Online Learning: How to Spend Quality Time During the Pandemic

Online Learning: How to Spend Quality Time During the Pandemic

Online Learning: How to Spend Quality Time During the Pandemic

 The current year was one of the hardest in the recent history of humanity. There are no arguments against it. We, as a global community, have faced numerous changes in our lives and lifestyles. So many things that we used to take for granted are now almost unreachable to us. Things like going to school, traveling, having some friends over to a house party, or family celebrations. Yes, we had to give up on many things that we enjoy or perceive as important to us. However, it can also be the perfect time to change the pattern and do something new with our lives. It is a unique time in history, which may (hopefully) never happen again. You can be sad about this whole situation, thinking of how unfair or terrible it is, though, it won’t change a thing.

On the other hand, you can do something with the time that you now have due to the pandemic. Of course, we don’t have to search for meaning in every given situation. However, we can make any situation meaningful with our own efforts and right attitude. One of the things that people are embracing during this time is learning. Online learning, to be more specific. If you are not one of those people who is simultaneously signed to the cooking classes, accounting courses, and the class on mindfulness, we are here to change that. Here is why online learning can be the best way to spend quality time during a pandemic.

Online learning. Why do it?

Online learning has been on the rise recently. No wonder why. People are more open to the fact that learning is appropriate at any age or career stage. More people than ever are spending their days at home due to the quarantine restrictions. Many use their time productively and spend their days learning new skills via online classes. We often miss out on learning something new, or taking online courses, because they lack opportunities to do it. Many of us don’t have much free time to dedicate to classes, or we feel too drained to pursue knowledge. Either way, once people received the chance to dedicate their time to learning, they did not miss out on it.

Online learning is a perfect way to spend a few hours of your day since you are already staying at home. They don’t cost much, at least not as much as in-person classes or university courses. Also, during the quarantine, many platforms offer discounts for their online classes, which is a great opportunity to learn something useful for much lower prices. Many high ranked universities, such as those from the Ivy league have even opened up some of their online classes completely for free. Online courses also don’t pin you to a single location. You may be spending your quarantine in the countryside or at your parents’ house. None of it matters as long as you have an internet connection. You are also in charge of your schedule for once. In most cases, it doesn’t matter when you “visit” your classes. Just do your homework, read the literature, and you’ll be fine. Fortunately, we always have an option to seek some professional help writing a paper, when we need it. Many of us haven’t done any learning in a while. We may feel rusty at first.

Besides, what if it is your one in a lifetime opportunity to study things you are actually interested in. Often we are too occupied with our jobs, social life, and search for entertainment after a long day at work. There’s nothing wrong with that. Though we do feel too tired to proceed with the learning due to such a routine. These days, however, we don’t have that much pressure on us. We don’t have to commute to work. We don’t have to participate in every birthday party or a team-building weekend with our office. We don’t even have to change our pajamas I’d we don’t want to. Most of us work from home if the profession allows it. Hence, we have more time on our hands. We can use it as we like. And it seems that online studying has been the number of choice for many people. This is the new definition of quality time at home.

Be kind to yourself

As you can tell, the given year was not one of the best you ever had. However, many things can go right during this pandemic. Learning something incredibly interesting, useful, or just cool is one of those things you definitely won’t regret after this pandemic is over. Online learning is here to make our lives better and more meaningful. After all, we are feeling lost and confused at the moment. It is totally fine. However, people need to have something to prevent them from stagnation. When we feel like we are not moving anywhere, we start feeling depressed, blue, unfocused. We are not feeling like ourselves anymore.

Currently, it is easy to explain why some of us may feel that way. We miss the people in our lives, we miss the activities we used to have, and we miss basic human contact. Too many of our dreams and projects were put on hold. It can get especially hard during the cold season when we can’t even attend any outdoor activities. When the weather is grey and gloomy, it tends to affect how we feel. Hence, we all need something to motivate us, to keep us interested during this odd period in our lives. Learning something new can be a great way out of such a situation. Surely, online courses won’t replace everything you miss. But they will entertain you and keep you busy.

A good piece of advice here is to find classes that you always wanted to study but never felt like you could spend your time on them. You know what we are talking about here. Often, we tend to prioritize career over personal interests. Even when we do classes they are usually connected to the profession we do. However, this time we can turn things around. This pandemic is your official permission to study things that you feel passionate about without the guilt of spending this time on yourself. The Internet is full of various masterclasses and online courses on everything. You can find cooking classes from the top chefs in the world. You can start learning foreign languages. You can try knitting. Of course, this time is also perfect for finding a second career choice, if you want one. As these times have shown us, we should always have a plan B. Overall, the choice of classes is so diverse and vast it is hard to enlist everything. It’s better to browse for the courses on your interests and passions and to see the offers for yourself.

Remember to stay nice to yourself. In times like these, it is hard to maintain a good mood or positive attitude for too long. Sometimes we feel like we need to make some sense of this odd period in our lives. Thus, many people tend to overcompensate with too many projects, courses, and new hobbies. Many of us spend less time working, some of us have lost our jobs, or switch to freelance. We all have different situations due to the pandemic. There’s barely any person who hasn’t been affected by it. So it’s good to know that you are not alone in this and that it’s been odd for all of us. Going too hard on yourself, moving too fast with all your plans will not gonna help bring things back to normal. However, it will hurt you on many levels. Our mental health is important and we need to take care of it, especially in times like this.

So yes, online studying is great. We absolutely support this idea. Having quality time when you are stuck at home during quality is also a great decision. But do that with kindness to yourself. Don’t push too hard. Don’t try to overcompensate with studies the lack of social life or professional growth at the moment. Study because you are genuinely interested in something or because you know it is going to be beneficial to your future career. Go at your own pace. And take breaks if you need them.

The bottom line

Who would have thought that such a difficult time period in our history will lead to something as good as the rise in education? It is something worth admiring, to be honest. People tend to find shelter and spend time productively by studying. What a great way to use your time during the quarantine. Of course, online learning is not the ultimate solution to all your problems. But it’s a start. It would be nice to look back at this year and think of it as the year you discovered your strong passion for knitting or something like that.

 

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