need to concentrate and for that, you need a distraction-free study space to do your work without anything to divert you. Make sure that your space is clutter-free and doesn’t contain any distracting objects. A less distracting space means more productivity, which means you can fully concentrate on your things while studying online. Removing distractions will help you use the time you have wisely and be more efficient. To accomplish that you can block all the unnecessary phone notifications, get off social media, and be focused only on one thing at a time. Some studies have shown that music without lyrics can also help you concentrate, leading to more productive learning. Although many people may consider it a distraction, listening to some genres of music as you study can help to relieve stress and enhance brain activity.
3. Update your technology
Technology is the basis of studying from home. To access your lessons, or to play your courses online, you must ensure that your computer and internet are up to speed. Update all the versions of all of your software tools to keep up with all the security updates. In addition to that, you can consider using mobile productivity apps to help you stay productive and focused. The apps allow you to create better workflows, effectively saving you time and boosting your productivity even further. Schedule an hour for learning, breaks, and for exercising. Make the technology work for you. We are so fortunate today to have plenty of tools available only one click away, so use them to your advantage.
4. Take notes
Watching lectures on a computer allows students the convenience of changing the speed or replaying the video again. However, taking notes while doing so is another way that will help you capture the essentials, keeping them in simple and understandable language. It increases your focus and improves your critical thinking. You can use your phone or even a notebook, you will have fewer distractions to not switch between browser tabs during the lesson, which will help you remain attentive throughout the whole thing. Taking notes will enable you to retain concepts much better.
5. Exercise Consistently
Exercise can be a great source of refreshment and energy, especially when done early in the morning. It can help you gain energy for the rest of the day, boost your memory, reduce stress levels, and even improve sleep. Exercising doesn’t always mean you have to go to the gym. Even taking a short walk, and doing some yoga at home are great ways to get a break from the books and computer screens and ensure you’ll be productive when you return. There are plenty of videos on youtube that has some great stretches designed to relieve the areas that get sore from studying.
Even though studying from home can seem easy because it’s so convenient. Procrastination and distraction are some of the most common problems that may arise, reducing your efficiency in producing actual work. Lots of us think that we aren’t great at overcoming these challenges, but as with anything in life the more you practice the sooner you’ll start to see the results of your concentration and productivity grow.
