How to Create a Great Study Place at Home
If you are in the process of studying to become an Assessor, or are thinking about enrolling on one of our courses, then you will probably have realised by now that you will be studying from the comfort of your own home, rather than in a classroom environment. Welcome to the world of distance learning! We are going to give you some advice on how to create a great study place at home, to help improve your productivity.
So first thing’s first, creating the right desk setup. Both your desk and your chair will be the most important purchases for setting up your study space. So it really is worth investing some money into these. Think about how long the duration of your course is; you will be spending a lot of time studying, so you need to be comfortable. Your desk should be large enough to hold your computer and study materials, enough so that you don’t feel cluttered. If you don’t want to invest in an ergonomic chair then you could look at buying a height-adjustable desk. Even standing desks are popular these days, to give you the best study position.
Remove All Distractions
Now this is where it can get a bit tricky if you have a family that you are studying around. If you can move yourself away from the usual distractions of studying from home, then you really should. This will significantly improve your productivity. So how do you do this? Even just by having a dedicated home office in a spare room where you can close the door and get away from the noise is a great start. You could always soundproof a room to help you completely switch off from the world. Noise-cancelling headphones do just as good a job though!
Natural Lighting & Personalisation
People often don’t think about light being important when you are studying, but it really should be a priority. Natural light is proven to boost concentration and focus. Also, we all feel much happier and motivated when we are exposed to a bit of sunshine! Set up your study place in an area where there is lots of natural daylight and get absorbing some vitamin D at the same time.
Also you need to make sure your study space is personal to you. Surround yourself with things that have meaning and will help motivate you to study. It could be a picture of your family to look at when you are struggling and need reminding why you are doing all that extra work. Or even just some plants to help boost your mood. Your study space may become a working from home space further on down the line, so it is best to make it feel homely to start with.
Investing In Equipment
Distance learning rather than regular learning means that you will be needing digital equipment. You will need this in order to access your learning portal and materials. Hunching over a laptop on the sofa isn’t the most comfortable way to learn. So, it may be worth looking at other options. Do you need a second monitor so that you don’t have to keep splitting your screen up to look at two things at a time? You may also be better off having a separate mouse and keyboard too. Remember you need to be comfortable when you are studying!
The most important thing about your study place is that it should feel like an extension of your home, rather than a spare room that you don’t really want to spend time in. You will be spending quite a lot of time in your study place, so you need to be happy there. Regular breaks are also an important part of keeping focused, so treat yourself to a nice cup of tea once you have completed a module, for example.
If you have any other tips on creating a great study place at home please email them over to training@brooksandkirk.co.uk.