You’re sitting on your bed in your room. Your phone is just a foot away, plugged into the wall next to you. 

There’s art supplies, video games and other distractions all within your reach, but you’re expected to be productive. You’re expected to do multiple assignments, projects and tests all online. How do you stay focused in a space with so many distractions?

Victoria Lofquist, sophomore, has been having some trouble staying on top of her online work with the nice weather we’ve been having. 

“I keep forgetting that it’s not summer and there’s work that needs to be done,” she said. Although it’s often hard for Lofquist to remember to do the work she is still appreciative of the organization it gives. “It feels better than just sitting and watching Netflix all day because it gives me a tiny bit of structure.” she added.

Freshman Tien Duong has had similar issues with productivity. Keeping on top of all the work that is assigned to him has been a little challenging. 

“It’s been a little difficult because I’ve been lazy,” he said. He also feels that his lack of productivity sometimes leads to a build up of work he has to do which can be very overwhelming.

Lofquist also feels like teachers are assigning way too much work for her to keep up with. “I understand they have to teach us, but it’s not fair how much they’re assigning and how little time they give before it’s due.”

Anna Ertsgaard, sophomore, feels that some of the teaching methods aren’t very useful for her. When it comes to video lessons, Ertsgaard finds it hard to fully absorb the content. “I have trouble learning from videos and many of my teachers just assign us videos to watch and teach ourselves the content.” Ertsgaard feels like she isn’t getting very clear instruction with lessons and grading. “Many teachers are being vague about grading so I don’t know what work is required and what work is okay to not put all my effort into.”

Trying to navigate this new way of learning has been pretty confusing for Ertsgaard. “My experience with online work has been a bit stressful,” said Ertsgaard, who has come up with strategies to stay on top of her classes. “I do a week’s worth of work in one class and then I switch classes every day so I can focus primarily on one subject.” This strategy has been helpful for Ertsgaard in completing her work on time. Although the online work has been stressful and challenging for most students, it also has its upsides. 

The work can be a lot, but the feeling of structure and order to another otherwise monotonous routine has been refreshing for many students who are at home without much to focus their time. Duong explained: “I do feel productive [doing online work] in its own way.