The coronavirus pandemic has affected people worldwide, but it has uniquely affected students. It has disrupted schedules, forced classes to transition to online formats, made students evacuate campus, and forced many to live a very different life than they were living just a few weeks ago. At times, a disruption in schedule and routine can make students feel unmotivated, and even like they’re stagnant in learning! At the Writing Studio, we know it’s hard to stay motivated when everything is so uncertain. Here are a few tips to help you stay motivated and finish the semester strong, regardless of where you’re studying!
1. Use a planner. Although it sounds cheesy, sometimes the best way to stay motivated is to make a commitment to yourself. Use a planner to set daily goals for your academic and personal life. There are lots of free printable planners online and planning apps that you can use to schedule your day hour to hour or to create daily to-do lists. Planning out your day will help you feel like there are measurable goals to accomplish every day! When you meet your goals, reward yourself. Whether it’s an episode of the newest Netflix drama or indulging your chocolate cravings, remember to reward yourself for working hard. You deserve it!
2. Make a schedule for yourself! If you’re used to having a dedicated “class time” and dedicated study time, you can recreate that scheduled feel by slotting specific times in your day to work on each class and study for finals. Use your planner or a planner app to schedule these times and stick to it! It might be hard to transition back to a “school schedule” at first, but if you get into the habit of having a routine, you’ll become much more productive. Recreate the patterns that helped you focus at school. Whether that’s a cup of coffee in the morning or a quick run before sitting down to study, try to make your schedule as close to your school schedule as possible.
3. Have a dedicated workspace. I love studying on my bed, but something about the comfortable atmosphere and soft blankets always lulls me to sleep! It might be tempting to pick the most comfortable place in your living space to study, but at times, the most comfortable place is distracting and can make you unproductive. Choose a space to make your mini workspace and arrange it in a way that minimizes distractions. Having a focused work area will improve your diligence and give you space to just do work.
4. Have an accountability buddy in each class! It’s super helpful to have an accountability buddy to keep you motivated. If you have a buddy in a class, ask if they’ll study with you over Google Docs, Facetime, or a phone call! You’ll have dedicated time to study, and you’ll have someone to hold you accountable for getting work done! Plus, it’s always more fun to study with friends. If you’re working on a final paper, book an appointment at the Writing Studio! You’ll receive feedback and encouragement on your paper within a few hours. We’re here for you!
5. Show yourself grace. It’s easy to put expectations on yourself during this time to write better papers, be more productive, and to accomplish more than you ever have before. Remember that with all of the terrible news in the world comes stress and anxiety. Give yourself grace if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Acknowledge that this may be a rough time for you and find ways to minister to yourself. If you feel overwhelmed, take a short walk, or read a chapter of your favorite book. Do a devotional in the morning and establish a self-care routine that ensures that, throughout all the craziness, you’re still taking care of your mental health. Concordia University Irvine has a prayer team that you can call or email for prayer requests, your friends are always there for you (even if they’re far away!), and you are not alone. We’re all in this together as a Concordia Community!
I hope this has helped you! I know having a little routine in my life increases my productivity. Regardless of whether you are a student staying with a friend, still in the dorms, at home, or somewhere in between, remember that you’re not alone in this adjustment.
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Denise is a history and political thought major with a law and politics minor (although, she spent her first year and a half at Concordia as a chemistry major). She has experience with MLA, APA, and CMS, and a variety of writing genres. As a senior at Concordia, she has written for many professors, including Armstrong, Koenig, Raghinaru, Karges, Broadbent, and Mallinson. She hopes to not only be a kind helping hand but to be a guiding force on the road to good theses and strong sentence structure. She hopes to transform the way you see literature and writing and be a stepping stone that you can use to reach success in written communication.