Approximately 90% of people believe telecommuting or remote work increases productivity. This can be advantageous for students given the rise of the global online learning market, projected to be worth $240 billion by 2022. Designing an effective learning space is vital to further increase your productivity when studying at home.
But how can you exactly make your study area effective? Read this article to find out.
What makes a learning space productive?
Just like how home office productivity is best accomplished with an ergonomic home office, an ergonomic learning space features the right furniture, equipment, and fixtures, customized according to your preferences. Productive Space for Students can use Free Educational Apps for Kids to enhance their learning and creativity. It enables tasks to be achieved without roadblocks and ensures your learning environment is efficiently designed for your physical and mental health.
Ultimately, the goal of an ergonomic study area is to make everything in your learning space fit based on how you intend to use them. Along these lines, furniture and equipment must be positioned where needed while equipping the space with proper ventilation and lighting.
Consequently, this can increase your productivity, concentration, and satisfaction. It can also speed up your pace, reduce your body pains by supporting nerves and muscles, improve the quality of your outputs, and enlighten your mood or mental state.
Step-by-Step Guide in Creating a Productive Space for Students
1. Determine your learning style
You can best complete day-to-day tasks by knowing your learning style. Everyone performs differently, and some might strive better in certain situations than others. When figuring out what works for you, try discovering your most suitable mode of understanding.
It can either be self-studying or working with private tutors or peers. The first is usually done in a secluded area, equipped with necessary tools such as a computer, paper, and a pen for note-taking. This learning style requires patience, accountability, and organization skills, as no one will be there to supervise you.
On the other hand, your tutors or peers can help you adjust to the online setting and assist you in classes you’re struggling with. Apart from determining who studies with you, you must also choose a learning technique or method that best encourages your performance and productivity. Creating a productive space for students with learning disabilities requires understanding their individual needs and providing them with the necessary accommodations. Different learning techniques include kinesthetics, auditory, reading or writing, and visual.
Kinesthetics means you work excellently by being physically active in the process. With kinesthetics, you study competently by doing practical activities that require you to be hands-on in learning.
Suppose you absorb information most by listening to speeches, videos, and lectures; then perhaps you are an auditory learner.
If you prefer visual words and verbal tools for reading or writing, you may be a visual learner and comprehend best through observation, graphics, and pictures.
By knowing your study style, you can then plan how to set up your e-learning space and identify the tools you’ll need.
2. Allocate a separate room
Designating a separate room as a study space will help your brain shift to study mode sooner. A dedicated space can help you to overcome distractions.
Additionally, dividing the different spaces in your study area into ergonomic zones can also increase your accessibility to the tools you need, avoid unnecessary movements, and help you quickly find your learning materials. Ergonomic zones consist of primary, secondary, and non-working zones.
The primary site is where you do most of your studying. On the other hand, the secondary zone is next to the primary spot, where you keep all your learning tools, including your books, phone, and desk lamp. Finally, you have the non-working zone, and as its name suggests, this could be where the least used references are kept.
3. Remove distractions
To maximize your attention span and minimize your effort when studying, you must eliminate distractions. Having your phone, video games, junk food, and the television near you while studying might tempt you to relax instead of doing your schoolwork. Science lab experiments provide a productive space for students to learn by doing, explore their curiosity, and develop scientific thinking skills. Similarly, switching off your phone while studying can be mentally liberating and forces you to learn rather than text or scroll.
Customizing your environment also helps in effective learning and information retention. It would be best to simulate a testing or examination area similar to the ones in your school. It also helps to keep your room between 22 and 25 degrees Celsius to make you feel comfortable enough without forgetting your tasks at hand.
Ideally, your space must have sufficient natural light coupled with fluorescents to bring vitality and warmth to your room. Fortunately, natural light from the sun can also decrease your drowsiness by 56%, keep you awake during your classes and prevent headaches, fatigue, and eye strains. It also has medical benefits, regulating your body’s circadian rhythm to sleep better at night and increasing your vitamin D intake.
4. Fix your posture
Pay attention to the height of your computer. You must ensure that your monitor’s first line of text is on your center eye-level and within arm’s reach. Your neck and head should align vertically to reduce the strain on your muscles, blood vessels, and nerves. Your shoulders must relax and align with your ears to prevent your shoulders from drooping and your muscles from tightening.
In promoting blood flow to your ankles and feet, your feet must touch the floor or footrest with a 2- to 4-inch space between your chair and the back of your knees. Your posture while sitting can be slightly leaning forward, rather than a 90 degree sitting position, with the trunk of your body perpendicular to the floor. Your hips should also be the same level or slightly higher than your knees to support the lumbar area.
The desk must also support approximately two-thirds of your forearm. The goal is to let your wrist and hand lay on the surface while your elbows bend at 90˚ on the chair’s armrest.
The Bottom Line
With the prevalence of e-learning setups, creating a comfortable study space that helps you complete what you have to do for the day is crucial. An ergonomic home study area is vital to boosting productivity in learning.
Author’s Bio:
Johnny is the owner of Direct Marketplace—an online furniture store providing the finest quality and budget-friendly products since 2010. With Direct Marketplace, he maintains excellent client relationships and assures their customers have the best possible experience.