starryeize:

okay, so here in california precautionary measures against COVID-19 have become increasingly intense. most schools have closed and are preparing to make the transition to “distance learning” aka online classes. this is a big change for many of us – but don’t panic!

welcome to surviving online classes 101!

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✐ self discipline

this is more of a warning than a tip. working from home means you will have to exercise a lot more self discipline. it can be a little bit boring or lonely at times. you cannot count on motivation from others (professors, classmates, friends, etc.), so you will have to learn some self discipline. 

✐create your own classroom

a good way to make the transition is to try and mimic the classroom setting as closely as possible. something that might be helpful is to set up a space designated for work. try to avoid the temptation to work in your bed or on the couch. that trains your brain to be alert in those places and makes it harder to relax/fall asleep. at least during online lectures, try and eliminate distractions that wouldn’t be present in a regular classroom (like tv or netflix playing in the background, or having your phone out)

✐dress for success!

dress in the way that makes you feel most productive. if you’re one of those people who usually rolls into class wearing sweats and still kills it, good for you! if you’re one of those people who needs to put on a full face of makeup to feel alive and ready for the day, do that! even at home!! i personally never wear makeup but if i try to be productive in pjs… disaster. i’ve also found that cute workout gear makes me feel badass while still being comfy.

✐create a schedule

now more than ever you need to figure out how to manage your time. you can use a planner, bujo, google calendar, the forest app, whatever. just make sure you keep track of things like

• due dates and TIMES
• exam dates
• lecture times
• hours spent studying
• meals (pls eat 3 if possible)
• water intake
• sleep schedule

✐pack your bag like you usually would

i know this probably sounds so dumb, but when you’re done working clean up after yourself. pack everything up like you would at school, to sort of signal to your brain that academic time is over for now. and then unpack and set up when you’re ready to get to work again. this is just another way to trick your brain into that school mindset while you’re stuck at home.

✐don’t overwork yourself

break up your studying into chunks. being cooped up all day can make us feel like we’re wasting time, but be sure to schedule breaks and reward yourself after a solid study session. i’m a big fan of the pomodoro method, and it can be customized really easily to allow for more or less study/rest time. 

✐maintain a healthy sleep schedule

now is the time to develop that healthy sleep schedule we all dream about. staring at a computer all day is exhausting and hard on the eyes and brain, so make sure to give them enough rest and time to recover each night. also, consider investing in glasses that block blue light, even if you don’t usually use glasses. this will keep our eyes young lol. 

✐communicate with your teachers and classmates

most of us are making this transition to online learning together. any time you have questions, email your professor. reach out to your classmates at the beginning and exchange emails/phone numbers/social media so you can build a support system. if something goes wrong, screenshot it immediately and reach out to your professor. technology isn’t perfect, and mistakes can happen, just communicate them.

✐turn things in early

this is my biggest tip. when you are relying on online submissions for assignments and digital lectures, you always want to allow extra time to fix any errors you might encounter. your professor will also be much more willing to help you fix a problem two days before a deadline rather than two minutes before a deadline. eliminate that uncertainty by playing it safe with online submissions. 

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GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!! YOU GOT THIS!! WE GOT THIS!!

Everyone has their own quirks. And you know what those are for you better than anyone else. And when it comes down to me, I have a few things I do.

• Don’t take notes in class. Well, not unless it’s completely necessary, like an equation with some key example that I can use for further reference. The reason why this works for me is that I see lectures like a conversation with my professor. If you’re in a conversation with your friend, you’re not going to type or write everything down. Instead, you try to follow what your friend is saying, right? You’re not going to remember everything, but you’re gonna remember the key aspects that make the story. I used to take notes in class but I noticed that I focused too much on taking notes instead of the actual content. 
• Take notes a day or two after your class. This will force you to recall what your professor said.  According to a psychologist, Jeffrey Karpicke, simply practising and recalling the material, students learn far more and at a much deeper level by recalling than using any other approach. First I like to write what I remember down on a page. After, I start reading the textbook and make notes at the margins of other examples or anecdotes the professor used. If I paid attention, all these things will pop up into my mind. Just trust your brain on this one, you’ll be surprised by how much you actually remember. (I certainly was!) And then I take these 2 notes and make my final notes on the subject.  
• Get your pets and talk to them (Or yourself). After I am done with the notes, I like to wait a day or two before I go back to them. I often open the book on the index page, where you see the chapter’s title, paragraph and sub-paragraphs and use this as a shortcut page to my presentation. I stand up before a whiteboard. I make sure Burger (my cute-ass doggo) and Mr Fantastic (my grumpy cat) are on my bed. I take a deep breath and I start explaining the concepts to them. The idea here is to recall and make sure you put the concepts into your own words. What do you remember? What is it about? Can you explain this with an example? What are the practical uses of said concept? Most importantly, use that whiteboard. It’ll make you feel like a professor and that you know your shit. Once I start talking, I’ll realise what information I truly don’t know. Then I’ll pick up my final notes and go through them and see if I talked about everything. After I’m done with my talk, Burger looks at me like “Shirou, where’s ma food?” and Mr Fantastic is fast asleep or looking at me like she truly can’t be bothered.
  

So experiment! See what works for you and what doesn’t. Not sure where to start? Then I truly recommend you to check the free online course on Coursera “Learning how to learn”. It truly helped me to lay a basis of getting my shit together. 

How to beat procastination in vacation

Let’s be honest, procrastination has hit us all one way or another. Even the best of us sometimes fall victim to it. We must remember that we all make mistakes and there will be times in which we will procrastinate. However, we should try our best to improve.  So how can we try not to fall into procrastination?

1. Understand what makes you procrastinate. This step is very essential so we can come up with solutions.

In my case, reading made me procrastinate. Reading isn’t necessarily a bad thing but once you’re reading instead of actively working on your priorities, it truly becomes a problem. I would spend nights reading on my phone and had lack of sleep. Therefore I was also very tired and couldn’t perform as I needed to.

2. Define your goals. Writing down goals is very important as it gives you a specific end to work to. The goals are your expectations and having SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Bound) will help you work effectively.

I decided I must do up to 5 tasks related to my priorities each day. I can’t read until I finish those tasks.

3. Identify possible courses of actions. This is the stage in which you’ll come up with ways to achieve those goals. The solutions you come up with have to help you find a way to overcome the reasons why you procrastinate.

Each week I must plan an overview of relevant goals I want to accomplish. Each night, as part of my night routine, I must write down important tasks I have to do the next day in order to achieve those goals. These can’t be more than 5 and I must make sure I can absolutely do those tasks. In order to avoid reading, I downloaded an app called self-control on my phone and laptop in order to avoid the sites I read stories on. In case I fail to accomplish this and decide to read, I must give my mom my phone for a day. My night routine starts at 6 PM, which means I can read till 6 PM in order not to disrupt my sleeping cycle.

4. Identify when you are the most productive. Some people are night-owls while others are early-risers. What time are you the most productive? When you know this, you can schedule a time to work on your priorities.

I work best in the early morning. Most people find my waking hours atrocious. However getting things done as early as 3 AM does wonders to me. Most people are already asleep at that time, which means no distractions coming from mobile notifications. The internet is crazy fast at that hour. And the quietness of everything makes me go real deep, real quick into my work.  

5. Keep track of your habits. This will help you see how you’re actually working and it’s also the perfect time to reevaluate if things are going the way you want. Here you can also give yourself feedback. And if necessary, you can also go back and repeat the process.

It’s important to remember that each one of us has their own ways of working. What works for me, might not work for you. I encourage you all to experiment with all sorts of things in order to find a way that works for you and kick procrastination’s ass like a boss.

If you’re struggling to get through something particularly challenging, come up with a reward that you’ll give yourself when you finish the task. It can give you the extra motivation you need to keep pushing on.

Alright folks. So, if you’re in the same boat that I am - which is out of a job (we got laid off because restaurants in Texas were mandated to close dine-in services), worried about getting your bills paid because you lost your aforementioned job, on extended spring break and not returning to campus at all this semester, deeply concerned about all of your classes moving to an online format, and practicing social distancing - you are most likely feeling unproductive and bored out of your skull. 

Here are some activities that have helped me: 

• Self care. It is amazing how much better you feel when you are clean, smell good, and you are wearing a fresh pair of clothes. 
• Doingsomething artistic, if you feel so inclined/have the materials to do so. For me, this has been getting back into painting and playing my violin
• Spending time with your pets. 
• Spending time on your balcony/front porch, appreciating nature. This activity pairs very well with a cup of coffee or tea. 
• Taking this time to deep clean your house/apartment. 
• Face-timing/calling friends and family who are probably feeling the same way that you are. 
• If you are someone that wears make-up and enjoys make-up, absolutely feel free to get glammed up, even if it is just to watch Netflix. You aren’t wasting make-up if it makes you feel better about your situation. 
• Listen to music. I have rediscovered my love for Prince this week.
• Learn how you can elevate your quarantine meals viaSupercook - which is a free website that tells you what dishes you can make with ingredients you have in your kitchen. Personally, I am coming out of this quarantine a home chef.
• Ask your friends/family what shows they are streaming. I have finished so many shows over the course of the last couple of days, and without recommendations I would be so incredibly bored. Would definitely recommend Tiger King on Netflix, by the way. That documentary was quite the trip. I would also recommend Schitt’s Creek and The Stranger. 
• Give in to Duolingo’s constant notifications and practice learning a new language!
• Read some of those books you may have lying around, or re-read an old favorite. 
• File for unemployment if need be. It wasn’t too difficult for me personally; there should be an option to indicate that you lost your job due to COVID-19. This is the case for Texas.  
• Take this time to get ahead on course material, even if your online course schedule is tentative. 
• Feel free to catch up on sleep.It’s okay to rest and not be doing something 100% productive 24/7. 

That’s all for now folks. Keep your heads up, stay the home for the love of god, and just do your best. We will get through this ordeal. 

How are y’all coping this week? 

-Erin

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