Are you upset at having to work/study from home? Are you finding it hard to be productive and resist the temptation of lazing around in bed all day?
If you are, read on to learn 3 tips to help you stay focused and motivated at home during this Circuit Breaker!
1. Create a conducive environment
With most people working from home and students having to do Home-Based Learning due to the Covid-19 situation, we now face the new challenge of having to stay on task while being stuck at home. How can you stay focused when your comfortable bed is just a few metres away from you, or your fridge full of snacks is calling out for you? The answer is simple. One of the most important factors that affect one’s ability to focus is their environment! First of all, it is essential that you do your work at a study table, and not your bed or sofa. Sitting upright improves concentration and you can be sure you won’t fall asleep while listening to your boring teachers and coworkers drone on and on during online meetings. Other factors can also affect your focus level. Make sure that you are working in a well-lit, cooling, and noise-free room. Studies have shown that your brain is better able to focus and absorb information in colder temperatures!
2. Avoid distractions
Whether you are working from home or attending HBL lessons, one thing’s for sure is that you will be using some sort of digital device. This makes it even harder for you to focus when you can so easily open a new tab and start watching Youtube videos or scroll through social media. So how should you deal with all these distractions? You may think that cutting it out of your daily routine completely will help, but this is not true! These “distractions” are actually essential for our survival as they provide us with entertainment and stop us from dying of boredom. However, self- control and self-discipline is what you need when you are trying to avoid distractions. There should be a time to focus on work and a time to relax and play. To help control the amount of distractions you indulge in, you can see these as rewards for your hard work rather than you taking a break. For example, you can allocate that for every 2 hours of work you do, you are entitled to watch 1 episode of your favourite TV series, or grab a snack from the kitchen!
3. Set daily goals
Staying at home all day everyday can be really draining…the days become a blur to the point where if you asked me what day of the week it is today I would need to take some time to think of the answer. It feels like we are living the same day over and over again as if we are stuck in some infinite time paradox from a horror movie. So what is the problem here? People are not planning their tasks and this creates a lazy and “sian” mindset that stops us from feeling accomplished at the end of every day. The good news is that there is an easy way to fix this! Start by setting daily goals for yourself in the form of a to-do list. Everytime you complete a task which can be as simple as attending a meeting or doing your homework, you can tick off the task. This simple act makes you feel as though you have been productive for that day, which will improve your mood and make you feel less “sian”. Making this a part of your daily routine will give you the motivation to get out of bed each day, excited and refreshed to complete all your tasks for the day!
Hope that these 3 tips will help you stay focused and motivated while stuck at home during this Covid-19 Circuit Breaker period! Check out our other articles 3 Stages Of Procrastination Our Kids & Teens Go Through and How to stop Procrastination if you are still having trouble being productive at home!