01 September 2021 - 3 min read
With the post-pandemic world changing how we live, work, and learn, it’s not uncommon for those of us who are working hard to advance our careers from home to run into a few distractions - especially with so many of us now on a hybrid working schedule or working from home entirely.
So, how can we learn to prioritise our professional development while also finding time to manage the kids, the dog, the cat, and the goldfish - all of whom periodically need our undivided attention?
To give you a hand, below we give you 5 tips on how to study more effectively from home.
Before anything (or anyone) else, it’s important to make sure that you’re looking after yourself before you dedicate any of your valuable time and energy to your other daily responsibilities - let alone your online studies!
This means getting a good night’s rest, staying hydrated, and eating well should be among your top priorities. To add, if you can, try and get your body moving at least once a day, whether that means going for a brisk walk around the block or taking part in a lunchtime online yoga session.
If you’re not sure where to get started, the NHS website has some great recommendations to get you going.
While it can be difficult to juggle self-care with the many other items on your weekly ‘To Do’ list, if you neglect your basic needs you’ll inevitably be at risk of the dreaded burnout which won’t help you, your home life, or your professional development.
Time and again throughout the pandemic we’ve been told that it’s best to set up an office space if you work from home. Not surprisingly, we recommend the same thing when it comes to online learning and having a dedicated study space.
This is because having a designated space for where you work and/or learn helps to separate you from the rest of your home so that you can stay focused on your tasks and assignments with as little distraction as possible.
If your study space is the second bedroom, for example, it can be easy to get into ‘study mode’ and simply close the door when you’re through, helping separate your home and student life with ease.
However, if you’re someone who has a smaller space to work with and you find yourself working in your living area or at the kitchen table, for instance, it’s best to keep those spaces as clean and tidy as possible so you feel good about the environment you’re studying in and don’t avoid getting distracted by a big mess.
It’s also recommended that you separate your sleeping and living space so that you can properly relax when you’ve finished studying for the day. Otherwise, it can be difficult to unwind and decompress - both essential components to studying and retaining information more effectively.
These days it seems we’re all doing a hundred little things at once, but did you know that multitasking can actually cause you to be up to 40% less productive?
This is because doing a number of things at once can impair your cognitive ability (even for those who do this frequently), causing you to make more mistakes during assignments and tasks or forgetting important information or instructions.
To this end, try your best to get all your housework and other immediate tasks out of the way before you sit down to study. This will help you stay on track and focus on your course at hand.
Staying away from your phone and other technology outside of what you’re using for your studies will be beneficial, as we all know how distracting social media and other forms of media can be.
This leads us to our next point…
Creating a schedule or timetable is a great idea because it will help you organise your time more effectively, schedule regular breaks, and set reasonable limits for how much time you spend on studying versus your other daily tasks.
We recommend breaking your study sessions up into manageable chunks of time (ideally twenty to thirty minutes apiece), setting small - but also manageable - goals for yourself as you go. These types of goals can be as simple as finishing your current module or getting a head start on an upcoming assignment.
As you create a study schedule, however, remember to take into account the time of day you feel most productive as well. Forcing yourself to study when you’re running low on brainpower won’t do you any favours. Studying at those times when you’re most alert will help you better process and retain your course information (and help you pass with flying colours!).
When studying via online or blended learning, it’s inevitable that you’ll sometimes have questions about your course material as you progress through your qualification.
To this end, checking in regularly with your tutors and taking part in the online student communities available to you (i.e. the DPG Community) will make a huge and positive difference in your distance learning experience. Whether you need clarification on an assignment or simply want to discuss your progress, remember your tutors are there to help you whenever you need it.
To add, we know it can sometimes feel overwhelming taking on a professional qualification while balancing a fulfilling home and social life. So, to keep your mental health in check (another of what should be among your top priorities), remember to utilise the online resources and student support at your disposal so you can move forward feeling secure and confident.
Studying at home can sometimes be difficult, however, we hope this blog has proven to be a good source in providing you with a few good pointers to make your study time more effective.
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