By Megan Benz
It is back to school time, and this year the usual fanfare will look different as we start the fall semester online. While online learning is not new to most students, it is still an adjustment. From a high school, ½ semester online student, here are some tips to help your school year go smoothly:
Claim your space
When things went haywire at the end of last year, my quiet, only-child status was taken from me as my two college-aged 
sisters came home to finish the semester. Early on, we each claimed our workspace, whether it was our bedroom, in the study, kitchen, or even outside. By declaring a designated workspace, it minimized noise and unwelcomed visitors. Once I established where I was going to work every day, I cleared the space of any distractions and equipped it with supplies I would need (pens, pencils, ruler, paper, etc.). Having a designated spot to work helped me separate my school time vs. home time, allowing me to focus during classes rather than being distracted by the freedom of being home.
Get ready every day
While I did not follow this rule every day, I was more productive when I got up at a reasonable hour and got dressed. Yes, that includes eating breakfast too. Not only does this make you feel better and more productive, but it also means you have no excuse not to get up and get active, which leads to my next tip.
Get active
Take some time each day to do some form of exercise, whether it is going outside for a walk, a bike ride, or playing just dance in your living room. Just get up and get moving! When you sit for an extended period of time, your mood, health, and work ethic take a hit, so getting up for a break at least once a day will help reset your body and give you more energy to finish the day on a high note.
Make to-do lists
Last year’s online school was a bit hectic, and I was mainly assigned online worksheets with only a few zoom classes. To manage all the online work and zoom classes, I made a to-do list for every day. I would rank the tasks for each day either by easiest/quickest to hardest/takes the most time, or by importance. I would also print out anything and everything I could to limit the temptation of opening a new tab and looking through social media or playing games.
Take screen breaks
I never realized how much screen time affected me, but by the end of the school day, my eyes and head would hurt so badly. I ended up purchasing some blue light glasses off Amazon, which were helpful but, more importantly, taking time to get up and take frequent breaks was so beneficial!
These are just a few tips that helped make my online school transition more manageable, and I hope it helps yours! We would love to see how you and your children are handling this new learning environment. Please send us pictures and updates on how you are keeping your children engaged during this crazy time during and after school hours to lara@swoon.media!
