How to Turn Your Childhood Bedroom Into an Optimized Work Environment

With most Florida State students stuck at their parents’ houses, doing online work can be a bit of a challenge. After all, there are so many distractions in the workspace: an old barbie doll, a middle school yearbook, and clothes your mom bought for you that never left the closet. In order to maintain a good GPA while doing online school, students should make an effort to make their childhood bedrooms into an optimized work environment. This can be completed in three easy steps.

Step One: Get Rid of All Distractions

The bedrooms we grew up in are filled with memories and junk. In order to be able to do your best work, all of this must be packed away and put in an attic or storage locker. It will be easier to study when there is nothing on the walls and no books or toys to look at. I recommend clearing out the entire room except for a desk, twin bed, and pencil to really emphasize that studying is your only priority. Painting the walls a dull gray can also help students to focus on the task at hand. Some students have found that putting bars on the windows helps them to forget that there even is an outside world, maximizing their sadness but also productivity.

Step Two: Stop Wasting Time

Many college students try to procrastinate doing their work by focusing on other, less essential tasks. The temptation to do this is even higher when students are in their hometown and have the option to see the people they hated in high school or talk to their parents. I advise that you limit bathroom breaks by limiting your water intake by the maximum capacity of your bladder. This way, you will not be tempted to go to the bathroom just to look at your phone. Students should also cut out meal breaks by having a supply of protein bars in their room and eating three in between each Zoom class. Though it’s enticing to eat a bag of chips while watching “Too Hot to Handle,” that’s not going to help you have a good future.

Step 3: Model Your Room After Other Study Spaces

The Strozier Library is where many FSU students go to get their work done, drink lattes, or play sick YouTube videos out loud. Students who study at the library are probably more likely to get better grades in their classes. Try modeling your bedroom after Strozier by creating 5 distinct zones based on the noise level. In one area, you can talk in your Zoom meeting while eating a soggy Starbucks bagel, while another is perfect for utter silence and personal reflection. This will help you think of the room where you once wet the bed as a certified study zone.

While many non-motivated students have fallen behind due to online school, the students who followed this plan had 500% better grades. If that math does not make sense to you, I would advise using the above plan and taking the time to study it. Don’t let your workspace be the reason you will work at McDonald’s for the rest of your life and never become the manager. Optimize today.