Adjusting to school at home: How to stay balanced and productive
Adapting to online school on campus was already chaotic, and now that some of us are heading home our learning environment is about to get shaken up again. Managing school in the presence of your family without that campus structure can be daunting. Luckily, there are mindful actions you can take to ease your stress and help transition to a new home life.
A great way to set yourself up for success is by finding your own workspace. Siblings, pets and parents can be a distraction so creating an oasis to be your most productive self is key. If you have a desk in your room that’s great, but if you’re looking to get a little further away from the temptation of a bed nearby there are other places to try.
A parent’s unoccupied office at home can be a quiet, distraction-free environment. You can also try your home town’s public library, or venture to a coffee shop, hunker down and get to work!
Another part of working hard is knowing when to stop and give yourself some time to decompress. Take a lunch break or even dinner. Fitting family time in when you’re overwhelmed with school work can seem like another task on your to-do list, but having a meal with your family gives you time to catch up and recharge before getting back to work.
It will give your mind the break it needs and allow you to connect with your family while cooking, eating and even cleaning up the dishes after.
While home life is nice, bringing back collaborative school culture will help you stay on task with work. If you’re used to studying and doing homework with friends, keep it up! One of the pros of technology is keeping us connected, so schedule a facetime or organize a group Zoom to go over your work and help each other study just like you would if you were at the library with friends.
Changing environments is hard, especially when we have to stay consistent in our work to keep up grades throughout the adjustment period. But with these tips hopefully you can settle into your new surroundings, relieve your school stress and enjoy time at home.
