16 Steps to ACE Remote Learning / Self-studying & Online Classes ~ [BLOG]

by Reem - March 26, 2020

Hi everyone! I hope you're all safe and well 🌸

Today I decided to make a video to help students like myself who might be struggling to adjust to this new way of learning. E-learning or remote learning is new to many of us and If you're anything like me then you're used to waking up extremely early every day, getting dressed and going to lecture but with the abrupt changes we're facing worldwide due to the widespread epidemic we have to stay at home to protect ourselves and those around us. That being said, adjusting to studying at home online on your own can be challenging so here are some tips and advice to help you get through this initial discomfort and hopefully shape your new study routine.

1. Speaking of routine, many of us need to have a set routine to follow each day and by staying at home our routines got completely disrupted and this can have a negative impact on our productivity so giving your day some structure back can be a great way to start.

Set yourself a timetable if that's something that helps you be more productive, work out the time of day during which you tend to be most productive. If you prefer waking up early and studying in the morning, then by all means start doing that. Maybe you actually liked the preset timetable you used to go by prior to all of this. If so, I highly recommend you go back to following it again and see if that works.

Just make sure to follow a set routine and wake up at roughly the same time every day.

2. If you find yourself turning to laziness try changing your clothes and get a bit more dressed up. You don't have to wear anything restricting, just changing into something different from what you're used to wearing normally when you're chilling at home can make a huge difference in your productivity throughout the day.

3. Keep yourself motivated. Write down your main goals on a sticky note and keep it near you while you work. If you feel distracted take a short break and walk around for a bit. Maybe look at motivating pinterest boards or watch a motivating youtube video but don't get too carried away with that because it can turn into an endless break. There, I warned you.

4. Speaking of endless breaks, this is exactly why you need to set a timer. While you work and even when you take a break. A day that lacks structure is basically set up to fail. Taking a break without a proper time limit can easily be turned into you watching a series in bed and a timer can definitely keep you from getting to that point.

5. If online learning is new to you and you're struggling to adapt to it, try to write down a list of the ways it's better than physically going to uni or school. In what ways is this new way of learning better? I personally like that it saves me so much time. I no longer waste time in transportation. I choose when to study and what to study. I also get to pick the environment I want to learn in so it's not all negatives, is it?

6. Find a clear space and make it your study corner. Make sure it is not the same place you relax or sleep so the two activities don't get mixed up in your brain. Picking a place that is dedicated to work or study is one way to give our day more structure.

7. Before working, bring out all the tools you know you will need during your study session. Lay out your stationery and if you can't work without a cup of tea / coffee then by all means make one so that when you start working you don't interrupt your workflow. You wouldn't walk out in the middle of a lecture randomly to get a sandwich and then walk back in, would you?

8. Narrow down your tools to as little as possible. I used to work on my tablet, phone and laptop sometimes all at once and needless to say, it was too distracting to me. So now, I started working only using my laptop; I transferred all the necessary files to my laptop and I downloaded all the apps I used on my tablet or phone onto my laptop so when I need to work, I use only one device and keep the rest on silent to minimise distractions.

9. Organisation is KEY especially when we're being bombarded with emails, lectures and assignments which can easily be lost in the pile of endless files we are sent every day.

So, make sure to keep a calendar and a daily to-do list that you actually check regularly. I personally switched over to using google calendar and I enabled notifications on my laptop so I can have an idea on what I need to study each day.

I also keep a folder on my laptop for each week and I keep within that folder all the files sent to us throughout the week. I personally write down everything that happens during the week academically. So I can check it out if I'm confused later and trust me, it happens a lot.

10. Get the most important tasks done first. For instance, if I have a lecture to study but I also have an assignment that I need to turn in. I choose to do the assignment first, even if the due date is not anytime soon. Many things can get in the way of turning in an assignment on time, so I always choose to do it first while I can.

11. Passively watching a lecture can be boring so I started taking notes while watching video lectures to keep myself attentive and I even sometimes play some dialed down music in the background so the urge to check social media or procrastinate doesn't come up because now the lecture is way more interesting than it was before.

12. I don't know about you but just watching a lecture on my laptop and not being able to interact properly and participate as I used to, makes it feel like I'm not getting what I actually need out of the lecture but making sure I write down any questions that may come up in my head while watching lectures to later send them in an email to my lecturer makes things so much better and clearer.

13. As I just mentioned, communication is key. If you feel stressed out or if you're struggling with a certain subject, it's best to communicate it with your professor/ teacher or lecturer. It doesn't have to be in person, you can always send them an email and it almost always helps. I was recently struggling to download a large file that a professor sent so I sent them an email requesting the file split into smaller bits I can download. and they actually got back to me with smaller files so it does work sometimes.

14. Working or studying from home can get quite lonely, so making a study group with your friends and aligning your work to theirs or setting up a common study schedule can help tremendously and can motivate you to study. It also holds you accountable and you feel the need to finish studying earlier to catch up with your friends.

15. Don't turn yourself into an overworked, borderline burned out study machine. Take some time for yourself. Try to stop working at the same time every day and put away all your study tools and books once you're finished studying.Then take some time to relax and unwind to be able to continue studying the next day with a fresh mind.

16. Headspace is just as important as workspace. If you're feeling anxious about what's going on in the world, which is totally understandable, try to calm yourself down and remind yourself that although we might be going through some difficult times right now, it will end at some point and we will come out of all of this stronger than we were.

If you've made it to the end of the list and you want more, check out the videos that I make to help students everywhere navigate and study in the best way possible for both: their grades and mental health.

☁️ r e e m a ☁️