Find Your G.R.O.O.V.E. while Learning from Home
You’ve enjoyed your extra week of spring break, caught up on that Netflix show, lounged on the couch, slept in — but now school is back and your teachers put all your work online, so now what? Transitioning to online classes is a big change, even if you were already using Google Classroom for your assignments. You’ll need to make a lot more decisions for yourself, which is exciting — there are so many options! But, it can also be overwhelming. Here are some tips to help you find your G.R.O.O.V.E. for learning from home.
⏰ Get Up — Start Your Day and Motivate Yourself
Motivating yourself when you don’t have to get up and go anywhere can be tough. But think about it this way — you can get so much done without even getting our of your pjs! That being said, some find it helps their brains realize it’s time to work when they put on actual clothing before trying to do schoolwork. Either way, have a morning routine that helps you feel ready to seize the day!
📖 Read — Get Your Mind Ready For the Day
Before schools closed, you had time between waking up and sitting down in your classes — maybe you ate, showered, walked the family dog, grabbed a coffee on your way to school, took the bus in — whatever it was, it gave your mind a chance to wake up and get ready to learn.
That transition is just as important now, so rather than jumping straight into schoolwork, you should give your mind time to get ready. Maybe you want to read the news to catch up on what’s going on in the world, or scroll through Instagram and see what your friends are doing, or even take some time to meditate. It’s possible reviewing your planner and to-do list for the day will help you feel more prepared, too.
🗓 Organize — Plan Your Day
One of the most important steps to being successful in your online courses is knowing what is expected of you. Find a way to keep track of your assignments — a planner is a great method, or a bullet journal of you want more freedom to choose the format. Even just a to-do list on Google Keep can be all you need to list tasks and their deadlines. Log onto your online portal frequently to stay up-to-date with course announcements and other messages from your teacher.
Until now, attending school has taken up a large portion of your day. The time spent bussing or walking in, sitting in classes, walking between classes, having lunch, coming home — all that time is yours now. So, how do you figure out how to use it? Many people benefit from replicating the daily or weekly schedule they operated on before. Remember to give yourself breaks — take some time off to take the family pet outside, Snapchat a friend, or try the newest viral dance challenge. Getting your body moving and giving your mind something else to think about will help you focus when it comes time to sit down and work again.
🧠 Optimize — Create Your Learning Environment
Making a learning space that fits your needs is important, since chances are your school library, local library, or favorite coffeeshop are no longer open. Make sure the space has minimal distractions and allows you to focus fully on your schoolwork — it can be your bedroom, the kitchen table, the couch — wherever you are comfortable working!
Optimizing your learning environment isn’t just about the physical space, either. If you find noise distracting or don’t have a quiet place to study, pop in some earbuds and put on a study playlist to help yourself focus. If ambient or background noise is more your style, you can customize your sounds with apps like Lonofi or myNoise, or the simpler Noises Online.
🤝 Village — Find Support
Remember that your classmates, teachers, and even adults are also adjusting to this new normal. Communicating effectively will help make sure everybody in your village knows what is going on and feels prepared to support each other. Make group chats with your classmates to ask each other questions, plan to take lunch breaks together over FaceTime, or use Google Drive to give feedback on each others’ work and collaborate for group projects.
Make sure you know how to contact your teacher through the online portal or email. The adults in your life might be a little worried about how you’ll handle learning from home. Let them know you have a plan, whether that means subject-specific time blocks or an overall to-do list. Remember, the people in your village are there for you to ask for help if you need it.
If you need academic or college planning help, Student Success Agency has launched a free virtual service called Support For All, which is providing middle and high schools students with guidance for the remainder of the school year. You can learn more and sign up here.
🏃🏽♀️ Exercise — Take Care of Your Mind and Body
Between schools being closed and the virus, this is a stressful time for many people. It’s important that you take care of yourself mentally and physically. Make sure you eat healthy food, exercise, and get enough sleep. If you’re feeling stuck inside, live nature streams or virtual hikes can help you explore the natural world from your couch. Keep an eye on the social media announcements of your favorite artists — some have decided to livestream concerts after having to postpone or cancel spring tours.
Your social life is important too, maybe even more now that you’re social distancing! There are lots of ways to connect with people beyond TikTok and Snapchat. You can watch Netflix together for movie nights or use a website like myCircle to stream home workout videos with your gym buddy. Keeping in contact with your village and remembering that you are not alone can help you stay on track and get through this difficult time more smoothly.
