Steps for success in online school
While the comfort of working in bed appeals to most students, working where you sleep causes a lack of separation between work and home, which leads to sleepless nights and unproductive days. Students should try to set up a separate workspace from their beds to achieve the best workday possible. “Working from my bed definitely makes the division between my school day to the rest of my day more blurry than the days when I work from my desk. Along with that, it also makes it difficult to focus on school when in an environment I tend to relax in,” Magnet senior Abbey Corley said.
August 26, 2020
With the drastic shift to remote learning happening basically overnight in March, students did not have the opportunity to prepare for the next obstacle, online school. However, this year students can anticipate a more organized approach to online education, suggesting that students should also take time to prepare for it. While intimidating, students can succeed in online school with these helpful tips.
Maintaining a separate workspace from one’s bed encourages the separation between work and home, resulting in better sleep and a more productive workday. Many studies have shown that having electronics around your bed lowers melatonin levels, making a good night’s sleep nearly impossible. Working from your bed also forces you to associate your bed with work, which not only takes away your place to “come home to,” but also impairs your ability to fall asleep quickly. Lacking separation between work and home creates sluggish, less productive workdays, and sleepless nights for students.
“When I have all of my school stuff in a different workspace from my bedroom, it allows me to separate school from my free time, and I can use my bedroom as a de-stressor instead of constantly thinking about school because I don’t do my work in there,” NC Magnet senior Alainna Toombs said.
Preparing for each day by getting ready may seem tedious to just sit in front of a computer screen all day, but adding a couple of extra steps to your morning routine shows a variety of benefits. An automatic self-esteem booster, getting ready in the morning raises your confidence and makes you feel more capable of achieving that day’s goals. Starting the day by accomplishing some simple tasks signals to your brain that it needs to start working while giving you another boost by allowing you to achieve something so early in your day. Getting ready daily keeps the days from running together and with students and teachers sitting in front of computer screens every day now distinguishing events hold more importance than ever.
Establishing a routine, something we’ve all heard a million times, has become more important than ever before. Having a routine decreases stress by encouraging students to schedule a time for the things they need to do. If students have time for everything they don’t scramble to get them done late at night and disrupt their sleep schedules. A better sleep schedule allows students to achieve improved immune systems, better moods, clearer thinking, and decreased stress. Implementing a routine allows you to maintain a regular sleep schedule and reap all of the benefits.
Studies show that taking breaks not only increases productivity but also gives a new perspective and a chance to recenter oneself. However, in order to receive the full benefits of a break, you must separate yourself from your workspace and do something totally different. For example, taking 5 minutes scrolling through TikTok holds no benefit because we spend all day staring at a screen. Stepping outside, stretching, meditating, or even just going to get a snack allows your brain time to rest, recharge, and ultimately have more productive workdays.
These tips will save students from long nights, painful headaches, and slipping grades while adjusting to the challenges of online school. By changing just a couple of things and implementing a daily routine, success in online school feels much more achievable.
