Figure out how you will be receiving work 

Firstly, find out how you will work from home. Will you have to join live classes from home through Google Meet, do tasks the teachers set you or just revise independently? I had to do all three so figure out when you will do all of these. 

Make a good routine 

For me, waking up early worked best. Stick to your school timetable as much as possible, and make sure that you try to get all the work done within that lesson. This will add structure to your routine and make it feel like you really are going to school.

Make to do lists

Have a piece of paper with all your tasks for each of your subjects, and then tick off or highlight when you have finished it. You can then add other tasks you want to complete such as schoolwork.

Have a post it note for questions

If you will be returning to school soon and you want to ask some questions to your teachers in person, I would advise getting a post it note or even a small notebook dedicated to writing down all your questions. You won’t forget to ask all the questions you have!

Get organised

Make Google Drive folders and keep your notebooks tidy.

Try to have breaks without the screen

Many people are used to going on social media and being in front of a screen after just spending hours on front of another screen. This is not only harmful for your eyesight, but also for your concentration levels. Instead, take regular breaks in which you leave your study space and do other activities such as talking to your family, which will leave you feeling replenished.

Change environments

When you are in school, chances are that you are moving to a new environment every lesson and this may subconsciously make you feel more productive. Therefore, do the same thing at home and after every lesson, go out of your room for a break or for your next study session, study somewhere else in your room. It’s you tricking your brain into thinking you are ‘commuting’ when really you might be in the same room.

Have other extracurriculars 

If you have online classes, you may feel like you are studying continuously all the time. However, if you incorporate activities that will also add value to your life but not necessarily be academic, you will feel accomplished in other ways. You can do this through an extracurricular activity such as making a podcast or starting a YouTube channel. 

Have someone that will keep you accountable

If you want someone to be there to motivate you, you may need that one person to do it. I would advise having someone in your life that will check that you are working. For example, if you have an older sibling, they could check every hour to see if you are working. Alternatively, you could have a friend whom you send your to-do lists via social media every morning and in the night, you could check if you completed all those tasks (make it a friendly little game). 

Have a positive mindset about online classes

If you tell yourself that you hate online classes, then you will hate it. So please try to keep positive about having online classes and try to enjoy this new experience. Remember, that there are many people who do not have any access to education at all but at least, we still have access to education, whether it is online or in school.

If you do online classes, make sure to tell me in the comments down below! 

This pandemic is testing everyone so do not think you are alone.

Now get working!

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

For many people, this lockdown has been quite difficult, harsh and tough. For others, they have understood that this time is not the best but have tried to make the most out of this time. If you don’t already know me, my name is Surobi. I am a 14-year-old student living in the UK who is one of the over 65 million people who are facing the experience of being in lockdown due to coronavirus.

As I am writing this, it is Day 82 of me quarantining from this deadly virus (I started quarantining on 18th March 2020. This is truly an experience that has mixed feelings – sympathetic to those who are suffering from this illness, but also find that you can grow as a person during this time. I have already made four articles on my website about my first one month experience while quarantining which you can check out.

But today, I will be writing about my two-month experience of self-quarantining. 

The only times I have stepped right outside of my house:

Friday 20th March

Sunday 24th May

I Have Got Used To Online School.

Just like many other students in the UK, I have been getting work set from my teachers through Google Classroom. This is quite uncommon but to some extent, it gives me that flexibility to work at my own pace. I also find that my teachers are setting me more work than usual so we do not fall behind so I have been mostly keeping busy.

I Have Learnt More Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is vital for everyone to keep productive and motivated. I think having online school has helped me to take more responsibility and really make sure I am staying on top of my work as I do not want this work to pile up later.

I Have Other Side Projects

I want to ensure that I spend this time having fun at home but also to have come out of this pandemic as a more knowledgable person. So, I launched my own podcast which is ‘The Chat Library’ which is new and exciting (now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more so check it out). I also have another anonymous podcast which I shall not share here but these have kept me busy and connected with my ideas.

I Have Participated In Ramadan and Eid In Different Ways

Every year, I and my family would usually go out to our relatives’ houses, go to a restaurant or travel somewhere far for Eid. However, this year I did not go to others’ houses in Ramadan and Eid. This was quite different but also gave me some time to spend with my family and try something new.

I Have A Longer Screen Time

This was quite inevitable but I have longer screen time as I go on social media but also because I make more content for my website and Podcasts. I also do, however, communicate with my family and have fun with them too.

I hope that this gave you an insight into how quarantine may look like for a 14-year-old girl living in the UK. Of course, this is just my personal experience (not everyone’s) and I am not trying to brag about everything as I am truly grateful for what I have. Please do not compare yourself to my experience and do what is logical and right for you. 

All my thoughts go to those who have loved ones who are suffering from this horrible disease or who have contracted COVID-19 themselves. Please stay at home if you are advised to do so and only go out if it is necessary. Pray to God and take care of yourself and your family and stay happy and healthy :). Please check out my other articles related to COVID-19 below or surf through my website for other articles.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

Take care of your mental health.

Since this is already a very uncertain time, you do not want to burden yourself too much with too much work. This can be the time for you to pause and reflect on yourself. If you lack motivation, feel burnout or require some purpose to get back to work, I recommend that you just take a break for possibly 2-3 days where you take care of your mental health by meditating, praying and talking to someone (video calling or people at home). I don’t recommend using too much social media at this time. However, you should not use the excuse of ‘mental health’ if you feel completely fine and you just want to procrastinate.

Organise your house.

Since nearly half of the academic year was nearly completed, your house may have started looking a bit disorganised. If that is the case, this is the perfect time for you to spice up and clean your house. Redecorate a bit of your house, organise everything and just live in a clean environment that you will feel productive and happy in.

Write down your goals.

As life could have taken a turn for you, especially if your exams were cancelled, it can be hard to define what you want to do currently. So, therefore, I recommend you to just grab a pen and a piece of paper and write down who you want to be in the future. Then try to write an action plan for your goals and how you can reach this. This will redefine your purpose for life.

Make a routine for yourself during this period.

It is best to try to make a routine that is adaptable to you only. If you find that you are distracted by younger siblings, for example, maybe you could wake up earlier when they are still asleep and get some work done before they wake up. Find a routine where you can really manage your time and obviously remember to have breaks in between.

Try to stay up-to-date with your schoolwork.

I recommend that you try to stay up-to-date with your schoolwork as later on, it can pile up. If this is hard for you to do due to the numerous distractions you have around you, then stick to the routine that you have made and maybe tell someone in your family to keep you accountable. You could also try to stick to your school timetable as closely as possible and try to do your lessons, especially if you are set work from your teachers.

Practise self-care.

Self-care does not only mean just having a spa routine, but it also means making sure that you eat well and exercise regularly. This is vital for you to ensure that you are also taking care of your physical health especially before going back to school.

Have a habit tracker.

This relates to my previous point about practising self-care and that is track those habits. Essentially, this is when you have a table with different habits you want to do regularly, such as having limited screen time, praying and exercising. You can tick these off daily or weekly. This will also help to build self-discipline.

Talk to someone regularly.

We, humans, are social creatures and I know it can be hard for most people to be told to stay behind shut doors and not be in the midst of our usually busy lives. However, if quarantining is recommended by the Government, we should follow it but if you need to talk to someone, I recommend that you talk to your family members who live with you at home, or alternatively, text, call or video chat your friends and relatives who don’t live with you.

Have a side project.

If you don’t have an extracurricular activity or a side project amongst your normal workload, then this could be the time for you to introduce this into your life. Starting a side project requires commitment but you can experiment now to see a side project you could do. Examples are creating a website, a Youtube channel, an Instagram or a Pinterest board to share with this world.

Learn something new.

This is also the time to gain some extra knowledge by watching relevant TED talks and documentaries. Knowledge is surely power and if you have always wanted to learn about a good specific topic or read that good book, then this is the time for you to do that!

I hope this article is helpful as it is like a checklist that if you want to follow if your school is currently closed due to coronavirus. Make sure to check out these sources for more information:

Sources:  https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-51951914/coronavirus-uk-schools-to-close-to-prevent-virus-spread

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Stay safe and well. Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!