How to Survive
Online Schooling

Students collaborating and studying online. Photo Credits: Ryan Gallagher
By Steven Le

Introduction

Most schools are not allowing in-person schooling, so many teens have to learn online. Online schooling may be more difficult for many students, but it is much safer than going back on campus. However, many students are constantly distracted during online schooling and are not as focused as they should be in order to perform at the highest potential in their classes. This article will provide five tips on how to survive online schooling and perform at the highest potential.

#1: Become distraction-free

Sleeping and studying are two different activities. Do not associate your bed with working. This will warrant you to slack off, sleeping rather than studying or doing homework or paying attention in class. Have a separate place for schooling and a separate place for relaxing. By doing so, you will be more focused.

Okay, so you are now working in a different spot from where you relax. Perhaps at a desk or even a different room rather than a bed. This is the first step. The second part is to get rid of anything extraneous. Although this may be hard to do, put your phone away. Do not have it next to your desk unless you need to use it for class. Have it charging across the room, so you can still hear the phone if someone is calling you, but it is too far away that you would get easily distracted. Now, get rid of anything on the desk that you do not need so you do not get distracted. Also, try to find a quiet place to study and do homework. This way you will not have much noise to interrupt you while working. Good! You are now slightly more productive in school.

#2: Build up good habits

Habits are essential. They get you through your everyday life. As Octavia Butler, an American science fiction author, once said, “First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not.” This means that with good habits, anything is possible.

In order to make habits, you must know how to. First, make a cue—for instance, waking up. Then, do the routine—brushing your teeth. Finally, get your reward—a nice clean smile. You can implement this with anything, whether it be in school or your own life. For example, a productive habit could be when you finish school (cue), you start on your homework for the day right away (routine), resulting in you finishing all your homework for the day, so you do not have to stress about it anymore (reward). Make your own habits, and make them stick by doing them every day.

#3: Stay on track

In class, make sure to pay attention. Your phone may be tempting because no one would discipline you for being on it, but do not fall into this trap. Habits are easy to make, whether they are good or bad. You do not want to create a bad habit of being constantly distracted in class. Change this by putting your phone across the room when you are in school. In addition, make sure your desk is cleared from any miscellaneous items that could distract you (rule #1). Each time you want to get distracted, stop yourself. By doing this, you strengthen your self-discipline, making it slightly easier to refocus the next time you want to get distracted.

#4: Be prepared

When in school, have all your tools ready. Have your laptop charged, have your pencil and notebook nearby, and anything else you may need for that specific class. In addition, have plenty of water nearby because your brain works better when hydrated. Use your break time for bathroom breaks. Have everything on standby and ready to attend class on time.

#5: Do something productive every day

Do something that makes you a better person today than you were yesterday. As James Clear, author of “Atomic Habits”, wrote, “Getting 1 percent better every day counts for a lot in the long-run.” If we put this into numbers, and you get one percent better every day, this will compound into 3778% better by the end of the year—37 times better than last year.

Every day, do something that is productive, regardless of how small it is. Whether it be reading an article before you sleep, doing homework, studying for 15 minutes, or practicing an instrument, you can do anything to become a better person the next day than you are at this moment. Get into the habit of being productive every day and you will see your improvement.

Conclusion

Now that you finished reading this article, make sure to implement what you learn. Passively consuming productivity content (such as this) only stimulates your brain that you are being productive. The only way to actually be productive is by implementing productivity into your life and being proactive about how you learn. Take these tips and apply them to your life!