5 study room ideas to get the best out of online classes

I am an eleven letter word. I am present everywhere. I like to tempt you but I am best avoided. Guess who am I?

Yes, you guessed it right, we are talking about ‘Distractions’ – your number one enemy while studying, especially when you’re taking online classes. One important step you can take to keep these distractions at bay is to create an effective study room. With the right tools, some smart planning and organizing, you can create the best place to study at home to help you concentrate better on your online classes. Here are 5 study room essentials that will help you study better:

Comfort in a study room is all about the seating arrangement. Make sure that you have a cozy table and a chair, but not so cozy that it makes you want to take a nap. While taking online classes it is not a good idea to sit on your bed and slouch. Keeping your tablet on a table and sitting on a chair enables you to maintain a good posture. Similarly, a study area that is not well lit can not only hamper your eyesight but also makes it easier for you to doze off. Ensure to lighten up your study area adequately either through a tube light or a desk lamp. You can also use natural light to do the same, as long as you can keep your mind off what’s going on outside the window! 

Online classes require a different set-up than the usual. You only need a limited set of items during your lessons. After you’ve made your study space well-lit, it’s time to clean it up a bit. Start with removing all the unnecessary stuff that is taking up space. For example, pens that don’t work anymore or books that are from the previous year or rough copies that are filled. Shift items that are necessary but have no immediate use in some other shelf/cupboard and throw away items that cannot be used anymore. Make a list of things you need to stock up on. Meanwhile don’t forget to engage in some dusting and cleaning of the area too. A neat place reflects a neat mind. Make the place shine bright as a study place should be.

Just the way school bags are arranged frequently based on the school time-table, attending online classes too requires you to assemble all your supplies from time to time. Use the list you made while decluttering to know what supplies need to be restocked. This could be pens, notebooks, pencils, erasers, staplers, page holders, etc. If after the decluttering you are left with some loose pages that have important notes, get a folder to file them together.

An important step to organizing your study space to have ‘only’ the most important things on it. Try keeping up to just 4-5 things on it, at a time. These could be your textbooks, notebooks, pen/pencil, tablet, etc. To achieve this you’ll have to organize the drawers and shelves where you keep all your other books too. Make an arrangement of your choice, either subject wise or semester wise, whatever is suitable for your needs. Such an arrangement will make it easier for you to find your books quickly and prevent you from messing up the study area anytime soon. Use a pen stand to keep all your stationery together.

We learned in the Pomodoro technique that the human mind needs a break every once in a while to concentrate better. For the study session after online classes,  you can decide at what intervals you should be taking breaks. For this, you can either put an alarm on your tablet or keep a clock in your study area. Try to avoid using your phone as your clock, as it can distract you in many other ways.

Some important considerations:

1. Avoid distractions: Distractions come in many forms. More so during online classes. The most common distractions are your mobile phones and TV. You can avoid them by keeping your phone in another room while studying or switching it off or keeping it on airplane mode. Similarly, with the TV, you may not have the luxury of having it switched-off every time you study. To avoid studying in the same room as the TV. Another good practice to develop during online classes is to avoid opening any other tabs on your browser other than the class. Opening other tabs will significantly make you lose focus from your class online.
2. Don’t double-up your bed as your study space: If your study space also happens to be your bedroom, then the bed can tempt you away from your study sessions. It can also have a reverse impact by causing you trouble when you actually want to fall asleep. This is why it is important to separate your study space from your sleeping space. If you have space constraints and you have to opt for a multipurpose room, then at least try to change the set-up (clear out the pillows, fold the blanket, etc) every time you switch from study to sleep or vice a versa.
3. Don’t eat where you study: Every once in a while you might feel hungry, especially more so after your online classes and study sessions. Satisfy your hunger by eating anywhere but in your study room. For reasons similar to above, mixing-up your dining area and study area can prove to be a bad idea. Every time you sit to study, you may feel tempted to have something to eat while studying or think about studies while having food, if you mix-up the two places. This can lead to making you unhealthy in the long run. Besides, your mealtime can also serve as a break from the study sessions. Although when it comes to snacking, you may allow yourself to have some fresh fruits or dry fruits in your study room. Avoid snacking with junk food at all costs.
4. Make way for some fresh air: Lastly,  make sure that your study space allows plenty of fresh air. Open up the windows, ensure ventilation across the rooms. Fresh air will enable you to focus better, as it will increase your oxygen intake and make your brain more alert. 

And there you have it – all the essentials to let your study space help you learn more effectively with online classes. Did we leave anything out? Do you have your own unique tip to share? Tell us in the comment section below. 

Stay safe and keep learning!

If you found this article helpful, you may also like:

Here’s how technology can help you learn at home

Why is BYJU’S the Best Way to Learn From Home

How to study effectively during a lockdown?