Studying online can be a little difficult to navigate at the best of times, it’s even worse when all your housemates are in the same boat and you’re all a bit stir crazy.

You’d swear that housemate 1’s new Apple watch was telling them to reach a spoken word goal because you’ve never seen someone needing to talk this much. Housemate 2 has turned the living room into a home gym and decided now’s the time to play fitness videos 24/7 because they need something to distract them from study.

So how are you possibly meant to get anything done? Well, allow me to give you tips and tricks – as someone (an introvert) who has somehow made it through four years of uni whilst living with absolute hooligans (Hi guys, I still love you). 

Invest in some noise-cancelling headphones:

 No seriously, do it. There is no greater purchase you can make right now than one that allows for 100% quiet time. When everyone is at the house it’s noisyyyy and if all else fails, they might be your best hope of getting all those assessments done! As a student there are a bunch of sales options available like UniDays so be sure to shop around for the best deal.

45 minutes work to 15 minutes of fun:

The method I live by. In no world can I be productive for longer than a 45-minute block. Especially when tempted by my extraordinarily inviting bed just a few short steps from my desk. Give yourself a break and get out of your room. Nothing good ever came from staring at a white wall or getting back into bed. You can use this time as a chance to chat to your roomies and get some sweet sweet social interaction before jumping back into your work.

Put some boundaries in place:

There’s a pretty high chance that your housemates are battling with this closeness as much as you are. Get everyone playing for the same team and make some study goals together. If the 45/15 breakdown is working well for you, invite everyone to get on board. At the very least, it guarantees you a quiet 45 minutes a few times a day. If you really want to get the point across, put a schedule on your door to let everyone know when you’re available for activities and when you’re not.

Move your body:

My brain doesn’t work efficiently if I haven’t been looking after my body. Take advantage of housemate 2’s group fitness classes in the lounge room and I’ll bet my last dollar those 2000 words you need to write are going to materialise a whole lot faster.

Having to stay at home is a huge adjustment for everyone so try to be understanding and talk it out if you’re having any issues. See it as an opportunity to get to know your housemates better and have a heap of fun in the process. Create fun games together, discover a shared nice love of random interests, bake some banana bread make some viral roommate tik toks – whatever it is ride it out together and be you’ll all be thankful you were kind to each other when this crazy time period is over.

Feature image via Unsplash. Insert gifs via Giphy