Spending time at your parent’s house can help you destress after a busy semester and reconnect with your family after time apart.
However, staying with your folks for a few weeks is less than ideal if you’re in the middle of your midterms or are preparing for finals. You’re away from the support services your campus can offer and may find it difficult to study when everyone else is relaxing and having fun.
Make the most of your time at home by setting up an independent study space and scheduling your time. This will help you focus on your studies when it matters most and ensure that you still have time to relax with the rest of your family.
Creating a Study Space
Your old bedroom may have served as a study space when you were in high school. However, the American College of Healthcare Sciences reports that doing homework on your bed is bad for focus. Studying in the same space you sleep can decrease your productivity and make it harder to fall asleep once you’ve finished working.
Instead, work with your folks to find a place you can convert into a study space. Your parents don’t have to give up their living room for your studies, either. You can create a functional home office in the garage if you’re willing to put in the work. Get the ball rolling by:
- Cleaning the garage thoroughly and decluttering
- Take care of necessities like power supply, heating/cooling, and insulation
- Find lighting that supports your focus
- Pick up some furniture essentials like a desk and a comfy chair
This study space can be used by the rest of your family year-round when they need to work on important projects from home, too. Be sure to bring life to space by bringing in some house plants and hanging some pictures of the whole family on the walls. This will make the space feel more welcoming when it’s time to study and will keep you on track when you visit your parent’s house.
Productivity Boosting Tips
A dedicated study space will enhance your productivity and minimize distractions while you study from home. However, you’ll still need to make the most of your time at home if you want to pass your classes and get the grades you’re aiming for.
You can improve your productivity while studying from home by making simple lifestyle changes when living with your folks. Start simple with changes like:
- Sleep: Adults need 7 – 9 hours of sleep a night to feel rested. Getting enough sleep is particularly important when you’re in college, as poor sleep will leave you feeling lethargic and fatigued while sapping your mental focus.
- Balanced Breakfast: A good breakfast gives your body energy and helps fight off mood-sapping hunger. This is important if your siblings stress you out or you’re planning to study all day long.
- Meditation: Home life can get messy. Destress and refocus by scheduling some time to meditate. Meditation boosts mental clarity and enhances your overall well-being.
- Clean: Studying in a messy space is difficult. Declutter and decompress after each study session. This will ensure your space is clean and well-organized when you return the next day.
These lifestyle changes will boost your mood and improve your wellbeing, too. This is key if you find that family life causes you extra stress. Take your productivity seriously and do your best to create a calming, focus-boosting routine while staying with your folks.
Time Management
Effective time management is essential for academic success. Without a clear routine, you’re sure to skip study sessions and overlook important assignments. However, time management can be tricky when you’re studying at home and everyone else is relaxing after work or school.
You can improve your time management skills by creating a weekly schedule that you pin in your room or study space. Like a work rota, this reminds you of when you should be studying and helps you take breaks throughout the day. A clear schedule ensures that you don’t stay up too late while trying to cram before a test, too.
Do your best to limit procrastination, but go easy on yourself if you lose a half hour of study time while chatting with your folks. Enjoying your time at home can keep your spirits high and help you stay focused for longer when you do return to your studies.
Consider putting your phone in another room while studying. This may sound like something a school teacher would do, but can seriously enhance your productivity. Keeping distractions like mobile phones out of reach ensures you don’t end up on Instagram when you should be learning about inferential statistics and intertextuality.
Conclusion
Spending part of the semester at home can help you save money and reconnect with your family. However, you may find that home life distracts you from your studies. Make the most of your time with your family by creating a dedicated study space. This will help you schedule time for studies and improve your time management. Just remember to schedule some time for fun and relaxation, too.
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