It can be difficult to study at home, especially with all of the distractions that may arise. These are eight of the best tips to help you effectively study at home!

1. Don’t study where your sleep! Your body recognizes where you are supposed to sleep and that means you get more sleepy when you are in bed. Don’t study in bed because it will associate studying with sleep and slow down your progress

2. The best study pattern is a 17 minute break for every 52 minutes of studying. This pattern will maximize your memory and ensure that you are being the most efficient. Make sure you drink a little water and stay energized with a fruit snack or a granola bar! All of these things will help keep your memory fresh and studying a little easier.

3. Get out of your pajamas! When you get up and are getting ready to study put on day clothes, it’ll help you feel more removed from the home experience and you can get in the working mindset. Even try wearing shoes it’ll help you recognize that you are in a work space.

4. Create a dedicated workspace. If you live in a residence hall sometimes this can be more difficult but be strict with where you do classwork. Keep it on your desk and away from your bed. If you are going home do homework in a dedicated room that isn’t your bedroom.

5. GET UP! Take breaks, it is ok to take a few minutes and take a quick walk, stretch and get your energy up. This will simulate walking to class which will help prepare your mind and give you the little boost in your physical activity to get you into the schoolwork mode.

6. Be strict with your time. Designate study times and not study times. It can be easy to continue to study all day and late into the night but that isn’t always the vest choice. Create clear boundaries just like you did with clothing and study spaces. Make sure you set times so you still can socialize and do things that let you get away from studying too. Balance is important.

7. Take a meal break if you are studying through the day. If you choose to study through normal meal periods make sure you stop, take a break and eat some food. This will keep your energy levels up, gives you the chance to socialize with people and helps sustain that boundary between being home and being at school.

8. Do your best! It is difficult to handle drastic academic changes and online school can be difficult for a lot of people. Give yourself a break and do your best, keep going and you can do it. If you need help reach out to someone and ask for help and you will get through it.