10 Tips For Succeeding in a Different Time Zone

By: Ngai Yeung ‘23

I never expected “15 hour time difference” to be an issue when I first started college; but here I am, just six months into my first year facing a most bizarre academic challenge. After trying out different methods of adjusting for a month, I’ve compiled the following list of tips for succeeding in different time zones – I hope these will help you as much as they have helped me.

1. Decide on a sleep schedule and stick with it 

For those like me who are somewhere far away with an outstanding time difference, it’s paramount to decide (preferably early on, before you get on the plane) whether you’d be willing to invert your sleep schedule to match an overseas time, or sleep regularly to match the local time. There are pros and cons to both, and you’d have to weigh your priorities to make a decision. For example, I know that I have some urgent errands to take care of when I’m back, and most of my professors have allowed me to attend class asynchronously anyway so I chose to stick with local time. But if you need to attend class synchronously and know you won’t be going out much (if at all), perhaps going with the overseas time would be better.

Even for those who only have a few hours’ worth of time difference (or none at all!), it’s crucial to stick to a set bedtime lest your sleep schedule goes wack – sleeping late would only mean lower productivity and a foul mood.

2. Double, triple check your time conversions

It never hurts to be extra careful, especially for important events! I, for one, missed my advising appointment because I mixed up Pacific Daylight Time with Pacific Standard Time (daylight savings isn’t a thing where I’m from). Your brain is stressed out trying to operate on two different time zones at once; do it a favor and lend a hand. Besides, checking twice requires almost no effort: simply Google “LA time” for the current time in Los Angeles and so forth, or bookmark websites such as this or this for handy conversion tables.

3. Use a calendar (in your own time zone)

If you don’t already use a personal calendar, now’s the perfect time to start. You can sort out your life using categories such as “school” or “(calls with) friends”, but most importantly, don’t forget to convert events to the local time before adding them to the calendar! You can jot down the native time of the event in the notes section of each entry too, if that’s helpful to you. While you may have gotten along with a mental calendar previously, spare your brain the extra gymnastics that comes with time conversion and use a physical or electronic calendar.

4. Plan ahead – better early than late 

Now that you’re elsewhere, you may be hours ahead or behind your school’s timezone, which makes it harder to pull off that last minute deadline scramble. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so if you’re in a time zone that’s ahead, my suggestion is to supplant your local time with the original deadline and convince yourself that it’s the real deadline; if your time zone is behind, just finish the task a day earlier.

For those who intend to ask professors questions via email, keep in mind that they are probably operating on a different work schedule than you somewhere else and may take extra long to reply. Here, planning ahead is especially important when the direction you take on some assignment hinges on their feedback, which brings me to my next point:

5. Be patient and be flexible

Professors, advisors, club leaders and just everyone in general may take longer to respond to emails nowadays, not just because of the time difference but also because of additional distractions at home. Even as you send emails ahead of time, be patient while waiting for replies, and give it a while before sending a follow up.

On the other hand, it’s harder to schedule a regular workday when you don’t know when lecture recordings and other materials are going to be posted. So while it’s good to have a daily schedule for yourself to imitate a normal day, be ready to adapt and be comfortable with being flexible in how you use your time.

6. Set a place for work

When your whole day is spent at home, all parts of your life – whether it be sleep, work or socializing – could coalesce into a confusing blur. If you can, it’s best to set aside a designated work area at home. That way, your brain is conditioned to associate the place with the task, and it becomes easier to motivate yourself and start working. This is extra helpful for if you have to wake up at odd hours to go to class: groggy as you are, you’d pay attention better in your designated work area than if you stayed in your bedroom right next to that sweet bed.

7. Communicate clearly

In emails to professors, club leaders and such, don’t forget to state your time zone! Most students are back home now all around the States and the world, and it’s hard to keep track of who is where and what time it is over there. Don’t assume people remember where you’re at, and make it easier for everyone by including the information in the first email so there’s less waiting back and forth for a reply.

8. Weigh your priorities

Your classes may now take place too late in the night, too early or at otherwise inconvenient hours – do you take them asynchronously (if available) instead? This is a personal decision that involves many factors including but not limited to the nature of the course (seminar versus lecture), the professor’s expectations, expectations for yourself, and more. Staying connected with others is important too, but don’t overbook yourself with club and social calls; make sure your schedule is manageable and healthy for your physical and mental health, and don’t hesitate to drop some things if it doesn’t work out after a few tries. I constantly ask myself “is it worth it?” and “why am I doing this?”— mantras that have helped me to readjust my priorities and plow through that one 4am class.

9. Set an off time

I’m in an awkward situation where the other side of the world is heading to bed when I start my work day and vice versa. This means that as I’m preparing for bed, my email inbox starts blowing up with school related things, tempting me to stay up and check them, which is a bad idea because I’d then start working and never go to bed. Thus, it’s vital to designate an off time for yourself so you don’t get caught up in an endless parade of work. Forcing yourself to “switch off” and stop working (or even to switch off all your devices) after a certain hour is not only good for your well-being but for productivity as well. The deadline can be something to look forward to, a kind of incentive to push through what may otherwise be a dreary day.  

10. Be kind to yourself

Finally, remember to be kind to yourself and cut yourself some slack. As this New York Times article reminds us, sometimes we should stop trying to be productive – it can be hard enough to take care of basic needs, so we should allow ourselves some time to pause and indulge ourselves. Be forgiving to yourself and others for any mess-ups, as this is a new challenge for everyone in an abnormal time. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and communicate your concerns to professors, TAs and so on too – personally, my professors have been nothing but supportive, and I’m nothing but grateful for their accommodations. It’ll all be over soon, so hang in there and get enough sleep!

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