The Student's Ultimate Pandemic Survival Guide

I recently wrote about the burnout I’ve been experiencing after months of fervently gazing into my little blue screen. It seems like plenty of you feel the same way - not just students, but work-from-homers, home-schoolers and home-teachers too. We're a

The lack of motivation, headaches and creeping sense of doom in the face of never-ending uncertainty are just a few of the things putting us off our study game, me included. But I’m a plan-it-out kind of person, so naturally when I realised it couldn’t go on like this, I pulled myself together just long enough to reflect on how to get out of this creative blackhole. I’ve collected my tactics and techniques together and I'm sharing the complete arsenal in the hope it might help you too.

Note: This isn’t a magic cure-all for grades or mental health. These techniques help me to supervise my easily-distracted brain in the short-term and implement good mental health habits for the long-term. The key is fitting and adapting these tips for your own personal situation and preferences.

So without further ado, here’s the plan of action:

Sort out your environment

‘Tidy desk, tidy mind’ right? I explored the power of our surroundings to shape our mindset when I wrote about having to quarantine last summer. And whilst there’s plenty of room for nuance in this concept, make sure your study space is set up in a way that’s conducive to learning. Have your books nearby, no unnecessary clutter, and distractions put away. If it's your kind of thing, perhaps a few little things to make the space more attractive (hello plants and scented candles). A good trick when you’re finding it difficult to start a task is to tidy up your space a bit first (not too much - procrasti-cleaning anyone?), just enough to get moving and ready to sit down to work.

Does anyone remember those educational cartoons from IT classes long ago, showing the perfect angles between office chair, computer screen and mouse? I doubt anyone's desk is really that geometrically aligned, but you can shift things around to improve your sitting posture. Having a comfortable chair is vital in preventing aches and pains, but if you haven’t got one, experiment with small cushions to support the back instead. If you're straining your neck looking down at your computer screen, try propping it up on a few books. You can even buy little wrist support beanies if you’re feeling it in your arms (or a little cushion or towel would do the job just as well).

Sound check

One of my biggest gripes about online learning is how piercing people's voices sound through puny laptop speakers. It made me dread every lecture. I’ve been using Calmer earbuds for over a month now and they’ve made a significant difference - they’re soft little funnels that sit inside your ears and soften all those harsh edges, making online seminars much less stressful. I'd never want to suggest that buying anything is the solution to anyone’s problems, but I’ve personally found them very helpful (plus they have a 100 day money back guarantee, so if they don’t work for you then you haven’t lost anything!)

Another age-old technique is to put a bit of background noise on. I know this is the Marmite of study preferences for a lot of students - either you can’t concentrate without your favourite Lo-Fi Hip-Hop Evening Cafe Chill Playlist, or the slightest sound drives you nuts. I’m not dedicated to either camp, but it can help to have something (quiet and non-distracting) on in the background, be that birdsong or instrumental music. For my fellow students with tinnitus, this is one of the best ways to stop the tinnitus becoming more irritating when you have to focus. Quiet surroundings make it worse, so anything you can do to avoid complete silence is helpful (read more about my experience with tinnitus here).

Recreate that library feeling

A new addition to creating my perfect study environment is using ‘Study With Me’ videos. For the uninitiated, these videos show a student studying at their desk for hours on end (sometimes with breaks added in), the idea being that you study alongside the video. Had you asked me about this only a few months ago, I would have laughed. Students filming themselves highlighting for hours, and people watch it? But I've been proven wrong. Whenever I set up one of these videos on my phone, some competitive part of me fires up - if they can study all that time, then so can I! The structure keeps me focused but also reminds me to take breaks, and the romanticisation of studying - all pastel highlighters and neat notes - makes me excited to join in. Best of all, when I play them on my phone it completely takes away the temptation to check social media. Sometimes I even forget about my phone entirely and spend a while looking for it when the video reaches its break…

Get yourself a routine

As I’m sure you know, organisation is key for staying on top of modules from your bedroom. Without anyone telling you how to spend your time, well, of course you’re going to use it to watch YouTube/learn Icelandic/stare into the middle distance. You’re going to need some structure: enter the study schedule. Take your planner/calendar/Excel spreadsheet and divide up your day into studying/resting/eating and whatever else is important in your life. Make sure it’s realistic (are you really going to start studying at 6am?) and takes into account commitments outside of your studies.

When you’re making your schedule, it’s worth spending some time to identify when you work best. Are you an early bird who’d rather get a few hours done before breakfast, or are you mentally vacant before lunch? Does your brain light up when everyone else is asleep, or are you the first to pass out in the evenings? Work out when you feel most focused and creative, and prioritise that time for your toughest tasks. Save the easier To Dos for other times.

Take a break

Your breaks are possibly even more important than the time you’re studying. Use them wisely, as they can have a huge affect on your mood and energy levels. Most important is getting away from the screen, and even better is getting outside. Easier said than done, I know, but it gives you a chance to reset, move your body and rest your eyes. You could choose to do a quick activity to give you something to look forward to. Perhaps a ten minute workout or a small amount of housework. Brewing a cup of tea has the added benefit of keeping you hydrated as well. And for goodness’ sake, don’t forget to eat! Your brain uses huge amounts of energy to work so make sure you’re fuelling it.

This leads on to my final and favourite routine rule: have a finish time, and stick to it! Knowing you have a cut-off point means you’re more likely to finish what’s important rather than letting it drag on (ever heard that a task expands to fill the time you have for it?). Furthermore, it gives your brain and body the signal that it can fully relax. By giving yourself at least a few hours before bed to wind down, it's more likely that you’ll sleep better and unwind. Better sleep and less stress means better health and increased focus. And healthier, more focused students have an easier time studying!

The good-old To Do List

In an ideal world, my To Do list would have no more than three goals for the day. By prioritising your tasks and keeping the list at an achievable scale you’re going to increase your motivation and sense of satisfaction. In reality, I usually have more than a few ‘ambitious’ goals on there, plus a few easy ones like ‘Eat Breakfast’ (hey, I need that box-checking dopamine-rush first thing, alright?)

When it comes to staying on top of my broader uni work, I’ve found it really helpful to have a ‘master to-do list’ with absolutely everything on - assignments and their deadlines, homework, reading etc. By keeping it off my daily to-do list I don’t overwhelm myself, but having a single place where all my responsibilities are stored means that I don’t forget any pieces of work either and can move on to the next thing if (by some miracle) I get ahead of my work.

Think of your poor eyes!

I’ve been completely overlooking the abuse I’m heaping on my long-suffering eyes, and then wonder when my head hurts and my eyes are sore. See above: screen breaks. The NHS recommends people follow the “20/20/20 rule” - every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It gives your eyes a chance to relax, which they would usually be doing naturally as we walk about in the outside world.

If (like me) you have glasses it could be a good idea to make sure you’re wearing them, even if you think you can see just fine. Just a small impediment in your vision adds extra strain for your eyes, and could increase your chances of ‘cyber sickness’ (where onscreen movement makes you feel motion sickness).

And simplest of all, turning down the brightness and turning on your computer’s night light will also reduce the strain on your eyes. No effort required!

Taking care of your physical health

If you’re feeling overworked and cramped then it’s time to prioritise a spot of movement. I love doing some yoga in the mornings to keep the stiffness at bay. If you’re new to yoga or looking for inspiration, I really recommend checking out Laquesha Bailey’s article on the essential black yogis to practice with online below.

Getting outside, especially if you have access to nature, is even better. Movement and escaping the study prison will do wonders for your mood (and give you the opportunity to relax your eyes!). But whichever form of movement you enjoy is best. The one that will lift your mood and actually make a habit of, however small, is better than the hour long HIIT workout you’re never going to start.

Get motivated

If you’re struggling to sit down (or get up) and just start, then perhaps a few motivational mind tricks can help. When I find myself avoiding a task, I set a timer. I tell myself that I’ll write for 15 minutes (or whatever feels achievable) and then stop. If you just do that 15 minutes, you can be proud of your achievement! Other times it’s just the resistance to starting which is holding me back and I find I’ll keep going long after the bell has rung. Another trick to combat resistance is to identify the smallest possible next step in your task - sitting at your desk, say, or opening the Word doc. The smaller and more specific the step, the better.

If distraction and procrastination are your demons, then use procrastination activities as rewards for your work - save that Vocal article for after you’ve done another hour of work, scroll through Instagram once you’ve finished that course reading. This might require hiding your phone away in another room or blocking certain websites on your laptop, but needs must. And if you feel the tug of distraction in the flow of work, have a list nearby where you can quickly jot it down and chase up later. That way you'll maintain your concentration and avoid falling down a rabbit hole pursing less important tasks.

Taking care of your mental health

As I wrote in my earlier piece on this topic, the hardest yet most important thing to take care of when studying at home is your mental wellbeing. I wrote about being kind and forgiving yourself. That means not beating yourself up if you can’t study. Celebrate every achievement, especially the small ones.

Start taking time to examine your physical and mental state. The more often you do this, the easier it will become to notice what’s going on and what might be causing it. If you’re not feeling quite right, identifying if there’s something in your routine or life that needs to change is the first step. You might not always be able to do anything about certain problems, but occasionally there’s an opportunity to try things a different way.

If you've read all this way, thank you! I said it was an Ultimate Guide and it certainly has the length to match. Hopefully implementing a few of these techniques into your study toolbox will make online learning a little bit more bearable. What are your go-to study methods? Did I miss anything?

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