Quarantined and Unmotivated To Work?

Since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak has dominated the year of 2020, businesses have slowed and people have been unwillingly stuck in their homes or in foreign countries. In the midst of this pandemic, students can tend to be unmotivated to finish their assignments or complete a certain amount of work per day.

To stay on top of tasks and make the most out of a quarantine period, individuals should begin by outlining a to-do list or a daily schedule. Yet, the idea of “waking up early, achieving tasks, and being productive” is not nearly a simple nor easy feat.

Write Down Your To-Do List

This is a highlight point that counselors would will reiterate time after time. 18-year-old online entrepreneur Jade Darmawangsa pointed out that she would plan out her following day’s to-do list during the previous night so that she can “wake up in the morning with more clarity” and understand everything that she has to accomplish for the day.

Students can utilize their time-managing skills to tackle schoolwork and be finished in a shorter amount of time compared to regular school days. Whether or not students like the new e-learning methods, it provides students the opportunity to decide what they want to do during their extra time.

Plan out a to-do list depending on how many hours schoolwork will take, how many downtime hours, and how many hours to devote on something of personal interest.

Throughout the day, check off the boxes for each item/task on the list. When individuals finally come to the end of the day, they can earn a sense of accomplishment and be further motivated to do work the next day.

Set Goals For Yourself

Due to the fact that the coronavirus has become a pandemic, many schools have yet to decide the returning date of their students decided the returning date for their students. It is important to plan ahead and have a dedicated routine every day.

AISG sophomore Sabrina C. has established a firm routine for herself after school was postponed. “The night before a “school day”, I take a look at the things teachers have posted on Teams and write down everything I have to do tomorrow in a small, physical notebook. This helps me sleep better and get to work faster the next day. Also, I don’t work very well around noon, so I try to wake up around 8 to start doing schoolwork. Those are my two main strategies!”

Take A Break

Stick to your schedule, but always leave time for a break. Breaks can help create a more productive and focused mindset, avert “decision fatigue”, replenish ideas and memories, and motivate oneself to tackle ones short-term goals and long-term goals.

Sabrina C. also pointed out that when she didn’t feel like working on schoolwork, she would “go for a walk or spend some time chatting with [her] family to refresh [her] brain.”

AISG Counselor Ms Taylor recently stressed the importance of staying focused. “It’s important when you’re feeling unmotivated to give yourself ten minutes of break (make a cup of tea, eat ice cream, etc) and come back [later] to get this done. It can be dangerous to give in to the distractions, but it’s important to give yourself time for a bit of flexibility and freedom. Then, you [are able to] take a break, step back, and come back to your work with more focus.”

Discover New Hobbies, Interests, and Passions

Whether it is learning a new skill, signing up for an online course, or getting a freelance job, students are given the opportunity to tackle one or more of their passions during the prolonged school return postponement.

Although juniors and seniors are busy with IB, the freshmen and sophomore students may have more time on their hands compared to the upperclassmen. Instead of scrolling through social media or sleeping till noon, students can channel their time into another source of productivity.

Even if many people have to self-quarantine to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus, there are many things to do while being at home. Cooking a new dish, reading a business book, to exercising one hour per day — everyone has the ability to carve out time in their schedules to form a routine or try something new.

Virtual Meetings

Finally, set up virtual meetings via FaceTime or Zoom to create study hours with classmates or friends. For instance, clock one hour for biology, one hour on math, and one hour on the new English unit. These virtual study groups can enhance productivity; students can hold each other accountable for the amount of studying they are doing during quarantine periods.

All in all, students should ensure that they are following their own daily to-do list and schedule. Being productive can allow individuals to focus on their work first, which leaves extra time for them to do the things that they want to do.