Now that attending class means simply waking up, grabbing your laptop and logging on, I struggle to find the motivation to do more than the bare minimum. 

My daily schedule used to be a lot more chaotic. I would wake up at 6:45 a.m., go to school, come home around 3:15 p.m. – sometimes even later – and then do homework until my eyes could no longer stay open. 

Because the distance learning schedule is much more relaxed, I tend to take advantage of it, knowing there will never be another chance to attend class from the comfort of my living room couch. 

Unfortunately, I let that attitude reflect in my school work as well. Though I still completed all my assignments, I put in the least amount of effort. 

But, a couple of weeks into online school, I realized doing work for completion rather than comprehension would cause me to be behind in next year’s classes. So I tried to find a balance. 

I encouraged myself to try and learn the content to the best of my ability, but also be mindful of not stressing over it too much. 

For math, I started by watching Khan Academy videos. For Biology, I watched the videos my teacher had posted for us. For History, I read just a section of our packet each day. 

My days became a mixture of doing activities and hobbies I enjoy, as well as sitting at my desk for a few hours and focusing on school. 

Though my learning is still not as effective as it was when sitting in a classroom, finding a balance between enjoying my time in quarantine and continuing my learning was really helpful. 

Retaining a relaxed schedule while keeping up with my classes helps me make the best use of my time in quarantine and brings out my motivation to be as productive as possible.