Day after day, students are rolling to the other side of the bed, logging on to the computer, and going straight into a zoom call. Afterwards, they go back to bed and the cycle starts again when it is time for their next Zoom session. Later in the day while sitting in bed, they turn on Netflix and the slow homework progress begins. This is precisely what students should not be doing while stuck at home for months with school work to get done.

During this time of quarantine, students’ home life needs to be balanced and have a form of separation to maintain good mental health while working solely at home.

Having the constant feeling of being in a place of work is not good for students’ mental health, and creating boundaries in the home is one way to counteract that. Simple habits to get into such as getting up out of bed and moving to a desk or another place to work will significantly help with the mental challenge of doing school work every day at home.

According to Harvard Business Review’s Guide to Being More Productive, “Unless you are careful to maintain boundaries, you may start to feel like you’re always at work and losing a place to come home to.” 

Setting aside time during the day for leisurely time is just as important if not more than getting school work done. Taking the time to get outside and go on a walk will help to brighten the day when feeling swamped with assignments.

“By placing time limits on things and scheduling personal time, you will be able to not only be happier but you will also be more productive,” said Preston Kanak, an educator and cinematographer.

By people having no other choice than to be getting schooling from their own home, it is easy to get down in the dumps and start habits that die hard. Doing one’s schoolwork in their bed is an example of this.

According to the Head of Public Relations at Buffer, Hailley Griffis, “If you’re working from your bed, it can become more difficult to fall asleep since your brain will think you’re in a place of work.”

Taking the time to separate school work from the comfort of your own home is important for work ethic and mental health. It is important for people to be focusing on maintaining good mental health while being isolated from so much of the outside world.

The Society of Behavioral Medicine has a great five step solution to working from home. Although staying indoors constantly may get people down from time to time, changing up what you are doing in one’s day to day life and keeping a schedule will help to keep the mind at ease.