It’s that time of the year again. Final exams are around the corner. You’re on a time crunch and you’ll probably need to pull an all-nighter. The library is about to shut down for the day. You could go to the nearest cafe, but it’ll probably be loud or crowded, and all the laptop plug points will be taken. And, if you’re being honest, all those lattes are getting quite expensive. But it’s so difficult to leave all the distractions behind and study – whether it’s in your dorm, PG or apartment. Well, studying in college is challenging and we’ve all been there. That’s why we’re here to tell you that creating a study space in your college room or apartment is a great idea. It can be the best place to get your productivity going and get some work done. All it takes is some organization and creativity. Here’s how:
1.Designating a space
We all know getting into one of India’s top colleges is a great feat. So once you’ve done that, the rest has got to be a cake walk. Right? Well, your wallet might disagree. Depending on your budget and the cost of living in Bangalore, Hyderabad, or whichever city your college is located in, you’ll have to choose where to stay. Whether it’s a hostel, PG or a rented apartment, it might be difficult to find an unused space that you can rearrange into a study area. So what should you do? The best solution is to designate an area within your room just for this purpose. Move your furniture around if you need to. And if your desk faces the wall, move it so it’s near a window. This’ll give you natural light during the day, and a chance to look outside when you’re tired of reading. Once you’ve got a space that’s just for studying, the productivity will (hopefully) fall into place. Our only caution – don’t use your bed as your study zone. It may limit your focus and, if we’re honest, it’s just too easy to fall asleep there.
2.Clear out the clutter
This one is kind of a no-brainer. Get rid of all the items from your desk and the surrounding study area that you won’t immediately use for your revision session. That includes the physical distractions like books, magazines, electronics, video games and whatever else you have lying around. Then organise your essentials – textbooks, notebooks, highlighters, laptop – in the cleared space. It’s great to keep your study supplies within reach so that you don’t have to interrupt yourself to go grab stationary. It’s not just about giving yourself space to study. Tidying up and organizing your desk will kickstart your productivity and put you in the mood for revision. And even if you can’t be bothered to keep constantly cleaning up, you can place a clutter box near your desk and put items in there instead of letting them pile up in front of you. Just remember to pick a day and put away (or throw out) the stuff that’s in the box.
3.Stand up for studying
It’s probably not that conventional to study while standing up but hear us out. Those who’ve started using standing desks claim that this has been a game changer for them in terms of work and productivity. And we’re not asking you to go out and buy new furniture either. You can easily DIY a standing desk for yourself by placing a large box on your usual desk or a small shelf on the wall that you can adjust to your standing height. And that’s it, business as usual, but on your feet. You’ll be flying through your studies. Go ahead and place a rug or yoga mat on the floor to help take the pressure off of your back from standing for long periods.
4.Light it up
If you’re studying in dim lighting or an overly bright spotlight that makes you feel like you’re being interrogated, you need to improve the lighting, pronto. Make sure there’s sufficient and even lighting so you don’t have to strain your eyes while you study. Natural light is always best, but if you’re pulling all-nighters, you’ll need good indoor lighting. There are several inexpensive options you can find on the internet, but make sure you pick the right colour temperature. Experts say that an LED bulb with brighter white color temperature which ranges between 3,000K to 4,500K is equivalent to natural daylight and is the best for studying. So, turn on the lamps and do your eyes a favour.
5.Maximise your productivity
Once your study area is efficiently organized, cleaned and lit properly, you actually have to get down to studying. And there’s loads of techniques you can use to maximise the use of your time. Try the Pomodoro method of timed study if you like to take frequent breaks, or the Urgent-Important matrix if you’re two hours away from a deadline. Whatever strategy you use, remember to disconnect from all kinds of distractions. You won’t get much work done if you’ve got Instagram notifications interrupting you every time you finish scrolling a paragraph. So it’s probably a good idea to put your phone on airplane mode and remove all notifications from your laptop so you can stay focused.
No matter how clean or pretty your study space is, the hardest part is actually getting yourself to study. The trick is to set up a space to get you motivated and minimize distractions. And while you can follow our steps and get there yourself, there’s also no harm in getting help for everything else that might impinge on your academic pursuits. That’s why you could choose a professionally managed accommodation like Stanza Living. From fully furnished, clutter-free rooms with a designated study table, to high-speed internet, healthy meals to regular cleaning, they’ll aid you with the best facilities during exam season. And for the rest of the year, they’ve got you sorted with vibrant community events. There’s no doubt that they’d be able to provide you with a great study environment. But you know yourself the best and what environment gets you in “the zone.” So get going on creating the ultimate study space for yourself.
