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Creating the Perfect Digital Study Space: Tips and Tools
Jessica Childres
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April 2, 2024
Remote learning is a great way to embrace a flexible schedule, but it's not without its challenges. It requires focus, dedication, and organization skills to maintain a remote class schedule, balance assignments, and have a social life.
Creating the perfect digital study space takes patience, practice, and willingness to maintain healthy habits.
Thankfully, HP has many tools to fill your remote learning space with high-quality products and help you produce your best work.
Physical space organization
Organizing your physical area is the first step to creating a comfortable digital workspace. It’s hard to stay focused during a remote class if you have clutter on your desk, wires going in every direction, and bulky or outdated technology. When you minimize physical distractions, you can spend more time maximizing your productivity.
Some things to consider in your physical workspace include the type of lightning that works best for you, integrating ergonomic tools, and keeping noise at a minimum. If you like low lighting, consider getting a few lamps for early morning or evening classes. The lamps will help you see your work but won’t be too bright or distracting during your lectures.
If you attend several remote classes during the day, make sure you have a comfortable chair, an easy-to-use keypad, and an ergonomic mouse. Each of these tools can help you maintain comfort throughout your day of learning, helping you focus more on your class and less time fighting to find a comfortable sitting position.
Finally, it’s important to keep noise at a minimum if possible. If you have roommates, consider using noise-canceling headphones to stay focused while attending your remote classes. If you don’t have roommates, try to turn the volume up and mute distractions such as the TV or speakers playing music.
Essential tech tools for a digital study space
Having the right tools for your digital study space can make all the difference. With tons of high-quality HP products to choose from, it’s easy to create a space that allows you to maximize your learning, maintain an organized space, and play games or work on digital designing when you need a break from studying.
The HP All-in-One 27-cb1177z PC is a fantastic learning tool for any student. The sleek design fits on most desks without taking up much space, giving you room for your notebooks and textbooks. Boasting an AMD Ryzen™ 7 processor and an AMD Radeon™ Graphics card, you can rest assured this product works hard and gives you crisp and clear images. It’s a great option for anyone majoring in design, technology, or graphics. With 16GB of internal storage and up to 1TB of SSD storage, you can store as many files as you need. From study guides to internship projects, this device can handle it all.
The sleek keyboard comes with a 10-key num pad which is perfect for any math class and can also give you a leg-up when gaming. When you’re taking a break from studying, the num pad can be used as alternate controls in many online games. With a full HD and anti-glare screen, you can easily enjoy remote courses and clearly see your professors and peers during any lecture. Backed with the HP 1-year limited warranty, you can use this all-in-one device to its full potential.
Once midterms roll around, it’s important to equip yourself with the right study materials. The HP DeskJet 3755 All-in-One Printer is an invaluable tool that allows you to print study guides and text excerpts without making the long trek to the library. This easy-to-use printer features built-in WiFi and supports mobile printing. You can print any study materials you need for the midterms from your phone, laptop, or desktop. With features like print, copy, and scan, you can eliminate trips to the library or local study cafe. Printing up to 8 pages per minute (ppm) with black ink and 5 ppm with color, you can quickly print your materials before heading to the study session. You’ll even receive 4 months of free ink with HP Instant Ink, saving you time and money.
If you often work with multiple devices at a time, the HP Universal USB-C Multiport Hub is a fantastic addition to your digital study space. The lightweight and slim design offers 6 different ports, all without taking up much space. You can bring this hub with you while studying in the library or the local cafe, keeping your devices charged and connected.
Whether using it at home or on the go, you can enjoy ports for USB-A, USB-C, HDMI, a USB-C passthrough port, and an Ethernet port. This gives you the freedom to connect to devices like projectors, desktops, external hard drives, and more. It easily fits on any desk while you’re working from home, and when you’re ready to study on the go, you can fit inside any backpack or purse. It comes with the standard HP 1-year limited warranty, giving you the confidence to use this device to its full potential.
Another essential tool for remote learning is the HyperX Cloud Alpha Gaming Headset. If you have roommates, you understand the importance of a good headset to eliminate distracting or unwanted background noise. This headset is comfortable, reliable, and a great learning tool. Audio learners will benefit from these by using them to drown out outside noise while listening to class lectures. With a durable and adjustable frame, you can easily wear these for a full day of classes without getting uncomfortable.
When you need to participate in class discussions, you can swivel the microphone into the on position and enjoy the noise-canceling technology that picks up only your voice. The durable braided cable houses volume controls and the ability to mute your mic when you’re not actively participating in the class discussion. This lightweight and reliable headset is perfect for remote learning and doubles as a great way to enjoy your favorite games between classes. While waiting for your next lecture to start, you can communicate with your friends while you battle in your favorite online game, giving this headset multiple purposes.
Software and digital resources
Juggling multiple classes at once can become difficult and overwhelming. Since most of your note-taking and work will be online or through the computer, it’s important to have reliable programs and software that can easily hold and organize your files.
Create a separate folder for each class, and then divide each folder into important tabs like study guides, notes, and class resources. This can help you stay completely organized when you’re studying, preparing for a final exam, or collecting data for a project.
If you often work from multiple devices, like a laptop when you’re on the go and a desktop when you’re at home, consider using online resources like OneDrive or Google Drive to store your files. With online resources such as these, you can access every file regardless of where you are or what device you’re using without having to lug around an external hard drive. You can access all your important documents and files even if you’re on vacation or need to log in with a friend’s computer if you’ve misplaced your own.
Maintaining a healthy study routine
Creating a healthy routine is arguably the most important step in remote learning. Instead of studying one day a week for 10 hours, spread out your study time in small sessions throughout the week. This gives you a realistic and attainable schedule that allows you to have fun with friends during your breaks.
Another great way to maintain your study habits is to avoid procrastinating. Starting any project or paper is often the hardest part, so remind yourself that the sooner you’re done, the more time you’ll have to enjoy your time with friends or hobbies.
Since you’ll likely spend a great deal of time in front of the computer screen with remote classes, look for integrated technology like HP Eye Easy, which decreases the amount of blue-light exposure, preventing your eyes from straining or burning. This simple technology can go a long way when you have multiple online courses.
Summary
The beginning of each semester is a great time to assess your current study space and habits and then make the necessary changes to set yourself up for success. With each new semester, you’ll likely have harder classes that require you to stay organized and focused.
Remember to keep your physical space organized to help you focus, and try to use online tools and programs to store your files when possible. In addition to keeping your physical and remote study space organized, it’s important to choose the right tools to get the job done.
Consider the suite of HP laptops, desktops, multiport hubs, and headphones to give you the power you need to tackle even the hardest classes. Once you establish a routine with your new devices, you’ll be well on your way to earning that degree.
