Studying. Now, studying is hard. You have to get all of your textbooks, your flashcards, your multicoloured pens, your snacks. Then, you have to find your motivation, lurking somewhere in the midst of one’s thoughts.
“It was mission ‘Study From Home’ time, and I was not going to give up.”
Studying is not just an action, it is a state of mind. For me, the only place I could ever study was my university library, armed with my coffee and laptop. Of course, lockdown meant that not only were all my lectures and exams occurred online, but the library was also closed. This served as a problem for a while. Studying in my room? No thank you! One look at my bed and I was already curled up, my essay plans now being swapped for my newest Netflix binge. After one week of denial, I realised I could not continue lockdown like this, considering my essays and exams were only in 6 weeks away.
It was mission ‘Study From Home’ time, and I was not going to give up.
Firstly, I tried to rid my room of all distractions. My duvet was thrown into the kitchen to avoid the urge to have a ‘quick power nap’ (lasting around 2-5 hours) and I blocked all procrastination websites from my laptop to avoid spending all money on Topshop flares when I should have been revising.
Desks were cleared, snacks were hidden and my Spotify study playlist was curated. Things were getting serious now.
At the start, it was tough. Even with social media apps deleted on my phone, I still invented new ways to distract myself. People watching from my bedroom window, reordering my kitchen cupboard, even reorganising my bedroom furniture – it seems that I did everything but to study.
“No longer in need of a study break or a classic procrastination walk, my head was down and my attention span increased.”
I realised that the only thing that made myself work was pressure. Fearful of deadlines, I made myself my own ‘targets’ and plastered them all over my diary, making sure I met my own self designated deadlines everyday. Being a massive foodie, I tried to incorporate this into a ‘reward system’ of sorts. Every night, I would cook myself a new and adventurous meal which would take at least 1 hour. Knowing that I could never work well in the evening, it meant that I had to finish my work for the day so that I could start cooking.
Not only was I actually studying, my cooking creativity increased as well – the perfect duo.
When it came to my online exams, I was rather impressed with my own focus. No longer in need of a study break or a classic procrastination walk, my head was down and my attention span increased.
Since my lectures will be posted online in September rather than face-to-face, the skill of working from home has never been so needed until now.
Madeleine Rosie Strom
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Madeleine Rosie Strom
Hi! My name is Madeleine Rosie Strom and I am a 20 year Philosophy student studying at Durham University.