How to create new study habits in a new environment

Since my experience of remote study has begun, I’ve tried to find different ways to be able to manage my time and adapt new studying habits into my new working environment. I’ve come to the conclusion that studying from home can be a comfortable, low-pressure environment and I’ve started to embrace it more and more each day.

Taking the time to organise your own study space can be great fun. You have the total freedom to choose what your study zone will look like to make sure it enhances your motivation. So, whether you decide to set up at the kitchen table with plenty of snacks around you or at your bedroom desk with a few books next to you (to help boost your productivity), you can just jump into your hoodie, grab a coffee and go for whichever option you prefer.

Another thing that I’ve been trying to formulate as a new habit is the active studying approach. It turned out that constantly asking both myself and my tutors questions during the online classes, making notes and engaging as much as I could, helped me to reach my goals, understand the information given and gain knowledge more easily.

The constant support I’ve got from my tutors from the beginning encouraged me to become more attentive and not to be afraid to ask questions, which I totally advise you to do as well. So, try to take the lead. The majority think that communication between students and tutors might suffer during the virtual learning experience.

When it comes to my peers and me, we’ve started to enjoy more time with our lecturers. In a way being at home, in our comfy clothes has helped to facilitate our learning. The lecturers have provided continuous guidance and have helped us to adapt very quickly to the new conditions.

One final tip from me is about organising. As students, we’re being told from our first year to try to be organised in every class. Some of us may not take it as seriously as we should, we perhaps end up being late with our assignments or forget we have that group presentation next week. Sound familiar? That’s another thing I’ve been working on since studying from home.

If you find that you’re struggling with that too, I’d advise creating your own timetable including information relating to all of your classes, deadlines and other tasks – this approach will certainly help you to stay organised and keep track of your responsibilities as a student. I chose to write mine down, but if the idea doesn’t sound appealing to you, there are lots of apps you can download to digitally design your schedule instead
And finally, don’t forget to enjoy your time and get out of your comfort zone.