July 12, 2020 As
social distancing and stay-at-home orders are extended throughout the country,
many graduate students are coming to terms with the fact that we will be
working from home and learning remotely for quite some time. The changing
reality of this pandemic makes focusing on research and classes extremely
difficult for many, but it also makes it clear that we will be in this “new
normal” for the long haul. For most of us, the responsibilities of grad school
continue, and we are trying to stay on track as best as we can. Below are some
simple tips for staying motivated during this time.
1. SET SMALL DAILY
GOALS.
It is
important to recognize that these aren’t normal times, and your productivity is
likely not at its peak right now. That’s okay. Setting daily goals can help you
to make your day as productive as possible, but be realistic with the goals you
set. Big goals may seem insurmountable right now; instead, focus on small goals
for each day that you can cross off your list. Get through the assigned
articles for your upcoming class. Finish the first draft of a paper. Make
progress on your data cleaning. Setting smaller goals that can feasibly be
tackled in a day can help you stay on track. Try to make a short list of
manageable tasks to get through every day.
2. CARVE OUT TIME
IN YOUR DAY FOR WORK AND FOR RELAXATION.
Working
from home can make it much harder to get through your daily tasks when the
temptation of Netflix is quite literally right in front of you 24/7. For
others, working from home can actually lead to a serious case of overworking
now that we are no longer dependent on an office or lab space to restrict work
hours. Scheduling when you will work and when you will relax can help you to
manage a healthy work-life balance at home. For some, a conventional 9 to 5
schedule with a lunch break in the middle helps them to stay focused. After 5
pm, put down the work, make some dinner, and relax for the rest of the night.
For others, their most productive times of the day may be less conventional.
One pro of working from home is that you can fully embrace when it is that you
work well. If you’re most productive in the early hours of the morning, get up
early and work during the first half of the day. If you’re someone who works
best at night, then spend time relaxing in the morning before jumping into work
later on. The most important thing is that you can dedicate a chunk of your day
to work and then keep your work out of your relaxation time. Plan out a
schedule of work and play, and try to stick to this schedule Monday through
Friday, like a regular work week.
3. TRY POMODORO
STUDY SESSIONS — SOCIAL DISTANCE STYLE.
For
many graduate students, working from campus provides time to socialize with
peers in the office or the lab. Being surrounded by others doing work can be
very motivating, and so working from home can be hard when you’re sitting alone
at a desk. Thanks to platforms like Zoom or FaceTime, you can still work with
friends virtually! Try a pomodoro study session with your friends via Zoom.
Pomodoro sessions, based on the Pomodoro Technique, prioritize working for 25
minute bursts with five minute breaks in between. Various apps, such as Tomator
Timer of Focus Keeper, measure pomodoro sessions for you. Get a group of
friends together on Zoom, and have somebody be in charge of the pomodoro timer.
When the 25 minute study session begins, work “together” silently on Zoom. When
the study session ends and your five minute break begins, take the time to chat
together until the next study session starts. You’ll be motivated to stay
focused with everyone while the timer is running, and you’ll get a chance to
catch up with friends on your breaks.
4. SCHEDULE
VIRTUAL GET-TOGETHERS WITH FRIENDS.
Social
distancing can be the hardest aspect of this pandemic for many people. Not
getting to spend time with friends can be emotionally taxing. However, social
distancing does not mean you have to totally say goodbye to a social life.
Schedule virtual get-togethers with your friends, and have them often! The
promise of a set time and date to get together can be something to look forward
to. Plan Zoom Happy Hours on Friday evenings to celebrate getting through
another week, or have a virtual game night on Saturday with the use of
different multiplayer apps, like the UNO apps.
5. PRIORITIZE YOUR
MENTAL HEALTH.
Staying
motivated can be near impossible when your mind is filled with anxieties. No
work technique is going to keep you motivated when stress is unmanageable, and
there is a lot to be stressed about right now. Taking care of yourself can help
you to better manage your mental health during this time, so make sure you
aren’t letting the basics fall through the cracks. Try to move a bit each day
with a walk around your block or an online Yoga class. Take time to eat
balanced meals, and try not to work through lunch - step away from your laptop
and take a lunch break. Don’t stay up until two in the morning. Maintain a
normal sleep schedule, and aim to get at least eight hours of sleep a night.
Allow yourself time to enjoy TV and social media, but try to reduce how much
time you spend listening to pandemic news. Limit yourself to reading
pandemic-related news for only a short amount of time in the morning, and then
leave it alone. Stay informed from reputable sources, but avoid getting wrapped
up in constant news coverage that will only heighten anxiety.
Please
remember that if you’re struggling and need to talk to someone, there are
resources available, please contact us at support@soulsharp.com.
6. BE OKAY WITH
NOT BEING HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE RIGHT NOW.
Some
days you may not have much ability to focus at all, and that’s to be expected!
Nobody’s life is normal right now. You may find that you have good days where
you’re highly motivated to get through work and bad days where your motivation
is nowhere to be found. When work seems impossible, prioritize what you must
get done that day — what has a deadline tomorrow, what emails need to be sent
before the evening? Get through high priority tasks, and then let yourself have
the rest of the day off. And don’t beat yourself up for not getting through
your entire to-do list! It’s okay to expect less from yourself right now.
As this
new normal sets in, everybody is learning how to best adjust to working from
home and being isolated from friends and family. Staying motivated can be
tricky, but you can help make it a bit easier for yourself by setting realistic
schedules and taking time to care for yourself. Though this pandemic can feel
like it will be endless, it will eventually pass. Staying motivated can help
refocus our attention away from these stressful changes and towards a more
hopeful future.
About the author: Lynn Taylor: is
a nationally recognized workplace expert and author of the bestselling
book, Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant (TOT): How to Manage Childish
Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job (John Wiley
& Sons). As CEO of Lynn Taylor Consulting, she provides career and
corporate coaching. Taylor is frequently quoted in BusinessInsider.com, and has
been interviewed on such broadcast outlets as ABC network TV, Fox, NPR and
HuffingtonPost.com. She has written for BloombergBusinessWeek.com, and been
quoted in such publications as The Washington Post, The Wall Street
Journal, Fortune, The New York Times and hundreds of other print and
broadcast media outlets over the last 20 years, and is a top Google-ranked
"workplace expert."
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