Happy Monday Learners! And happy last day of August!
It is crazy to think that summer, although definitely odd this year to say the least, is already over and that it is back to school time for many this week. This is a time for both excitement for many families, and for many students dread - but there is no denying that this year will have it's own unique challenges as well.
This time of the year is always a challenge for many students, from readjusting their sleep schedules (which my father would always suggest I do a day or two ahead of time - but of course teenage me never did), to getting back into a rhythm of doing work after being able to manage their time for the most part.
Why Student's May Struggle More This Fall
Getting into this rhythm of doing work, having the structure of a school day and the physical environment of a classroom is something that psychologically helps students to break their summer habits - and begin to get back into that school mindset.
For many students who are starting back to school remotely this Fall, they will be without these exterior supports that they are used to receiving - and were used to receiving when we went remote in the Spring. When we are without this intentional external scaffolding that schools & teachers provide students, we are left to either the supports provided by families or PODS; or what internal discipline we hold.
This is made worse by the fact that due to economic factors, many families may need to work - leaving older students either unsupervised or as many of my students were; in charge of siblings. Which understandably tended to take priority over my specific class time - especially when those younger students had class as well and if technology options were limited.
When some, or any really, of these factors are combined with the fact that there is not a psychological transitory break, where someone physically is going to a new location - students who are used to using their technology for entertainment purposes, may have a more difficult than usual time breaking those habits this Fall.
What Can You Do To Transition Into A "Back To School" Mindset
Now, this is not all doom and gloom, and although I feel pretty strongly that we will see this trend - I am also confident that for many students, the first time they receive grades back (or especially when home receives grades) there will be a rather sizable turnaround.
But there are definitely some things that you can do to set yourself up for more success, without waiting for that first report card! Here are my top 3 suggestions below;
1) Make A New Computer User
Now I think this is one of my most important suggestions - especially if you are someone who like me, uses technology both for work and for recreation and gaming. One of the first things that I did when we went remote in the Spring was to make a new user on my computer where I put all of my school accounts, imported my work bookmarks and did all of my work.
There are two main reasons you should do this, 1) as a psychological trigger and hack and 2) to protect your privacy. Remember that anytime that you connect with the digital world, the digital world is also connecting with you. If you do not know what browser cookies are, they basically attach to your account and track what you do for advertisers. This data can also be accessed by your employer in some cases and you are safer with the assumption that they can. Keep your accounts separate, that is how some people end up on the news.
Now the other benefit to having separate accounts, is that when you are choosing which one to login to your device with; mentally you are making a decision. When I click on one, my focus is work and I do not have access to some of my distracting apps & websites. Another benefit is that when you are done with work and you go on your personal user, you can fully disconnect from work distractions as well. In a time when we are blurring the line of our "work/home" balance, it is important to make sure we are balancing both needs.
2) Clean Up Your Physical Environment & Create A System
Your environment is an extension of you. Take a second and look around your home or work space. Is it organized and orderly, or are you a "pile-er"? Are you maybe somewhere in between like I will self confess at the moment, transitioning from one habit system to another? Let's be honest, you know exactly which side you fall on.
Well, as a former "pile-er", I have some bad news. If your physical space is more organized, mentally you will be more organized and better able to focus. "But wait! I may not be organized, but I know exactly where I put everything!" You may say, as I often did, and to an extent you may be right; you are organized. You may be organized in the literal sense that you know where things are - but you are not efficiently organized, and that matters.
To consider how much this efficiency matters in the long run, and how you have to dedicate mental energy to remembering where things are in an inefficient system consider this. What is that feeling you have when you forget to place your keys in the exact same spot that you have for years. Or heaven forbid find a document in a pile you made months or even years ago. These are just physical examples, things you can see, so now consider how you save digital documents, good luck finding those decades later without a system...
The time you spend now creating a system, will pay off both over the coming weeks and months; as well as over the next years and decades. You can make any system you want, but the important thing is to build one that works for you, and that promotes "work-flows" or series of actions you complete based on a topic or event.
Just remember, you have an organizational system whether you are aware of it or not. The question is whether or not the system you have is working for you, and if it's efficient at streamlining your work and ultimately making work easier over time.
3) Shower & Get Dressed In The Morning
One of the nicest aspects of working and studying from home, is that you are home! You can attend that class or meeting in your sweatpants, as long as you are appropriate and presentable on camera. That being said, even if you may don the comfy clothing, it is still a good idea to take a shower and get dressed in the morning.
I spent time earlier talking about the importance of psychological triggers, things that get you into a mindset for a task or response. This can be extreme in a case like PTSD, or ordinary, like in terms of taking out your books and papers when you sit down at a desk. Getting ready and getting dressed are one such trigger that you can easily incorporate into your life.
When you get showered, especially if you are like me and take cold showers in the morning, there is a certain aspect of it helping you to wake up - but more importantly there is also an intention behind it; of getting ready to go do something. How often have you showered before sitting down to watch Netflix in the morning? Exactly.
Final Thoughts
When so many of the exterior structure for habits and psychological triggers that we rely on are not there; it is reassuring to know that something as simple as taking a quick shower in the morning can maybe give you that boost you need to have a successful day. I also encourage the brave to try cold showers in the morning; who knows, you just might find the experience life changing.
I hope that you found some information that you can use to make your back to school transition a successful one and if so, please consider hitting that heart to support the blog. Thank you for your time and reading, and have a fantastic day!