How I keep myself motivated with Online Uni
Hey everyone, happy Saturday!
I hope you have all had a lovely January, this month has massively dragged for me. I feel like it's been six weeks instead of four but I'm so pleased with all the things I have achieved this month.
However, finding motivation has been hard! Imagine this... you have classes everyday, a mountain of work to get through or assignments to complete. But not only do you have all of those, you are also coping with a global pandemic too, meaning everything has moved to online learning and you're now surrounded by the same four walls. Which in terms of coping with motivation is pretty damn hard!
I know so many of my friends on Instagram are struggling to find motivation or to even cope with online learning because they're stuck in the same place, getting symptoms of cabin fever and they just want out. I feel the same but I've managed to keep a schedule and structure and it's massively helped!
As you can see by the title, I thought today would be the perfect opportunity to share my tips and tricks to keep motivated whilst doing online uni. Or just work in general during lockdown.
Make a designated work space:
Now this sounds obvious but when working from home, it's so easy to just get your laptop and your notepad and get back in bed to do your work. No, no, no, don't do it to yourself because more often than not you will just get tired, distracted and feel unmotivated. The one thing you need to do is decide which parts of your home are work spaces and which parts are for relaxation time.
Of course this can be hard, if you're living in a uni flat or if you don't have much space, but it is so important to put your brain into the routine that if you're sat at your desk you're working and if you're sat on your sofa you're relaxing.
When I sit down at my desk I know it's time to get productive and it genuinely flicks something in my brain, whereas if I'm sat on the sofa, I am so distracted by my phone or the TV.
I found this out the hard way, I used to sit at the kitchen table to work but I didn't feel productive so moving to my desk was a great thing for me in terms of productivity.
There are so many ways to be productive, so don't think you have to tick everything off your to-do list! Keep your surroundings a happy, clean and separate from one another so that you start your work day with a clear mind.
Make a schedule or routine:
As I am a third year student my timetable is a lot less full which is great for me because I have a dissertation to write but I still keep a schedule in my diary that I follow everyday.
I have three separate schedule notepads/diaries, I know this sounds like a lot but for me it really works. The first one I have is my diary. In this I write my plan for the day. So, the night before I will write out everything in order of what I want to complete that day, so then when I wake up the next day I have a clear plan on what needs doing. Once they are all ticked off I know I am done for the day.
I also use the side boxes of my diary to point out things to do that are not essential but can also be done if I have the time and motivation.
The next schedule is my weekly planner. I got this from Sighh Studio and it has honestly been a life changer in terms of helping me plan out my whole week. I get a sense of accomplishment on a Friday when my work week is done and I have managed to highlight the things I wanted to be completed. I highly recommend these if you want a planner that includes every day as a broad insight to your week.
And, the last schedule I have is my dissertation planner. I create one of these every week and then I write out what I want to do each day on my dissertation. This has been a massive help for me because it keeps me motivated to do it. A dissertation is a piece of work that relies solely on you doing the work independently so I definitely needed a schedule for that.
I am a very methodical person. I rely on seeing things being completed, I need a to-do list to visualise that I have done the work and using these schedules really helps.
My routine is to get up at 7:30/8 everyday during the week. Start my uni work around nine/ half nine, depending on if I have classes and then finish my uni day at 3:30/4. But I do give myself breaks and then for the evening I don't do any more uni work, I read and I relax.
Pick a little block of time every day where you will do your uni work, that will also help with motivation.
Have time for yourself:
Now this is so important! I for one know it is so easy to overwork during online university because it's hard to distinguish a work life balance but trust me, take your self away from your laptop and away from your work and do something you love.
I find enjoyment in drawing, reading and playing on my switch. And, I know this sounds funny, but I actually write activities into my schedule so I will definitely give myself chill time.
Your brain needs a rest, if you don't then you're likely to burn out and that's the last thing you need when you're already going through so much.
Get out of the house:
I know this is near enough impossible because we have been told to stay at home but go on a daily walk. The fresh air and the change of scenery will do you the world of good. You won't stay motivated sitting at a laptop for seven hours daily because your brain shuts off.
If you're reading this, go and take yourself on a walk, I promise it will do your brain the world of good.
Socialise with your friends:
At the minute you're not allowed to meet up with friends unless it's on a socially distanced walk in your local area. So, taking time out of your day to call a friend, have a FaceTime party or just a big snapchat video conversation is so essential.
I love my parents but I've been with them every single day since March 2020 and before then I used to live in a flat on my own at university, so having a chat with someone else is also good for you because speaking to the same people every day isn't good for social interaction haha.
There are so many other tips I could give you to get motivated but I am also just putting a disclaimer out there that I am definitely not motivated everyday and that is okay too. We are not robots who can just work everyday to a schedule. Life is so unpredictable at the moment and we are all still getting used to the virus almost a year on.
I promise you are not alone. If you're feeling unmotivated some days and want to spend the day in bed, you can do that too. Days will look sunnier soon <3
Love you always,
Chloe xxx
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