Tips for remote studying
Yovella Ball,
17th Oct 2020
Tags:
Life
Blog
Education
Exams
University
Last term was the first time that many of us had to work or study from home for a long period of time. This means that as a current uni student, I can offer some advice for the freshers of 2020.
Moving to a new city, making new friends, and starting academic study at a higher level can all be quite intimidating. But it’s important to remember that it will take time to find new rhythms, and that ultimately, you need to take care of yourself.
With that said, let’s get on with some tips for remote studying!
1) Try to set up a different space for working and resting
I know this one could be difficult, especially if you end up studying in your room more than in the library or cafes. But as a basic rule: try not to work in bed, and try not to watch Netflix at your desk.
If you can, separate your work and rest environments as much as possible. You will find that you can switch off and on more quickly, work more effectively, and have much better sleep.
2) Work with other people
Just because you need to socially distance doesn’t mean you can’t work with other people. Find out the spaces that are available to you, libraries, study rooms, cafes, even your kitchen/living space, etc.
Working with other people will help you not feel isolated, which is likely to happen if you’re working remotely and moving to a new uni at the same time.
If you can’t find anyone to physically work with, see if anyone from your course wants to work with you over Zoom. Even if you never talk, it’s nice to know that someone is there.
3) Make your own timetable for when you will watch lectures
Having recorded lectures can be a blessing and a curse. You no longer have to wake up for a 9am, or even get dressed, but on the flip side, it’s easy to fall behind if you keep putting the lectures off.
It’s helpful to make a weekly timetable of when to watch each lecture, rather than having to play catch up at the end of term. Trust me, you are way less likely to watch all your lectures if you have 15 of them piled up.
You can always make a timetable with other people from your course and watch the lectures together for extra motivation.
4) Make set times for work and rest
Working or studying from home means that the lines between work and rest are more blurred than ever. So on a similar vein as working and resting in different places, try to set “office hours” for yourself.
I know I work best from 10am-4pm, so I try and do the bulk of my work in this time and have a ‘no working after dinner’ rule.
This helps me avoid procrastination as much as possible, meaning that I don’t spend days on something which should only take a few hours. Above all, avoid all-nighters!
I hope these few tips are helpful, and feel free to let us know if you have another tip for remote learning.
You should also check out a series of recorded talks on ‘skills for remote study’ by the University of Oxford, which is currently accessible for anyone. And it is also worth checking to see if your uni has any specific advice on their website.
