How to Work and Study Remotely
A lot is said about digital transformation and its benefits for the job market. One that has been increasingly recognized by companies of different sizes is the home office. Remote work, in turn, brings the advantages of saving time for these people and, when done correctly, optimizing productivity — especially for those who need to combine professional services with studies. Although it is considered a benefit, it is also a great challenge. After all, how can you not let procrastination wipe out your time management efforts? How can you handle home office work and study without stress? This is what we are going to understand in this article.
1. Know how to separate the activities
At home or at the office, work usually involves a lot of learning. For this very reason, it is sometimes possible to confuse which activities are from the home office and which are from undergraduate and studies. So, the first step to reconcile well is knowing how to clearly divide them.
Think about your job roles and list the main ones—do the same with the university coursework that needs to be studied. With these pointers, you have a broader vision of what needs to be done and can move on to the next step.
2. Set times for each activity
With this information, it is easier to separate times for each activity. Consider how many hours you need to devote to work each day, remembering to add the lunch period. At the end of this day, take time to rest your mind before studying.
Then, the remaining hours can be devoted to books and other college materials. But pay attention to the end of this period. When the subject is exciting, it’s harder to know when to stop studying. In that case, remember that rest is equally important to your routine to recharge your energy.
3. Create an environment
So that your body understands that it is not time to rest just because you are at home, it is necessary to have a place to dedicate to work and study tasks. Give preference to a table with a comfortable chair, which can house the materials you use most in your day-to-day to optimize your time.
As you will spend hours of your day in this place, make it suitable for your person that you feel more at ease. If there is the possibility, have a place of study and a place of work, to renew the air and not quickly tire by looking at the same environment.
4. Make a study schedule
A useful tip to organize your routine is to have a very realistic schedule for your days, which includes both the academic part and your other tasks. This is a tactic that does not work only for those who do not intend to fulfil the plan. Divide the study time for each subject, setting aside a period to attend classes and do the exercises. If possible, try to reserve a fixed time to study, as if you have a class scheduled. This contributes to conditioning the body and mind.
Also, a study plan will be your great ally so that all the contents of the coursework are learned and revised, without anything being left behind. So, invest in this schedule right after you understand how your home office and learning routine will work. In addition, remember to include practice exercises and reviews in this schedule. Reading the materials is vitally important but relying on the help of other resources makes all the difference in acquiring knowledge. Include video lessons, podcasts, interactive content, and formats that you think the best suit your pace.
5. Remember the breaks
One of the difficulties reported by many professionals who work remotely is knowing when to stop. As they are at home, the hours can go by much faster, therefore, it is necessary to pay close attention to breaks.
Ideally, get up to stretch your legs every hour at the very least. Take the opportunity to drink water, do a quick exercise, or invest in reading a few pages of a book not related to studies. Leave social media for another time, to avoid this break from destabilizing your routine.
6. Get rid of distractions
Speaking of social networks, you can already imagine why they destabilize the routine of remote work and studies, right? When you pick up your cell phone or open the page on your computer, 5 minutes turns into hours and, when you realize it, you’ve lost precious time. This contributes to tasks piling up and making your day turbulent.
With that in mind, set aside a time each day to check messages and notifications. Make sure it’s not before bed so that it doesn’t affect your sleep too. On weekends, when you’ll have more time, you can devote more attention to that leisure—but don’t let your days stop with it.
7. Enjoy the flexibility
Did you need to prolong lunch a little, or did a relative make a video call just as you were about to start studying? Enjoy the flexibility of being at home and don’t limit yourself. It’s important to stick to your schedule but remember that you can take a few minutes off-break periods for these purposes.
8. Count on your family
If you live with your family and are concerned about the distractions this scenario can cause, be sure to talk to them. Explain that you will be at home, however, busy with your home office work and, later, with studies. This way, they will avoid calling you unnecessarily during the day.
Since you will have a schedule of your activities, take the time to share with them and include them in this routine. This way, it will be easier to understand the importance of this planning and, certainly, they will help you rather than hinder you.
9. Don’t underestimate the course
It is important to keep in mind that remote studying will not necessarily be easier than a face-to-face one. Many end up deceiving themselves by underestimating a distance learning course in this way. That way, they don’t dedicate themselves enough and end up failing. The truth is that studying at a distance requires both commitment and attendance to in-person classes. If, on the one hand, it is not necessary to go to campus every day, on the other hand, the discipline at home must be redoubled to check all the material and meet the deadlines.
Any serious failure in this regard can lead to terrible consequences, including the failure of the student. Therefore, only make the decision to enter a course if you are willing and have the time to dedicate yourself. Don’t fall for the fallacy that studying at home is easier!
10. Stay motivated
Lastly, be sure to motivate yourself each day. Being at home for a long time can discourage especially people who like to lead a busier life. But consider the benefits of telecommuting — even more so how it helps you focus on your studies.
As you can imagine, the home office is not the future of the job market, but the present. So, nothing better than starting to adapt to it. Consider the advantages of productivity and time management to invest in your studies, but without forgetting moments of rest and leisure.
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