This year’s pandemic has changed many aspects of people’s lives and that includes students of various ages and their ability to attend school or work. Many have had to turn their bedrooms, basements, and or even kitchen tables into their brand new workspace. This has caused many headaches over the past few months, and with school now in full bloom, students and parents alike are still struggling with setting up the perfect remote learning space for themselves or their kids.
If you find yourself in this position, here are some starting points to fixing up your learning space for the time being.
Choose the right space
The first and most important step in building a productive workspace is finding the room or area that is going to be the most fruitful. The environment is everything when it comes to choosing a room, so be thinking about what kind of atmosphere you enjoy as you’re in class, doing homework, or studying.
If you are someone who needs complete silence, for example, seek out a space that will give you that serenity you need to focus (like a spare bedroom or a hideaway in the home office). On the other hand, if you need a little more background noise to keep you engaged with your work, try something a little more in the open like a small area of your family room or near the main areas of your home. Of course, there are pros and cons to any space you choose in your house, so be sure to weigh these as you make your decision.
You'll need materials to help aid your study time. Get activity books on the basics: reading, writing, and math (you'll learn more about this as you read further on). Also, look for digital and printable homeschool materials such as assessment books, reading journals, planners, and sermon notebooks for your kids. A softcopy allows multiple reprints, so you never run out of pages.
Start with deep cleaning
Once you’ve decided on what room in your house you want to claim as your work zone, it’s time to start deep cleaning. Since you may spend multiple hours, if not a whole day here, you should make sure it’s clean and avoid dust, crumbs, and any dirt. Start with deep cleaning your table or desk where you’ll spend a lot of time sitting. Dusting, cleaning with antibacterial wipes, and even vacuuming the cracks between the table and wall to get the nooks and crannies. Next, work on the floor. If you have a rug, thoroughly vacuum, especially if you’re cleaning your child’s workspace where leftover food may lie from lunchtime. If you have hardwood floors, try mopping every once in a while to avoid sticky spots in your workspace.
We understand cleaning can be a not-so-fun and time-consuming task that often gets avoided, especially for a busy student or an overwhelmed parent. However it is crucial to clean out this area for maximum productivity. This is where technology can help you out and lend a hand. For example, can’t make it to the store after a busy day of classes? Have your home cleaning supplies delivered to save some time and mental energy. Completing removing the need to go to the store to get those cleansing wipes will ease some of the pressure you may feel when trying to clean before a busy week. Struggling to schedule out when you can actually take time to clean? Use a planning app on your phone to help structure your time around your work. Using technology to help you’re cleaning efforts is something many people don’t think about, but it can truly make a difference.
Avoid distractions
Your remote learning space should be your getaway. A safe space to focus and help you block out distractions to get your work done. This means eliminating anything that may cause your mind to wander. It’s crucial to be proactive about this as well. Many people, particularly people in their teens and beyond will have TVs in their offices/spaces and this can be a huge distraction from your class or work. If you can build your setup without unnecessary technology you’ll find yourself much more focused.
Another idea to bounce around is to keep your phone away from you if possible. Find a place in your space to leave your phone while you are logging into your Zoom calls, doing homework, or need to just buckle down and focus. Many people, including kids, spend so much time on their phones and gadgets that it takes away from what they are supposed to be doing. Be mindful of leaving these things either out of the room or far away from where you’ll be sitting. Trust us.
Make it comfortable
Tying back into the idea of creating an environment in your remote learning space, it’s imperative to feel comfortable when you’re designing the look and feel. We touched on your desk setup earlier but let’s get into the furniture. Many people forget about how important chairs are to their arrangement. Make sure you are picking out a seat with proper back support and that will help you sit up straight and concentrate. Specific office chairs that are meant for posture are some of the best on the market, but any simple chair will do. Stay away from lush seats though like sofas or love chairs. These kinds of seats can make you “too comfy” and may cause you to fall asleep.
The other element of comfortability to think about is lighting. What do you prefer while you’re working or at virtual school? Do you have windows in your space that can allow for natural light? This can breathe a sense of refreshment while you’re hard at work. If not, can you add some lights yourself to add some personality and make sure it’s adequately lit? The last thing you want is to cause yourself headaches from lack of sufficient light.
Keep supplies and essentials organized
Last but not least, it’s important to keep all your day-to-day items organized properly. Start with making a checklist of essential items you use every day. For example, a laptop, notebooks, binders, etc (or for smaller kids items like markers, pencils and pens, glue sticks, etc). Next, find a place where you can stow all these items, so that they have a home when you are not using them. Creating this list of what you use a lot versus no so much will make it so much easier to prioritize.
Drawers, shelves, and bins are all great investments that can be made at any wholesale or furniture store. Keeping things tidy will help you avoid any stress of misplacing things. Try sorting out your items into different piles by categories. What kind of item it is, what day(s) of the week you use it, and how close it is to your desk are all great starting points when sorting your things. It’s crucial to get creative as well! Playing around with where and how things are stored in your room will help your space feel much more comfortable and you’ll find what works best for you!
Adjusting to remote learning has been tough for many people and as you continue to adapt to your new arrangement, you will continue to tweak your surroundings. Be sure to give our tips a try and let us know what has been working for you! For more tips and tricks, be sure to follow our blog for the latest.
