Student Success Blog

Work space not working?

If you are feeling like getting set up each day is taking as much time as the morning rush hour commute to campus, try these steps to find your best work space fit!

Much like the fluid situation we find ourselves in due to COVID-19 updates, your working space may be ever-changing as well.  As humans, we all have our preferences as to where and how we like to work.  If you are feeling like getting set up each day is taking as much time as the morning rush hour commute to campus, try these steps to find your best work space fit!

 

Grab your tools

What are the things you would never go to class without?  Those are the things you will need for your remote learning work space.  A computer, paper, pens/pencils should be the staples. If you’re like me, you need a little room to stretch out as well.

Stake out your space

What kind of environment do you need to be productive?  Think about the things that typically distract you and work from there to pinpoint a workspace where those distractions can be eliminated. 

Photo collage of three work from home desks

No desk?  No problem!

Get creative!  Throw a table cloth over a card table for an instant new desk!  Kitchen tables can work just as well.  Pull out a nightstand for some additional space or storage.  Just be sure you are staying organized!

Don’t get too comfy

Dedicate your work space for work and your sleep space for sleep.  However, consider bringing a pillow for a chair that may be less than ideal.  The key is to find a comfort level that will keep you alert but comfortable enough to watch an hour video lecture.   

Make it yours

Add a candle, a plant, or a picture of your friends that you are not getting much facetime with.  Create your work space to be a place you want to go!

The workspaces in this article belong to the members of CEHD’s Student Success Team. Think you have a great set up?  Share it with CEHD_SAA on Instagram with the hashtag #CEHDWorksFromHome.  Be sure to check in next week for more steps to take on the road to academic success!

I keep thinking about…

I keep thinking about…

…the student who relies on the computer lab in the JC to be open through the night because they don’t have a computer at home.

…the international student still living in the residence hall feeling alone and not sure if they can go back to their home country and then be allowed to return to the States when ready to continue their educational journey.

…the more seasoned student who isn’t as tech savvy and having to unexpectedly shift to remote learning for the very first time.

…the student who has a child who can no longer go to school or daycare and not quite sure how to balance parenting and being a student right now.

…the first generation college student who was excited to bask in celebration with their family at graduation.

…the student living in a small town that folks can hardly point out on a map who doesn’t have access to the internet.

…the work study student who is now strapped for hours and cash but still needs to cover their living expenses.

…the student who has had physical and mental health challenges well before coronavirus became an additional threat to their wellbeing. 

…the student who considers campus the only home and community that they have. 

I keep thinking about you, and I carry your stories and circumstances with me daily as I participate in response efforts to help loosen bottlenecks and break through barriers, seen and unforeseen, that stand in the way of your success here at Mason and beyond. 

Thinking of you,

Dr. Ivory Berry

Assistant Dean for Student Success

College of Education and Human Development

Dr. Ivory Berry

Procrastination, Motivation, and Avoiding Distractions

Try the 5-steps below in your first week of remote learning to avoid procrastination, distractions, and to stay motivated! 

Mid-semester is always a great time to check in on the goals we had set for ourselves in January when we were motivated, fresh, and ready to take on a new semester.  In the recent weeks our lives have been turned upside down and it can be difficult to feel motivated and driven in a brand-new environment at home.  Try the 5-steps below in your first week of remote learning to avoid procrastination, distractions, and to stay motivated! 

  • Have a dedicated work space– Don’t have a desk at home? Try the kitchen table!  Be sure you have a well-lit set up and a comfortable chair. 
    • Separate your academic hours from your resting hours as much as possible. Your bed is not a work space!
  • Create a distraction free environment-Turn your TV off and your brain on! Be sure to leave your phone in another room or at least on silent and face down.  If you need a little noise in the room try classical music or any music without words! 
    • Home with your family, children, or roommates? Break out the headphones!
  • 20 minutes on, 5 minutes off– It’s a marathon, not a sprint! Our brains can only handle so much at a time, and we may have other responsibilities surrounding us.  Try using a timer to work for 20 minutes and then break for 5 minutes.    
    • Children at home with you? Let the timer become a part of a game!  Try a 5-minute family dance party for a break. 
  • Dress for success– What are you going to wear to the living room today? Be sure you are getting up, getting ready, and heading to your work space.  Last nights pajamas will leave you feeling tired and unmotivated. 
  • Find your procrastination stations– Where do you go (physically or virtually) when you find yourself drifting? Usually, I find myself at the refrigerator!  This is when I know I need more than a 5-minute break. Try to take a walk, head into a different room, or just stand and stretch for a bit. 

Ask for help!  If you feel you are struggling with finding the best environment for you reach out to your support systems like the College’s Student Academic Success Coordinator, Stormi Woltz!

Yours from afar,

Stormi Woltz

New from Dr. Get-Your-Life-Together: The Tragedy of Delayed Kindness

My charge to you, and to myself, is to more frequently and intentionally initiate and reciprocate gratitude and kindness without delay.

Flowers. Thank you cards. Words of affirmation. Compliments. Uninterrupted time. Showing up for others. These are just some of the ways that we show gratitude and kindness to people who have either performed a service or good deed for us or to those who we simply value, appreciate, respect, admire, and love.

Sadly though, too often we find ourselves lacking the capacity, willingness, or awareness to initiate or reciprocate everyday, or special occasion, acts of kindness. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Frank A. Thomas, Director of the PhD Program in African American Preaching and Sacred Rhetoric at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana, speak on the topic, “the tragedy of delayed kindness.” He reminded the audience that, “one flower in life is worth more floral wreaths in death” and that “please and thank you will take you further in life than money and degrees.” This message resonated with me, as there are times when I find myself too busy to initiate kindness to let someone know how much I appreciate them or to reciprocate kindness to show my gratitude for what someone has done for me. 

I can’t begin to count the number of times, this week alone, I’ve been on the receiving end of kindness and gratitude. I’ve received: compliments on my new Mason gear that I recently purchased at the University bookstore during the Flash Sale; a kind and very thoughtful email from my supervisor letting me know how much she appreciates me and values my leadership and perspectives; a thank you note and gift card from a colleague to express her gratitude for how I always support her and answer her questions no matter how trivial or complex; and a student walking up to me in the Johnson Center to tell me that he was officially enrolled for the semester and eligible to receive his VA benefits as a result of my colleagues and I taking the time to meet with him when he showed up to the office unannounced and in a panic and working expeditiously, on his behalf, to resolve his challenges. Indeed, I’m humbled and energized by the varied acts of kindness that have been directed towards me this week. My spirit is lifted, and my kindness cup “runneth over.” 

Truly, it’s great to be on the receiving end of kindness; but, of course, it works both ways. As such, my charge to you, and to myself, is to more frequently and intentionally initiate and reciprocate gratitude and kindness without delay.

Therefore, in this blog space, I want to publicly recognize the staff from across the College and the student volunteers who helped make our CEHD Welcome2Mason Block Party this week a huge success! Also, special gratitude to my staff, the CEHD Student Success Team, for successfully planning and flawlessly executing two signature events this week, the Block Party and the PhD and faculty mixer! Lastly, thank you to my new graduate assistant who has been going above and beyond to acclimate herself to our office and the CEHD culture and displaying ultimate team player spirit, as she has willingly dived in to help the office staff in whatever capacity needed. 

Now it’s your turn. Let someone know today how grateful you are for what they’ve done for you; how they’ve made you feel; or how you appreciate what they are doing in the lives of others. Give them their “flowers” now while they can still see, smell, and/or touch them. 

Here are a few suggestions to help get you started:

  • Send a kind note to that professor who gave you an IN grade to allow you more time to complete assignments when they weren’t obligated.
  • Offer an appropriate compliment to that classmate who always shows up for class looking fly! It takes time to consistently look fly!
  • Bring a coworker a small token of appreciation for covering your shift or volunteering to help lighten your workload.
  • Call (not text!) your parents or an old friend just to let them know that you’re thinking about them.
  • Leave the server a 20% tip the next time you’re dining in at a restaurant to show appreciation for the quality of service that enhanced your experience. 

Don’t delay. (Re)Activate your spirit of kindness today, for as Dr. Thomas reminded me, and I share with you, “there’s a tragedy in delayed kindness.”

Dr. Ivory Berry, also known as “Dr. Get-Your-Life-Together,” is the Assistant Dean for Student Success for the College of Education and Human Development. He shares his no-nonsense wisdom every day in the Office of Student and Academic Affairs, and occasionally, here on the Student Success Blog.

Dr. Get-Your-Life-Together says, “Remember to Exhale.”

More now than ever do I/we need a pause button to press to allow time for aimless gazing, reflection, guidance seeking from the spiritual realm, strategizing plans of execution, sense making, and feeling present.

Inhale…1, 2, 3…Exhale. Inhaling all that’s good in the world. Exhaling the nonsense, irrelevant, space invading, and toxic. Semester’s end is rapidly approaching, which means stress levels are starting to rise as we think about and face head-on all that we are currently enthralled in and bracing for the things to come. My gosh there’s more to come! When will it end? Inhale…1, 2, 3…Exhale. 

I often joke about needing to display a sign in my office that says “Pause.” More now than ever do I/we need a pause button to press to allow time for aimless gazing, reflection, guidance seeking from the spiritual realm, strategizing plans of execution, sense making, and feeling present. A daily exercise for me is to show up and be present in mind, body, and spirit. I don’t want these moments to pass me by and I not be able to notice things as simple as the beauty of the color purple. 

Weighted in trials and tribulations, challenges, the unknown, and circumstance has the power to drain us, consume our daily thoughts, and confuse our mind that “this is life,” “this is normal,” so get used to it. I refuse and you should too. I challenge you/me/us during these stressful times to make space for simple joys like taking a walk, listening to music, meditating, cooking, playing, carving out guilt-free time for family and friends, sleeping, being selfish with our time, and breathing. Inhale…1, 2, 3…Exhale. 

We are at our best when we are refreshed, refueled, and able to think clearly about our current situations and what’s awaiting us. This isn’t novel, but sometimes we need someone or something to remind us. Yes, you still need to write that paper, read those articles, study for that exam, work that shift, prepare for that presentation, attend that meeting, and care for loved ones. But, you can also plan to attend Mason Day, watch Cochella/Beychella YouTube videos on repeat, bake treats for the office staff, grab lunch with friends or colleagues in the JC, check-in with yourself by speaking to a mental health professional, and walk around Patriot Circle feeling the sun on your skin. Let’s not sacrifice everyday experiences of joy because of our stressors. Stress is inevitable, but it’s not all that this life has for us. I’m convinced of that. Breathe. Inhale…1, 2, 3…Exhale.

Dr. Ivory Berry, also known as “Dr. Get-Your-Life-Together,” is the Assistant Dean for Student Success for the College of Education and Human Development. He shares his no-nonsense wisdom every day in the Office of Student and Academic Affairs, and occasionally, here on the Student Success Blog.