Surviving Online Study

By Bryce Linehan-Cunningham

I’m sure there are plenty of people in the same boat at the moment and struggling with the impact that COVID-19 is having on our studies. Despite Deakin being well positioned to adapt to the move to online study, there are numerous other challenges that we as students face.

One of the major challenges I have found with online study both now and in the past is the lack of motivation. It is hard to find the motivation to study at the best of times, and this is only intensified after being in lockdown for such a long period of time. Being stuck at home with nothing to do can make everything feel so mundane and repetitive, making it hard to sit down and concentrate. That is why it has never been more important to keep yourself busy with things you enjoy doing. We’re all law students so we know how ridiculously big the workload is sometimes. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have time to enjoy yourself. Do not feel guilty about having a break from study to watch a bit of Netflix, read a book, play videogames, go for a run, etc. Keeping busy with activities you enjoy helps you keep upbeat and gives you something to look forward to. Your studying sessions are going to be much more effective when you’re in a relatively good mood and have something to look forward to at the end of it.

Another huge tip that has made a drastic improvement in my online study habits is attending lectures and seminars live. In the past I have fallen into the trap of watching lectures and seminars after they have been recorded. If you have the same problem as me and procrastination is your biggest enemy, we all know that this means we are constantly pausing the recordings and going and getting distracted. This often led to me taking 5 or 6 hours to watch a 3-hour lecture and would make me dread having to study. Since making the decision to watch the lectures live, I have been so much more efficient when studying and this has given me both the time and motivation to get a little bit of revision in as I go. This also allows me to spend more time doing things I like guilt free. It’s a lot more relaxing sitting down to watch TV when you’re not constantly thinking about how you should be finishing that lecture you were halfway through watching. I know that sometimes it’s hard to keep up to date with the work load making it impossible to watch the lectures live, but the intra trimester break is the perfect opportunity to get on top of your work and get up to date, so make the most of this time.

Now get off Facebook, stop procrastinating and go and study.