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  • Hello My Socratica Friends! Were here to help you be a GREAT student. And being a great

  • student should happen not only at school, but also when you get home. So - be honest

  • - when you try to study at home, do you find yourself distracted? Do you keep looking at

  • the TV? Your phone? If you are really serious about being a Great Student, you need to give

  • yourself a place where that can happen. Today well talk about how to make a productive

  • workspace that lets you focus on your studies.

  • First, decide where in your home you want to study. NOT your bed. Your bed is for sleep!

  • Don’t let yourself muddy the waters and use a place where sometimes you work, sometimes

  • you relax. Ideally, this should be a special place you set aside where ALL you do is study.

  • It doesn’t have to be big. There just needs to be enough room for a small table and chair.

  • Pick something that suits your needs. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on special

  • office furniture. One of my friends bought a picnic table for her study space - she could

  • spread out her books, and even have her study group over so they could all work together.

  • If you can, pick a study space that’s away from obvious distractions. For instance, you

  • don’t want your TV to be in earshot! Do you live on a busy street? Move your desk

  • away from the window to the opposite wall, where it should be a little quieter.

  • That window, though - that can be really nice for natural light. If that’s not convenient,

  • consider getting a full-spectrum light. You should think about a good lighting situation

  • for when you study at night anyway.

  • If you follow the principles of Feng Shui, you will want to pick what’s called the

  • Command Position.” This means - basically - face the door diagonally from the other

  • side of the room. You don’t want to be distracted by the idea that someone could sneak up on

  • you. If you face the door, youll be prepared to deal with anything that comes at you, including

  • opportunities!

  • Next let’s talk about how to ORGANIZE your workspace. Most people fall into two camps

  • - either they like their desk perfectly bare, or they want absolutely everything out where

  • they can see it. Which are you?

  • Here’s a hint - what does your computer desktop look

  • like? Hey, it’s okay. Don’t try to force yourself to be one or the other. Do what comes

  • naturally to you.

  • That’s not to say it’s okay to strew things around so badly that there’s no place to

  • sit. Or, for that matter, putting things away so quickly that you don’t know how to find

  • them again. The trick is to have a very deliberate way to organize yourself, both with your office

  • supplies, and with all your digital files.

  • Above all, make sure things are easy to find. We probably want to make an entire video about

  • staying organized, but here are FIVE quick tips to get you started:

  • 1) Label all your papers - your class notes, your homework, your quizzes and tests.

  • 2) Designate a separate notebook or binder for each class, and store all your papers

  • there.

  • 3) Treat computer docs and other digital files the same way - they need to be very well labeled

  • so you can search for them.

  • I always put the year, then month, then day (that’s the best

  • way for sorting) - and then the name of the class, and then the specific subject.

  • 4) Create folders for your digital files that are also well-labeled, so it’s really easy

  • to find everything.

  • 5) You can also apply automatic LABELS to your EMAILS and then SORT them into

  • FOLDERS. Can you tell I like putting things away?

  • Even if youre one of those people who needs to see everything - that’s no excuse for

  • using up every inch of your desk. Make sure to leave enough room for your computer or

  • laptop, a notebook, and a book. If you don’t have room for these things, youll find

  • yourself balancing things in your lap, dropping things on the floor, and hunching over your

  • desk.

  • Speaking of your posture - we need to talk about Ergonomics. Put simply, you may be hurting

  • your body by not placing your computer monitor, the keyboard, the mouse, etc. in the right

  • places. This can lead to pinched nerves and repetitive stress injuries like Carpal Tunnel

  • Syndrome. Your workspace should be adjusted to fit your body, not the other way around.

  • You should be able to extend out your arms to type or write something without straining

  • or bending into weird positions. And you should be able to look straight ahead at your monitor.

  • If any of these things are not happening naturally, it’s time to move things around. Again,

  • you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money to make your setup more ergonomic.

  • You can lift your monitor up with some bricks or some books. A lot of it is just awareness.

  • Take a moment before you start working, when first you sit down at your desk, to make sure

  • your keyboard and mouse are in the right place so you don’t have to strain or pretzel yourself

  • into some weird position.

  • Don’t forget to check your chair as well! Is it adjustable? Ideally, you should be able

  • to sit up straight in your chair, with your feet flat on the ground. You might have to

  • add a pillow.

  • We do care about your well-being here at Socratica. That’s why were making these videos free

  • for the world. That’s not to say theyre free to make. If you enjoy our content, you

  • can help us continue by supporting us on Patreon. Now let’s get back to whipping your desk

  • into shape. So you can get good grades. And get a good job. And then support us on Patreon.

  • It might be easiest if you start with a bare workspace, and then add in what you need.

  • The organizational expert Marie Kondo suggests you have a few categories of things to keep

  • at your desk: Books, Papers, Miscellaneous items, and Sentimental objects. Put these

  • into separate piles, and consider if you really need each of these things out on your desk.

  • Store everything else away, out of sight.

  • Which miscellaneous do-dads do you need on your desk for studying? Probably: Pencils,

  • Pens, Highlighters. Sticky notes. Flash cards. Get yourself a little container to keep these

  • organized - it doesn’t HAVE to be anything fancy, but you can treat yourself and get

  • a fun, decorative container if you’d like. Now you have a definite place for all of these

  • things at your fingertips, so you don’t have to get up and hunt around for them.

  • Were not saying you should never get up from your desk. In fact, you should PLAN to

  • get up from your desk very regularly. Sitting immobile at your desk for hours is not good

  • for your health, and it’s simply impossible to stay focused on your studies for hours

  • at a time. That’s why one of our most important study tips is to use the Pomodoro Technique.

  • Basically you set a timer for 20-25 minutes, and you stay completely focused during that

  • time. Don’t let anything distract you. When the timer goes off, get up, stretch, and walk

  • around. We made a whole video about the benefits of using the Pomodoro Technique (seriously,

  • it’s magic). Find the links in the description below.

  • Another option to consider, which MIGHT be healthier, is a standing desk. Or a treadmill

  • desk! Honestly, we find the traditional desk just fine, with the caveat that you do have

  • to get up and move around regularly.

  • You know what you DON’T need at your desk? Your phone. Seriously, almost everyone we

  • know has a real problem with picking up their phone every few minutes. Put it across the

  • room when you study. And turn off notifications. Just because a bell rings, that doesn’t

  • mean you have to hop to it and answer it right away. Your phone works for YOU, not the other

  • way around. Put it back in its place and focus on your studies. If you really want to, you

  • can spend your Pomodoro breaks on your phone. But it would probably be better if you went

  • for a walk and rested your eyes.

  • Now I know that things aren’t always so easy to control. Maybe it’s not up to you

  • how to arrange the furniture in your house. Maybe you can’t study at home at all, and

  • you have to squeeze in your studies in the hours between your classes. Just try to apply

  • these ideas where you can. Even if youre studying in the library instead of your own

  • place, think about the best place to sit and how to minimize distractions by only taking

  • out the tools you really need. Use a library carrel that blocks out visual distractions.

  • Bring earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones. Taking control of your study space - it’s

  • all part of being a GREAT student.

  • Subscribe for more SMART advice from Socratica.

Hello My Socratica Friends! Were here to help you be a GREAT student. And being a great

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