How to Stay Productive When Studying From Home

Studying from home is perhaps the easiest way to learn, but it's not all pajamas and Netflix breaks. The biggest challenge for a stay-at-home student is that you have to hold yourself accountable for your work. As you might imagine, setting your own schedule can easily lead to some bad habits and heavy procrastination. Below, I have compiled a list of helpful tips for students who want to study from home productively.

1. Find a Place (Or Two) to Work

For me, procrastination has a lot to do with the setting. If I walk out into the living room where my roommates are, there's a good chance I won't be getting work done for the day.

However, as soon as I sit in the chair at one of my designated working locations and turn on my computer; work gets done. It's not rocket science.

I recommend having two or more designated work spots in order to keep things interesting. You might try the desk in your room, a local library, or your favorite coffee shop. After all, studying from home doesn't mean you have to actually stay at home.

2. Caffeine Naps

This is a helpful tip that I discovered in college. When I had a lot of work to do, but was too fatigued to even think about opening a textbook, I would take a caffeine nap.

How do you take a caffeine nap? Grab your preferred source of caffeine, take whatever a recommended serving is (one can, one cup, etc.) and then immediately lay down for a fifteen to twenty minute nap. When you wake up, the caffeine will have kicked in and you'll be ready to take on the world.

Even if you don't sleep for those few minutes, the rest will allow the caffeine to take its course while your mind and body is at rest.

3. Get Dressed

As much as we all love lying around in our PJ's while we're at home, it can put a real damper on your productivity.

So, when you finish showering and having a little breakfast, go into your closet and grab some actual clothes to put on.

You don't have to dress up in a suit, but by wearing what you would normally wear to school or a job, you're subconsciously telling yourself that today isn't a lazy day and that there is indeed work to be done.

4. Don't Work From Bed

You can trick your brain into associating different locations with different activities. For example, if all you ever do in your bed is sleep, you'll have a much easier time falling asleep each night.

On the flip side of that, if you do everything in bed (like all your studying) it can be hard to trick your brain into focusing on the thing that your bed is designed for when it's bedtime.  

So, if you're texting, watching TV, and studying from between the sheets, there is a good chance that when you'll ruin your sleeping pattern – which is bad news for your study schedule.

5. Give Yourself Regular Breaks

If you're the kind of person who pushes themselves to the limit when it comes to work, it might be tempting to plow through the fatigue that comes with being a stay-at-home student. But you shouldn't.

Although you should push yourself, becoming extreme in this regard isn't going to help you in the long run – on the contrary, it will simply lead to burnout.

To avoid that, give yourself regular breaks to enjoy the perks of studying from home. Depending on what you're studying, set milestones throughout your day that trigger a chill out session that consists of browsing Facebook or watching an episode of your favorite show.

Enjoy The Benefits of Studying From Home

On top of taking regular breaks and following all the other tips above, be sure to enjoy the benefits of studying from home. Making time to schedule lunch with a friend, getting up early to start your day, and arranging your schedule to suit you, is all part of the fun – and it will help you to focus when it comes to buckling down to work, too.

How do you manage your days studying from home? Leave your tips in the comment section below!

Author: Billy Stidham, Lead Content Marketer at Wordify.