Samuel Harman and Charlie Morrell in Year 9 share their top tips to follow when working from home.

Are you having trouble working from home? As someone who has worked at home for the last three months, I know what I’m talking about. I have been in the same situation that you have, worried about when an assignment is due, getting distracted in lessons, well this guide is what you need!

Distraction

The hardest thing that you will have to deal with while working from home is distraction. Checking your phone every five minutes, getting distracted by YouTube, playing games, believe me I’ve been there. But this is how I managed to overcome this…

First of all, make sure your phone is somewhere that you will have to leave your chair to reach. If you do this then you will not have the distraction of going on social media during lessons, texting your friends or watching YouTube. Secondly, block out your vision. Use something that will prevent you from constantly getting distracted by the things around you. What I have done is put myself into a corner facing a wall, this may sound simple, but is what I have found most effective. Lastly, work in the same room as someone else. By doing this you will be forced to work. I work in the same room as my older sister and mum, this gives me the self-motivation to work because both of them are very hard-working people.

Take Breaks

Taking regular breaks will lead to success. This may sound stupid but its true. Every 45 minutes, take a five minute break. This is useful because it will allow your brain to recharge after a hard lesson. During this break you could get a drink, take a quick walk around your house or go outside. If you don’t take breaks, you will spend the whole day looking at a screen. Not only is this bad for your eyes, it is bad for your physical and mental health. Even though we are in lockdown, restrictions are starting to ease. You should try to socialise with other people. If you socialise with your friends, then your brain will completely forget about school work. After being in lockdown for three months socialising is very important.

After reading my blog about ways that you can overcome distractions and become successful in home learning, I hope that my ideas have either made you focus, or given you inspiration to think of your own ideas. Remember, that this is a hard time for everyone and we’re all in this together.

Stay safe,

Sam Harman,
Year 9

Good tips on working from home are important. Many of us have been forced to work from home through these strange times. As not many have worked from home before, hopefully this article will help you understand how to stay positive and concentrated.

Tip number one:

Get a good, comfortable chair. You will need to sit down for long periods of time, and a bad chair can lead to terrible back pain and discomfort, which nobody wants. Purchase a good quality office chair so it can provide you with good back support. Right now I’m using a lovely chair which is helping me write and supporting my back. So I suggest you do the same.

Tip number two:

Don’t have your phone or mobile device near you because it will distract you. When you need to do work, you don’t want to be distracted by anything and once you have a look at your phone you cannot put it down! Keep your phone away from you, and stay focused.

I also believe a good supply of Yorkshire tea and Custard Creams will really help to make you more happy and comfortable when working from home. There is nothing really better than doing some work then dunking a Custard Cream in your tea.

Tip number three:

Try and set yourself a goal or something to look forward to. This will motivate you to get your reward. For example, let’s bring back the tea and Custard Creams we were talking about. If you finish your work in time, you get a good cup of tea brought by your mother to your desk with lots of custard creams. I’m getting hungry thinking about that actually!

So these are my tips on how to work from home. I really do hope this helps you all out.

Charlie Morrell,
Year 9

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