One week after campus face-to-face instruction ended, I found myself finishing off the last of my quarantine snacks, low on funds and quickly losing motivation.

I am someone who needs a routine. I need a reason to get myself up in the morning. For me, that was school.  

I used to wake up at 6:30 a.m. and start the day making a pour-over coffee, my morning ritual. Once the caffeine hit my system, I would throw some oatmeal in the microwave, slice up a banana, scarf it all down and be on my way to school by 8:30. 

There, I would see my classmates and catch up on how their projects are going, get feedback from my instructors on my work and most importantly, have a place to work. 

My school and home life used to be separate entities. They have since morphed into some horrible, disorganized mutant. Now, I am sitting in classroom Zoom sessions in my undies, waking up at 11 a.m. and dreading every discussion thread post I have to contribute to. 

Walking into school meant it was time to do work and going home meant it was time to cook, clean and do absolutely nothing. My mind is constantly torn between whether I should fold my clothes or write my 200-point literature review. 

I reached out to some of my friends to see how they have been balancing their home and work lives. One of them said that the only reason he was able to study and pass his OAT exam was using the Pomodoro method, which involves working for 25 minutes then taking a 15-minute break. It is simple but has been working for me. 

In whatever ways you all are managing with the quarantine, I hope that your words continue to be profound, equations come out correct and that I can see all PNW students next semester from a safe, socially distant, six feet away.