5 Tips For Students Working From Home

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused temporary school shutdowns across the world. Students all over are out of school and having to turn to online learning over Google Classroom, Zoom, Skype, and even FaceTime.

As of now, we’re not entirely sure how long the coronavirus closures will last… it could be two weeks, a month, three months, a year, longer… who knows.

In the meantime, here are 5 solid tips you can take with you while you’re working from home. As someone who regularly works from home to coach actors, blog, and podcast, I stand by these!

1. Set a routine.

Now that you’re out of school, it’s important to set a routine for yourself.

School gave us structure - we’d wake up early in the morning, shower, get dressed, take the bus or drive to school, study each of our classes at different points of the day, take a break for lunch, have some more class, and then head home or participate in extra-curricular activities.

While you’re in quarantine, give yourself that sense of structure. Set hours for the day. Make sure to include time for lunch and also include time for breaks to refresh and recharge.

Stick to your schedule on a daily basis!

2. Get creative with your work-space.

One of the most difficult parts about working at home is separating your work-life from your home-life.

Avoid doing your work in your bed. Some of you will be taking your liberal arts courses online - math, science, English, etc. Doing your work in bed will cause problems when you’re trying to sign off and get some rest at night. Separate your work space from where you sleep!

Get creative. Some of you may be taking dance classes with limited space. Push around some furniture. If you’re in an apartment building, try the roof if you have access to it. If you have a backyard, take your class outside. Change your environment to keep yourself focused.

3.  Get out of the house

Even if it’s for an hour or so, venturing out of the house can help you regain your focus in a new setting. Go for a walk, ride your bike, sit outside in the sun.

Get out of the house when you can… but be smart. Social distancing is vital right now. Staying at least six feet away from other people lessens your chances of catching COVID-19.

4. Minimize distractions.

Working from home has its distractions. Control your technology - don’t let it control you. If you’re on your computer, minimize how many windows you have open on the web. If you’re taking performing arts classes online, put your phone in a separate room.

5. Make it fun!

Everyone is stressed. With the state of the world we’re in, it’s hard to find any joy in your work.

When you’re on a break - play some music. Listen to your favorite Broadway cast albums. Dance around in your living room. Watch silly Vine compilations on YouTube (I definitely will!!!) FaceTime your friends. Play a board game. Do something that makes you smile.

We’ll get through this.

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Find this helpful? Be sure to check out the Actor Aesthetic podcast. New episodes every Monday.