Spring Clean your Study Space

You might have had a break from studying, or you might be returning to it after a long absence, but Distance Learning Centre can provide you with a new course that you can study at your own time, at your own pace.

Whatever your situation, it can be hard to start learning at home when you haven’t got a clear study space to work in. Even worse: if your study space is piled high with old notes, and has become untidy to the point of being a bad work environment. Something needs to change.

Therefore, before you start hitting the books once again, you will need to spring clean your study space. Below we’ve listed the best advice for tidying your study space, and for keeping it that way for as long as possible.

STEP 1: DECLUTTER

You might have a desk or table in the house that is currently overflowing with old paperwork, plastic bags and other bits and bobs that need to be tidied away. It might even be an old study space that has fallen into disarray. First things first: time to declutter.

Go through all the old paperwork and file it away, or even better, get it out of the house by recycling it. Remember if it includes any confidential information, try to shred or burn it instead.

Clear the rest of the debris cluttering your workspace and make sure it is completely empty before you do anything else.

STEP 2: CLEAN

The next important step is to have a proper spring clean. You’re likely to find dust, coffee stains and other dirt if you haven’t cleaned for some time, but it will look so much better once you’ve done it. Items that will come in handy include a dusting cloth, furniture polish, surface cleaner, cleaning sponge and kitchen roll.

In addition, most desks will include a computer in the form of a laptop or desktop. Especially as this will be an integral tool when completing an online course, it’s worth keeping this piece of equipment clean as well. That means wiping the screen with anti-static spray, and wiping down your keyboard to keep it free of dust.

STEP 3: REORGANISE YOUR DESK

Once you have your work surface sparkling, you can move onto reorganising. This means arranging any stationary into a pot or tray, and prioritising what you use frequently rather than having too much cluttering up your desk.

Make sure text books and notepads are given a place within easy reach, stacked according to importance. Any old text books should be removed and filed away with old paperwork so you don’t have too much on your desk at one time.

Perhaps most importantly, make sure your computer is positioned centrally, and is within easy reach. If you have a tight schedule, it is imperative you can access your computer quickly and easily when fitting in your study time.

STEP 4: RE-EVALUATE YOUR ENVIRONMENT

The quality of your work environment is just as important as the cleanliness of your desk. Along with clearing your study space, think about clearing the surrounding space of any possible distractions, and also enhancing the environment where possible.

Create a motivational environment to make your study sessions as productive as possible. It could be putting up posters, sticking a to do list or calendar on the wall so you can visualise your goals, or even putting on your favourite study music whilst working. You could even go as far as making your study space smell better, by lighting scented candles.

Lastly, make sure that your phone is kept out of reach at all times that you’re working, as this can be the ultimate distraction when you’re trying to work.

Once you’ve made sure your study space is as clean as it can be, make sure to check out our list of Distance Learning Centre courses. Or, if you would like to make an enquiry, head over to our contact page here.

SOURCES:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Study-Space