10 tips to work effectively from home

During these extraordinary times when we have to stay at home, we need to organize ourselves to continue to learn and study! Revision is as necessary as it is useful in order not to get bored and to keep a “normal” rhythm of life. But concentrating at home is not so easy, one is quickly discouraged and distracted! Here are 10 tips to work efficiently at home:

1. Wake up at a fixed time from Monday to Friday, so as not to break your usual routine and go for a walk a few minutes before starting work, this allows you to get some fresh air and be in shape to start your day!
2. Dress as usual for school. This may sound silly, but you have to get dressed! Take a shower, eat breakfast, pretend you’re leaving home. It’s hard to work in pajamas!
3. Write a list of your tasks for the day and the week, using the programme shared by your school: this allows you to have fixed objectives and to stay motivated! 
4. Do not use your mobile phone, it distracts. Put it in a drawer and don’t touch it until lunch break to really concentrate on what you are doing. 
5. Have a workspace dedicated to working at home: as much as you can, create a quiet space dedicated exclusively to work and don’t stay in your room all day long. Even if it is small, a workspace is essential to have a symbolic separation between school and home. 
6. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from the teachers who can be reached by phone or email, or on the platforms that have been communicated to you. That’s what they are there for!
7. Take a real lunch break of at least one hour, just like at school. It’s time to relax! Talking with your family, calling friends, playing a game… lunchtime is sacred! Breaks allow you to stay efficient and focused on the rest of the day. 
8. At the end of the day, review it with your parents: have you finished everything you set out to do? If not, were these goals too ambitious? What were your difficulties? Talking about it will give you tips on how to get better organized later on.  Don’t hesitate to call your classmates to talk to them!
9. Have the same timetable as at school, so that you don’t finish after normal school hours. Keep time for yourself, to relax and have fun after school! 
10. When the weekend comes, we take the opportunity to relax and take our minds off things. As far as possible, you should keep a rhythm as normal as possible so as not to be too out of step. Allow one hour a day for revision and the rest of the time: relax! 

Good luck to all! This time of uncertainty should be seen as a period of transition and change. It is an opportunity to learn new teaching methods and to refocus on the essentials!