Learning online creates freedom and flexibility in the learning process. In this article, we will show you how to create a dedicated online learning workspace. Most of the time, we have distractions while we work from home, which might be the background noise of family members or other distractions emanating from our immediate environment. Create a Dedicated Online Learning Workspace
Notwithstanding all these distractions and noise, we will expose you to the secrets you need to avoid distractions. When you create a dedicated online learning workspace, you will also enjoy your online learning process better.
Creating a dedicated online learning workspace is not only restricted to just the chair and desk you use. Your dedicated online workspace is like your secret place where you focus and concentrate on your learning. When you create a dedicated online workspace, it puts you in the right frame of mind whenever you are there and eliminates noise and distractions. This space helps you to remain focused, manage your study time well and increase your motivation. Now we can go into detail to know the importance and why we need to create a dedicated online learning workspace and how to create it to achieve our desired result.
Reasons Why You Need To Create A Dedicated Online Learning Workspace
There are so many reasons why you need to create a dedicated online workspace. It helps you to fight the challenges you might face while studying online from home. The following are some of the ways to combat the challenges:
Balance Your Activities
It is not always easy to manage online studies with household chores, errands and social life at the same time. It can be overwhelming. Knowing how to create a dedicated online learning workspace will help you manage and create a schedule that will help you effectively.
Manage Your Household Distractions
Most times, your family members or even roommates can pose as distractions to your online learning. Such distractions could be interruptions or noise from children. So to avoid all these, you need to create a dedicated online learning workspace to create boundaries in such a way that people around you will know that you don’t need distractions whenever you are in your workspace.
You Can Easily Lose Focus
When you create a dedicated online learning workspace, it will help you not to lose focus. Most times while learning from home, we do it in the comfort of our bed or even try to multitask by watching TV and also learning at the same time. But when a dedicated space is created, it separates you from the above-stated temptations and there will be a clear difference between relaxation time and study time which you must abide by.
Guide On How To Build Your Dedicated Online Learning Workspace
Look For A Perfect Location
The following are ways to find a perfect location that will serve as a dedicated online learning workspace.
Location: Find an environment with fewer distractions. Don’t use a location with high traffic like living rooms and kitchen. Look for a space that is well-ventilated with natural light. Your choice of a good location will help to boost your mood and promote your alertness.
Space: When you must have secured a good location, find a good space or you can use a spare room in your house to create a dedicated online learning workspace. Even if it is a very small space, you can still transform it and make it suitable for your learning. But ensure that the space will give you the level of comfort you desire.
Furnish Your Space To Achieve Success: Ensure you get a comfortable chair with good backup support to avoid back aches due to long sitting sessions. Look for a good study desk with enough space to accommodate your textbooks, notebooks, laptops and other important materials. You may consider getting an adjustable desk which will enable you to switch between standing and sitting all through the day.
Avoid Distractions
You should try as much as possible to avoid distractions so that you will have maximum focus.
Prevent the noise: You can prevent the noise by turning off your radios, TVs and other electronic gadgets that can produce disruptive noise. You can also get a noise cancelling headphones that will help you reduce all low level background noise.
Avoid Tech Temptations: Your phone could be one of the main distractions you may face. So you need to put your phone on silence, put it far away from you, or even use an app blocker whenever you are studying.
Create Communication Boundaries: When you are set to study, let your family members and roommates know that you need a quiet time to study in your worksapace. Tell them the importance of focused study sessions and politely ask for them to coporate with you. You can use a tag with “Do Not Disturb” inscription on your door whenever you are studying.
Keep Your Essential Learning Materials Within Reach
Keeping your essential materials within reach will help you to streamline your study flow.
Arrange Your Supplies: Remove the things you do not need in your workspace and designate a specific areas for all your essential study materials like highlighters, notebooks, notepads, pencils, and pens. Avoid the distractions of always getting up and down to look for what you by keeping everything you need within your reach.
Stay Hydrated: Staying hydrated is one of the ways you can keep focus. Always have water around you to avoid dehydration breaks that can interrupt the flow of your study.
Reduce Your Movements: Like earlier said, arrange the things you will need while studying to avoid unnecessary movements. Your rference materials should be placed within your reach and have a small trash beside you to avoid that temptation of standing up to scrap of paper.
Increase Your Motivation By Personalising Your Workspace.
Having a small workspace can help you focus well, also adding some personal touches can increase your motivation and bring about a good learning environment. You can achieve this by doing the following:
Have Inspirational Touches: Ensure you keep motivational quotes, your vision board, pictures of your academic goals arround you to help keep you focused on what you desire to achieve.
Personalise Your Space: Try to personalise your workspace by adding a touch of your personality with plants, artwork, or any other thing that inspires you. You can get a small desk lamp or throw blanket to create an inviting or cozy atmosphere.
Maintain Your Dedicated Study Workspace
You can achieve this by doing the following:
Treat Your Workspace Like A Sacred Place: Don’t use your dedicated workspace for leisure activities like catching up on emails, browsing on social media and watching TV. Your study workspace should specifically be for learning. This will help you to have a productive study mindset and be focused.
Do A Routine Cleaning: An untidy workspace can be a source of distraction. Ensure that you clean your workspace regularly to keep it clean and tidy. You can achieve this by tidying or cleaning your workspace each time you finish studying.
Have A Plan For Your Breaks Periods: Those that are so focused and dedicated to online learning also needs breaks to avoid loosing concentration or being physically or emotionaly exhausted. Plan for breaks between five to ten (5-10) minutes hourly where you can get up, grab a healthy snacks, move around and stretch yourself. During this break period, ensure you don’t engage in activities that will make you forget your studies.
Other Habits For Online Learning Success
To create a dedicated online learning workspace is very important, but it is just a part of the whole process. The following are additional habits you can develop so as to achieve success in your online learning process.
Learn How To Manage Your Time
Create a clear study schedule and follow it as much as you can. Use online calendars and other time management tools you can to manage your time and avoid procrastination. Example of such techniques you can use to manage your time is Pomodoro Technique. It involves working in focused 25 minutes intervals while you observe short breaks in between.
Be Active In Your Learning
Be a continuous learner and always engage in your onine learning courses. While learning, make notes, ask questions where necessary and paricipate in discussions. You can form online study groups with your coursemates as a support to also enable you to collaborate with each other during the course of learning.
Don’t Multitask
You don’t need to combine your online learning with any other activity to avoid distractions. Multitasking can reduce your comprehension and focus. Any browser you are not using should be closed, put your phone notifications on silence and avoid going to your social media platforms while you are studying.
Ask For Help When You Need It
Alawys ask for help once you notice you need it or when you notice you are struggle to understand a particular concept. Call your instructors, classmates, or even lecturerers to get clarifications on areas you don’t understand. Also you can as well get online support services like academic counseling or online tutoring from your online learning platform.
Conclusion
In this article, we have taken you through on how to create a dedicated online learning workspace which will help you to develop an effective study habits. You need to remember that a dedicated online learning workspace is not all about the physical space but also developing the habit of having a focused and productive mindset that will help you to grow in your online studies. In summary, be in total charge of your learning environment, adopt the startegies that has been stated above and see how your online journey will blossom.
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