Around the world, this school semester will be different than the rest. Whether you’re working remotely or still in class with restrictions, it can be hard to try and stay on top of assignments with so many distractions going on. I know for me, last semester it was extremely difficult to try and focus during these online classes when everyone is home and I could make bagels during class or watch TV at the same time. It wasn’t as bad last semester because we were in class for half of it and the school took a lot of time to figure out what they were doing which took away time from remote learning. But, this semester, a majority of it falls on the students so it is important to get into a good and healthy routine for the start of classes.

Here are some essentials every college student should remember:

Don’t Procrastinate: Yes I said it, and yes I am guilty of it, too. With many classes being held online or even in a ‘hybrid’ mode, one of the worst things you can do is procrastinate your assignments. It is always better to get ahead if you can, especially if you know you’re going to be busy during the week or the upcoming weeks. I found a majority of my professors put many assignments up early so I always got a jumpstart on them instead of having multiple assignments piled up at once.
Set Reminders: During the end of last semester, I found my planner to be useless because I was barely opening my school bag and therefore, never checked it. What really saved me was setting reminders in my phone constantly. “Management paper due today.” or “Finish reading business memo.” I also would put these dates in my phone way in advance and then set alerts one week ahead, one day ahead, and two hours ahead, so I had no excuse as to why it wasn’t done. I carry my phone everywhere, not my planner (although some people might), so I am quickly and easily able to see what I have going on for the following days.
Switch it up: If you have a schedule that's jam packed with many classes in one day like me (I have four classes in one day), it is important to change your environment. For my morning or afternoon classes, depending on the weather, I like to sit outside. For another class I’ll sit in the living room, etc. For someone who is on the move a lot, staying in the same place for seven hours at a time completely drained me. Try to switch it up as often as you can.
Start group chats: Because we are not physically in the classroom and college can feel overwhelming without being in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, it is still important to get to know your classmates. I was always the shy student who would rather just do things on my own, but especially in times like this, it is so much easier to start group chats with other students because we are all in the same boat. I found the apps GroupMe and Whatsapp to be the easiest to use as I just send the link in the Zoom conversation during the lecture and the other students can easily join.
Take Breaks: Being in an environment that is easily distracting, taking short breaks can help to regain your focus, increase your productivity, and lower built-up stress. So if you have 15 minutes or an hour in between classes, stretch or go for a walk or make a snack.