8 Rules for Working from Home/Online School that Really Work!
2020 has thrown us for a LOOP, to say the least. As many of us are preparing to head into the school year or to start a new job at home instead of in the office or on campus, there are many factors at play in deciding how successful we’ll be as students and employees.
Though working from home isn’t the norm for most of us, there are things we can do to make the experience a little bit better and ensure that we can remain productive and do our best work (without going stir crazy).
Table of Contents
1. Keep your wake up and bedtimes consistent
Try to avoid shaking up too many things at once. By doing online classes, you already aren’t getting the human contact that you’re used to! This can throw a wrench in your routine (if it hasn’t already) and deeply affect you both emotionally and mentally!
Try to do some damage control by waking up at the same time every day and heading to bed at the same time. This allows you to at least create some form of stability and consistency in times that are wildly unpredictable.
You want to create and stick to a morning routine that will allow you time to enjoy the start of your day and prepare for class/work rather than rolling out of bed to join a zoom meeting five minutes before it starts!
You will feel so much more motivated after a good night’s rest and completing your morning routine than jumping into the day haphazardly.
related post: 6 tips for building a healthy morning routine
2. keep a daily schedule
On a similar note, it might also be helpful if you try your best to create time blocks and stick to them. This might be easier if you’re working full-time rather than in school because you’re more likely to have conference calls and meetings to work around.
But, if you’re in college and have been assigned a schedule for your class meetings, try to honor them! Even if you aren’t required to attend live sessions and choose to opt-out for personal reasons, use the scheduled class period as your time to do work for that class only.
It’s tempting to design our days as we go when we don’t have to physically attend class or show up at the office but sticking to your assigned schedule makes you a lot less likely to fall behind.
related post: why you need to set a schedule…even in the summertime
Apps like Google Calendar and iCal are great for this because they allow you to stay on top of your deadlines and recurring meetings at the click of a button. Another plus is that you can set these apps up in a way that you receive a push notification across all of your devices! This way, you never miss a beat.
3. Get dressed for success
Don’t let your looks go to the dogs just because you have the option to turn your camera off on zoom!
Imagine how much more enjoyable it would be if you were to view getting ready for the day as a form of self-care! Getting ready for the day is valuable time spent with yourself.
You can view your time getting dressed and doing your makeup as a moment to set your intentions for the day, or to feed your mind by listening to a podcast, or catching up on an audiobook!
related posts: here’s how to completely change your personal style
Either way, putting on your best clothing even though you aren’t leaving the house will play a role in boosting your self-esteem and productivity!
You will feel much better taking a look at yourself in the mirror when you are serving a look than when you are in your pajamas. By channeling #girlboss energy through your wardrobe, you will subconsciously put yourself in the headspace to get stuff done!
4. think seriously about P/F options
If your university is allowing you to take more courses for pass/fail credit than usual, give it some thought! It could be a blessing in disguise…
If there is a required course that you have to take outside of your area of expertise that you KNOW is going to be a killer, consider taking it for a pass/fail mark rather than for a grade!
This doesn’t mean you get to breeze through the semester, you still have to study to make sure that you actually pass the course. But not having to work towards a specific letter grade can take a lot of weight off of your shoulders and also increase your margin for success!
On the flip side, if you follow these tips and create solid systems for yourself, taking your courses at home might give you even more time to study, thereby increasing your performance!
You can view this situation as a win win, no matter which boat you’re in your GPA should thank you!
5. create a designated workspace
And it can’t be the bed!
Pick a spot or two at home where you will complete assignments. these should be places that are typically quiet and allow you to get into your zone of genius!
related post: here’s a quick way to stop procrastinating
One of the best ways to get into your flow state and do deep, productive work is by having an area dedicated to a specific activity.
For example, your desk is the only place that you do schoolwork, and the couch in your living room is the only place where you can view your social media feeds. This prevents you from associating your workspace with distractions and allows you to pay attention only to the task at hand.
6. create a specific chunk of time for admin work and stick to it
Taking a break from work to check your e-mail or update your calendar/agenda can be such a time suck!
Eventually, one thing leads to another and you’re caught in the clutches of G-mail for an hour. At this point, you can kiss whatever work you were doing goodbye!
It’s best to get ahead of this tempting habit by designating a specific window for admin work. You can decide how much time you need based on the number of e-mails you usually get (30 minutes might be ideal).
Focusing on one task at a time prevents you from getting distracted while working on other assignments, and will help you to produce more results in the long run. Every time you switch from one activity to the next you actually lose out on the time it takes for your brain to readjust.
Beat this by scheduling e-mails and copying down project assignments into your day!
7. keep an agenda for your due dates!
With less emphasis being put on in-person meetings, it might be a bit more difficult to remember due dates for assignments. Though things may feel more lax at home, those assignments are still due and still count for a high percentage of your grade! You want to be sure that you are still getting these things done!
If you prefer a digital format, apps like ToDoist and Notion are both great because they sync across all of your devices and allow you to create templates that work best for your needs!
If you like a more traditional approach, try a planner like this one or this one
8. Take breaks
Do NOT under any circumstances stay in the house 24/7. Even if this means making a habit of an outdoor workout in the morning or sitting outside for half an hour while you eat, the fresh air will do your body well!
Staying indoors is almost a guaranteed road to stir craziness.
9. Don’t forget to eat
When you’re on campus or in the office you usually take an hour for lunch daily.
You build your day around your lunchtime, giving you a sense of routine and structure!
Being at home makes it easy to forget this. You might then find yourself working through the entire day and loading all of your meals in during the late-night hours, disrupting your body’s natural flow!
When in doubt, balance is better!
