What I Learnt From Studying At Home

With the recent closure of university campuses, all students were advised to return home if possible and continue their studies virtually. For me, this meant packing up my little uni room and hauling everything back home.

This also meant all my remaining lectures, coursework deadlines and dissertation project now all had to continue online. Fortunately, I do have the privilege of access to the internet at home and all of the resources I could possibly need to continue my studies, but the one thing I couldn’t plan was the sheer drop in productivity I would face since attempting to work from home. So I wanted to share some of my thoughts on my experiences so far.

I quickly realised that the lack of structure in day to day life really made my motivation and productivity suffer. Usually, If I had a lecture at 10, I had to be up and dressed ready to walk to campus, and if I had multiple lectures on the same day, I would stay in the library and bash some work out. But now I’m at home, I can roll out of bed whenever I want, open my laptop and already be in a lecture. This is a real drain for getting things done. For me, it has been the small things, like getting out of bed early, putting some “normal” clothes on (not pyjamas), and blocking out time in my day for each piece of work on my to-do list, that have really been helping me get myself back into some sort of normality while I’m at home. I think having a routine helps me to stay engaged instead of switching off and playing video games all day.

Another thing is, sitting at my desk all day makes me feel sluggish and bored, no matter what I’m working on. I find it really hard to focus while I’m sat in the same spot all day, and only thing I have found to remedy this is to try a change of scenery. If I’m losing all motivation and the will to live sat at the desk in my room, it actually boosts my mood to move to a different space, go outside or sit in a different room of the house.

Honestly, even with all this, I have definitely not been as productive as I would have liked, and thats okay! Its completely understandable that during a global pandemic and nation-wide lockdown, the productivity levels might suffer a little (even if I do have a dissertation to be getting on with).

I’d also like to take the time to mention that self care should always be a priority, especially in these hard times. And don’t be too hard on yourself. As a final year student, its hard to deal with the anxiety of worldwide pandemic and the stress of getting my dissertation and coursework done from home — I can’t possibly imagine what its like for others in different situations. So lets be kind to ourselves and each other!