The last few months have been a really difficult time for everybody. So much has changed meaning our usual routines have been thrown out of the window. Many of us have trying to create ourselves a new schedule and adapt to life working at home. I know it’s not easy, but I have a few tips which I hope might make working from home that bit easier.
Get house jobs and chores out of the way
Personally, if I see any mess, clutter or any other form of distraction, that’s it, I’m up and cleaning and organising and neglecting the tasks I was originally supposed to be doing. So PLEASE do these chores first and then you won’t be tempted to do them later when you get unmotivated and bored.
Make a schedule – and stick to it!
It’s important to have a schedule. It’s easy to fall into that procrastination trap when you’re in the comfort of your own home and to end up getting nothing at all done… It’s obvious that not everyone works best at the same time of day, so pick a time that suits you best. But, if you really don’t feel in the right frame of mind, then don’t force it, you won’t produce your best work and it won’t help your mood!
Have an area which is designated just for studying
This can be difficult. You may have moved back home or you may still be in York. You may have plenty of options for places where you might place yourself to study or your options may be very limited. But it is also very possible to always find a place, but it is usually best to always stick with the same place whilst at home (in my opinion). For example, if you don’t have a desk, there are some ‘lap desks’ you can purchase online which are useful for laptops, textbooks and notebooks etc. Or you could use the dining table as a desk. I think avoiding studying in bed is usually best as it can make us sleepy and it may also make it difficult for us to sleep at night as we begin to associate our work with our nighttime routine.
Track/time the amount of work you’re doing – take breaks!
It is useful to track the amount of time we are spending on our work. A useful application to use is the Forest app, available on the App Store and the Google Play Store which uses the Pomodoro technique. This application is particularly exciting as it allows you to grow virtual trees and when you have grown enough of them, a real tree is planted on your behalf!
“The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks”
You will also gain statistics on how much time you have worked each day, week and month! This app is also useful to prevent you from using your phone as if you leave the application, your tree will wilt.
Taking breaks is also extremely important, you need time to stretch your legs and let your mind take a break too! Go and get yourself some daily exercise, a daily walk is great and very refreshing. I have found it really important for maintaining my mental health throughout lockdown, 1 walk a day.
Food and Drink
This may sound like common sense but you may actually forget to eat and drink properly… drinking water is so important. It’s so easy to become dehydrated and this will hinder your ability to work and may cause tiredness and fatigue. Being at home is also a good opportunity to look after yourself, make sure you’re eating enough and if possible get your 5 a day! Also great for your daily vitamins which will help you power through that pile of work.
Be Safe
And finally, just take care of yourselves and don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t achieve everything you want to every single day. This situation is so new and scary for everybody and we can’t expect ourselves to be perfect every day of the week. Reach out to your friends and your family and leave time for fun things too. Take it easy everyone, I will leave you with a pretty picture taken on a study-break walk near millennium bridge 🙂
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