It can be really hard to stay motivated when you are learning from home. There are so many more distractions competing for our attention when we are at home. Today I am going to share some of the tips and tricks that I use most to stay motivated while working from home, and hopefully some of these will help you to, with that being said, let’s get into it!
Apps
There are a few different apps that i use which i find are helpful for being productive (and not just scrolling through social media all day, oops!)
- Forest
The first one is a productivity timer called forest. This app is based on the pomodoro technique where you work for 25 minutes and then take a five minute break but you can change the lengths to work for you. For every session of focus that you successfully complete it plants a tree.
- Clarity
The second app I use is called Clarity. It is a website and app blocker for your phone. Simply list the apps and websites that you want to block and click on the button that says block. Then when you want to access them again you simply return to the app and click on unblock, it’s super easy to do and allows me to focus without being sucked into texting with friends, social media, online shopping, etc.
Tips
A few things I have found to be productive while working from home are:
- Keeping a planner
This allows me to know when my upcoming deadlines are so that i can stay on track (or at least try to, because sometimes life happens, and that’s okay).
- Sticking to a schedule
This is important even if it’s not what your school schedule would normally look like so that your day has some sort of structure to it which helps your brain know when to focus.
- Don’t do your school work on your bed
This is similar to the previous point in that working on your bed is associated with relaxation and sleeping, so if you do your schoolwork there your brain is going to get confused and you will not only be less productive but you will also have more trouble sleeping at night.
- Don’t wear your pajamas while doing school work
This is similar to the previous point in that putting on your pajamas tells your brain to relax and prepare to go to sleep not to get ready to study.
- Get up and go to bed at the same time everyday
By doing this you will feel less tired and more motivated, be able to wake up on your own without an alarm clock, and over time you will actually need less hours of sleep each night.
- Take up a new skill or hobby of interest
Doing something that you haven’t tried before is very stimulating for the brain and it will make you feel excited and inspired which you can carry into your school work and daily life at home. This will completely re-energize your mind.
- Pick classes that make you excited
By doing this you will make yourself more likely to attend them because you want to be there and it won’t feel so hard (especially if they are early in the morning or late at night) to stay focused or even remember to attend them.
That’s it! Hopefully you found one or more of these to be helpful for you or something new that you want to try and good luck staying motivated for fall.
(By Ashley Reid)
Mindset: The Ultimate Motivation Tool to Success
Going into the fall, everyone is going through online classes and this can be a new challenge for everyone. From browsing your electronic devices to fulfilling everyday tasks (chores, work, friends), it can be tough to stay motivated during a pandemic. I am going through the everyday challenges myself. Thankfully, I was able to motivate myself by changing my mindset from being timid to confident. Here are 3 ways on how I motivated through myself during the summer semester that you can use for the Fall Semester.
Being Hungry for Success: One of the ways I have been able to change my mindset is to be able to scream inside my head like a drill sergeant motivating their soldiers. I was able to apply that style of motivation in my head by saying uplifting phrases such as “Everything will be okay.” or “Let’s finish this assignment. You can do it.” Doing this helps my mindset restart itself from being sad to being pumped up to finish studying, homework and my exams
Writing Your Goals: I wrote my future goals on a cue card and Microsoft Sticky Notes to set a reminder of why I am studying these courses. Being able to see your goals in clear view allows me to focus on the positive aspect of life. For example, I wrote “To calculate the value of future projects for my job” on a cue card. By writing, this motivates me to see the purpose of studying so I can pass my course and hopefully apply it to the real world.
Planning your Study Strategy: One of the reasons why I was successful in my courses is because I always plan and write my strategy on how to study the courses. I would do this by looking at the textbook to see how the layout format and textbook questions are like. Next, I would go onto the online portal for the textbook to see if there is any additional material. From there, I would write my plan on a sheet of paper and follow it. Having a strategy and a core system in place motivates me to do well in my class because I have a clear path in being able to study with confidence
These are my methods in motivating myself to become successful. While there are different ways to motivate yourself, I believe focusing on the mindset is one of the top ways to do well in college. Stay safe out there and good luck on your studies this Fall.
(By Clinton Kam)
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