In this blog post, I want to share some tips which are helping me study remotely.
Schedule specific time for learning
One of the essential skills you need as an online student is effective time management. Planning is everything. Most of the lectures (maybe even all) are asynchronous. If you decided to watch them whenever you have free time and inspiration, you might never watch them. It is easier with life (Zoom) seminars because you know that they are happening at a specific time, and if you miss them, you don't have a second chance. All seminars are marked in your timetable. The same approach you need to follow with the asynchronous lectures. Decide which day and time you are going to watch them and mark it in your calendar. To create a better routine and sense of a study week, watch the lecture at the same time every week.
Tune out distractions
Put away your electronic devices during the studying time. Leave them in another room and close everything on your laptop except for the browser where you watch your lecture. Even if you are not checking your smartphone, you'll be distracted by texts, calls and all sorts of notifications. Keep in mind that your phone is the enemy of productivity. Make your study time gadget-free. Study times are more effective when they replicate a test environment.
Set realistic goals
If you are not a first-year undergrad student, you should probably have a good understanding of how much studying you can do in a day or week based on your previous years. Be realistic and manage your workload accordingly. The semester is long, so pace yourself.
Schedule group work in advance
My cohort is located all around the world, and for almost every class, I have a group project and presentation. The university is trying to allocate your team members based on similar time zones, but it is not always working, plus some unexpected events such as sudden border closure can change the plans. Be considerable with your peers when you schedule a group meeting, so they don't have to go on Zoom at night.
Separate study space
Dedicate a specific place for studying, for example, a mini office in your flat or room. Study space can be different from one person to another. Whatever you choose, try to only study in that space, if possible. It will help you enter study mode more easily when you need to focus and get work done.
Focus on short-term planning
We all know the deadlines for the assignments for the entire semester.
Thinking about how you can manage them and meet all deadlines can be overwhelming. The penalties for late submission are tough, and nobody wants it. To deal with it, break each assignment into several small tasks. For example, for writing a report, split the research phase into several parts and schedule several spots in your calendar to complete it. Once this part is done, do the same for the writing part.
