By Zander Leja, 2020-2021 SCS Advising Leader:
With completely online courses, some of us are facing new challenges with balancing our workload from class with our free time away from the computer screen. For the last two summers, I have had the opportunity to be a full-time student with a fully remote schedule. From these experiences, I have learned what works best for me, and here are a few of my tips to make the most of our time on and offline.
- Scheduling blocks of time for life and blocks for school.
It is paramount that you schedule your time appropriately for online courses. This means when it is time to work on a class, that is what you’re working on. This not only means work all the time too. This means that when it is not time to work on homework or classes that you are taking breaks and stretching out your work throughout the week.
- Making sure only the correct devices are being used for class time.
This tip is the hardest for most. This means that the technology that shouldn’t be on, should stay off when it’s class time. For most, this means putting away your phone. The best way to do this is to silence it and put it out of arms reach and out of your sight. This will improve your productivity on your homework and help you pay attention during your class times.
- Take advantage of your breaks from the screen.
This may sound easy, but when you are stressed about work it is very easy to want to finish it right away and overwork yourself. This is your reminder to take breaks when appropriate and take a walk around campus or wherever you’re living. Enjoy life and get away from the constant screen time.
- The people you communicate with during class are human too.
It can be easy to get frustrated when you see mistakes online. Everyone you are communicating with is a human just like you and they will make mistakes as you will. The key to being successful in these situations is to be patient.
I hope my tips can help guide you to make the most of your semester and help you prepare for the midterm season.