YouAlberta
So you’re stuck doing schoolwork during the summer or working from home during a pandemic… either way, you’re at home and struggling to find motivation and focus. Well, as someone who is both doing schoolwork and working from home at the moment, I am here to help! Here are my top tips for finding motivation and focusing while at home:
- Set blocks of time in which you are at your desk/table working, and times when you can get up and open the fridge/grab water etc. I try to work in 30 minute blocks and then take a few minutes to wander around. If I don’t do this I find myself getting up every five minutes and getting almost nothing done!
- Stick to a schedule. Get up and get dressed in real clothes (not pjs/workout clothes) every day at the same time. Go to bed at the same time. Take breaks at the same time. Having a schedule can really help keep you focused.
- Take time off! I took a week off from school and work (as a grad student I was able to since I’m just working on my thesis, this may not be possible if you are taking classes) and do things that make you happy. Since it’s currently a pandemic, instead of hanging out in bookstores I went hiking and read books in my room and both were amazing with helping to clear my head! Be aware that you can burn out even working from home so taking time off is important.
- Keep an agenda in which you write down everything you need to do. That way you have a sort of structure to finish everything on your list, and then you have free time! Check out my article on using a bullet journal to stay organized.
- Keep healthy snacks on hand! Eating nothing but junk food won’t help with your focus. Make sure you are eating well!
- If you can, change up your location sometimes. I enjoy working on my balcony when it’s warm out rather than sit in the same spot for hours each day.
- Make sure you are still exercising. I find that working from home can be difficult since I’m not walking around nearly as much anymore. Taking long walks or running every night has helped me bring my energy levels up!
- Zoom with friends. Whether it’s to just chat and catch up or to have zoom study sessions, I always find that chatting with friends for a little break helps keep me motivated and makes focusing on work so much easier.
Remember that it is okay if your motivation and focus are down right now. It’s a pandemic and a lot of stress comes with that which affects motivation and focus. Be kind to yourself ❤