Tired of my workspace during lockdown
Greetings from Canberra ! It has been one month since the state is in lockdown. I am a university student doing online learning due to lockdown and I have nowhere else to study besides my own room.
During pre-lockdown days, I have the freedom to go to uni / library or whever I want to change my environment a bit. But now being forced to study and work on assignments consistently and sleep in the same space is making me fatigue. And I feel extremely suffocated being cooped up in my own room studying. And I have trouble staying motivated too.
Any good suggestions to navigate through this difficult time while thriving in studies too?
Comments
Hi Tyrene,
I was from Canberra too (just moved away last year after spending a lifetime there)! I do get the feeling on being stuck studying and sleeping in the same space - my apartment is literally just a small boxed room so I have no choice.
Along a similar vein to what Portia said, finding what works is really important. I spent ages trying out Pomodoro techniques along with about a hundred different other styles until I realised those methods didn't work for me. There was even an interesting one where you wear a cap so you weren't distracted by your peripheral vision when studying!
One thing I could add - pick specific times to study as well. For example, say that between 9-11, 13-15 you'll study etc. Rinse and repeat on schedule everyday. Blocking out that time helped me with getting into the rhythm of it. I knew I was incredibly unproductive during the night so I scheduled these block periods during the day instead.
Music as well, if you can handle the slight hit on productivity. I've been told music without words can work decently to get you into the zone. Sort of like telling your brain "this music means it's time to study".
Hi @Tyrene and welcome to the online community 😃💕 Way to go on getting through a month of lockdown - that in itself is an achievement because it is a really tough slog. How are you coping with being cooped up and having to stay home?
As a full-time student living in NSW right now, I can definitely relate to how you're feeling. I'm working on my thesis and it's been so hard to stay motivated when I can only study in one spot. Here are a few things that have helped me stay on track when I only have my bedroom to work with as a study space:
- I rearrange my desk every few days to try and make things look and feel a bit different, and sometimes I sit on the floor to stretch out if I have reading to do just to change things up
- I study in short, regular bursts of 20-40 minutes rather than trying to focus for hours on end like I used to. There are some great apps like Forest where you set a timer and grow a tree while you're studying, but the plant dies if you get distracted and use other apps like Facebook.
- I avoid studying in bed at all costs - even though it's comfy, I find that I need to treat my bed exclusively as my 'relaxation station'
- Where possible, I put everything study-related away at the end of the day so it's out of sight and out of mind. If all my books are in my drawers or cupboards, it can be easier to make the transition from 'this is where I study' to 'this is where I chill'
Do you think any of those things could be worthwhile for you?
Above all else, I'd recommend being kind to yourself right now. We are in a really weird situation with COVID and lockdown is definitely not the most conducive environment for studying hard and slaying uni. It's definitely still possible to get lots done and thrive while studying, it might just take some tweaking to your usual study strategies and some extra acknowledgement that lockdown is exhausting, let alone when you're studying as well.
Hi @Portia_RO ,
Your reply made my day! I have been putting in conscious effort to at least eat well during the lockdown. And also letting the sunlight in my room most of the time helps too. I have to admit I haven't come up much with good habits to cope with this lockdown situation yet ( this is the first time Canberra has had a lockdown that goes more than a couple weeks) and so I am still adapting it. And it's only recently that I realized my existing routine is not sustainable during the lockdown and thus I posted the thread to ask for some advice.
I think your suggestions are very practical and easy to practice. I'll give them a shot! I have been using the Pomodoro timer on KanbanFlow which is a bit similar to Forest, though I have to admit Forest has more appealing UI 😊 . I have downloaded the app and started planting some maple trees. It has been fun! It'd be nice to change things up / the way I do things and make everyday a bit different during the lockdown.
I also want to give you a huge shoutout for hanging on there and coming up with your own strategies to cope. NSW definitely isn't getting it easy either and I pray that things will change for better quickly in NSW too 💌
