Coronavirus times: 7 Tips for Studying at Home Effectively by IUS alumni Gülendam Demir
Each one of us are going through a difficult process for both ourselves and our societies. We have the opportunity to get through this process in the easiest way with great heroism that we have never thought before with #StayingHome . I am aware that you are doing a great heroic act for the world by staying at home. On the other hand, I know you missed IUS campus, your friends and professors. Our university (where learning is always a passion) continues to provide the best opportunities in order to not separate us from education in these crucial days. Nowadays, we continue to learning from home. We may have questions about how we can study efficiently at home. Because of this reason, I would like to share with you tips for studying at home efficiently.
1-THINK LIKE A ROUTINE WEEKDAY Since we have always been at home on weekends or holidays, it is normal for our minds to mislead us like if it were weekend when we are at home. If we think of these days as an ordinary holiday break, our priorities will differ. We may not be able to complete our study program. Let’s think of it as a regular day when you go to university. It will help you plan this day according to your study.
2-CREATE A STUDY CORNER By ‘study corner’ I mean your happy place. You may have more than one task to do at home and you may not be alone. If you don't have a workplace of your own and you are waiting for the right place to just appear out of nowhere, you'll be continuing to postpone it more. It might be useful to have a corner for you to focus on your tasks in such situations. You can think of this corner like your class.
3-SET UP A TIMER 30 MIN. BEFORE YOUR ONLINE LECTURE It's important that you use an alarm or planner so you don't miss your classes. Alarms will be useful for you if you are not sure about internet quality or technical issues. Preparing for the lesson will give you more efficiency. It will prevent you from missing the lesson!
4-TAKE A BREAK AND REWARD YOURSELF You can organize your study time at home according to multiple techniques. Pomodoro, Outsourcing, Delegating and others. These techniques can help you set your time across the breaks. Home is the most creative place you could reward yourself during the breaks and set up reward-study cycle. Finding ways to relieve yourself between study steps will increase your excitement for the next step and productivity.
6-THE RULE OF THREE I am wondering what your opinion is about creating a to-do list? It has always been productive for me. But if the list is too long, this may cause me to procrastinate. I use ‘The Rule of Three’ for that. Firstly, write the first three things you need to do. Don't write anything else before you complete them. Then write three more things you want or should do after completing and crossing them (this makes you feel satisfied). *Try to do the task you are most afraid of or have been postponing for a long time at the beginning of your day so that it doesn't play in the back of your mind. Just like the stone in the shoe, take it off first so you can run faster and enjoy your time :)
7-TIME YOUR SLEEP&EAT WISELY& WORK OUT Sleeping and eating patterns are very important for both our body and brain functions. Working out in the other hand will have benefits just like these to. So if we want to have a strong information process, memory and healthy immune system we need to be very careful about our sleep, our nutritions and work out regularly if not much.
8- START SOMETHING NEW All of us know that these times will pass and we will be grateful (hopefully:)) for getting to see each other again and going outside. It would be amazing when we looked back and see all the things we have accomplished during these times instead of wasting it by thinking when it'll end. So starting something new or finishing something you have always wanted or worked on will have amazing benefits on your mental and physical self :) I hope these tips will help you spend the next days efficiently, happy and healthy. Let's stay at home and stay productive until we get back to our university!
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Gülendam Demir completed her bachelor degree in Psychology department in 2017, and her master's degree in Clinical Psychology in 2019. she received Positive Psychology education from University of Penn, pioneer Martin Seligmanden. She worked as a child and adolescent psychologist at a Singapore-based institution. Although she is currently writing columns for a Turkish newspapers, she also accepts clients, mainly those with anxiety and panic disorder, and continuing her research in clinical psychology as a freelance researcher.
