Gaming continues to be one of the most rapidly growing industries globally. Millions of people spend hours playing video games, make online purchases, and benefit from using paid features to boost their gaming experience. Students are considered to be among the most dedicated players who often stick to the screens of their laptops, smartphones, and VR glasses days and nights. In case you are one of them, you might be constantly asking lots of questions regarding your learning and hobbies. How can I play more and spend less time for completing my assignments? Who can do my homework for me online? In this post, we’ve collected the hottest tips on how to balance video games and studying in the most effective way.

Get professional help 

The easiest way to get your papers done and get more free time for playing your favorite games is to choose a reliable writing platform. Read the reviews of other students and learn more about each writing program to choose the one that fits your personal needs. In case you are looking for a reputable solution, but feeling lost in a whopping number of writing apps, consider using https://papercoach.net and other related services to get all your academic assignments done within the shortest terms. This way, you will get plenty of free time for gaming. 

Make a schedule 

Time-management is one of the most effective techniques when it’s time to finding a balance between video games and learning. For example, you can write an essay for two hours and then enjoy playing for one hour. You can also set timer not to miss the time for learning. The most difficult thing here is to follow your personal schedule. Thus, avoid playing for three hours instead of one hour. 

Self-discipline is your key to success. Therefore, plan your daily routine wisely. Keep in mind that you are not likely to stop playing in 15 minutes if you got used to entertaining yourself with video games for hours. It is also important to learn before playing games. The fact is that gaming takes lots of energy. So, you might suddenly feel too tired for learning and will continue to stick to your game. This is a common mistake of thousands of young video game enthusiasts. The golden rule of gaming for students is “Work now, fun later” 

Remove all gadgets for gaming from your study area

Most students are constantly distracted by playing video games. They usually think –  Who can write a essay for me? Remember, it is necessary to stay focused on your studies to boost your productivity. In case you fail to concentrate on learning, you are likely to get low grades for your assignments. Therefore, it might be a good idea to take away all the gadgets for gaming from your study area. For example, don’t leave your smartphone on the table when completing your assignments. This will help you forget about playing games when learning. 

In case you are fond of playing browser games, avoid opening those websites when doing the research for academic papers. Even if you planned to spend in a game a couple of minutes, you might spend there a few hours. Set up the environment for studying only and eliminate all your distractors. However, it is necessary to be realistic. Thus, it is impossible to learn for 5 hours in a row without a single break. 

Choose the games wisely 

Some games are amazingly time-consuming. In case you are not a fan of a certain video game but prefer to play different options, choose them carefully. There are some types of influential games that might make you forget about all your affairs. It is better to start playing them only after all your tasks are successfully completed. 

It might be also great to play games that have strict schedules. For example, lots of modern games are divided into blocks or levels. These games allow creating schedules in a smarter way. For example, you should stop and do your work each time you complete the level. 

Give up playing slowly 

Giving up playing right at once is very difficult for most gaming enthusiasts. However, you can spend less time on video games day after day. For example, if you got used to playing about 6 hours a day, reduce your gaming time for 15 minutes each day. Don’t make any pauses and avoid finding any excuses for missing your time to stop. 

It might also be great to ask someone to control your gaming time. For example, if you are having a roommate, you can ask him or her to help you cope with this issue. Note that it is better not to rely on your gaming mates since they might start playing with you instead of taking control over the situation. 

By the way, you don’t need to give up playing to make your learning process more effective. However, picking up a healthy balance between hobbies and learning is vital for excellent academic performance.

Avoid playing instead of sleeping 

Many gamers are feeling very excited by their favorite games. They learn a lot but fail to have enough time for their hobby. This makes them sleep less and play more. Avoid using this common practice since it is incredibly harmful for your health. First, you will feel tired and exhausted. Second, your learning abilities will significantly drop. Third, you might face with exacerbation of chronic diseases or fall ill. Fourth, your gaming performance will also significantly drop. You should always have enough sleep to have a better quality of life and a good look. It is also necessary not to spend all your pocket money on playing games. There might be lots of paid options in your favorite game but it is better to avoid purchasing all of them. 

Finding a perfect balance between gaming and learning is not an easy task. However, if you follow the simple hints above, you are likely to succeed in this hard mission. I hope these prompts will help you organize your learning and playing the best possible way. 

With so many awesome shows on display, it’s hard not to get bummed out because you can’t watch BBC iPlayer in the US. Especially if you’re a Brit planning a trip there or temporarily moving to the States for work for a few months.

Well, don’t worry. In this quick article, we’ll show you how to easily unblock BBC iPlayer anywhere in the US. If you’re in a hurry, check out the best USA VPNs for both mobile and desktop by following that link. Feel free to return to this article if you’ll have any questions.

The rest of you, who have a few minutes to spare, keep reading. 

Why Can’t You Watch BBC iPlayer in the US in the First Place?

It’s mostly due to copyright agreements and licensing rights. While the BBC owns most of the content on the platform, it’s not all of it. For the content they don’t own, they can’t make it available worldwide on their own. They need the copyright holder’s permission, which they likely won’t get.

Why?

Because they sold the distribution rights to other platforms – like Netflix, Hulu, or a local TV network, for example. The same goes for the content BBC does own. They might have sold the distribution rights to other companies.

Why would they do that?

Likely due to the TV license tax. It’s a tax UK citizens pay which funds BBC content. So they’re kind of legally required to make sure their content is only available to taxpayers. Otherwise, it wouldn’t really be fair to them.

How Does BBC iPlayer Stop You from Accessing Content?

Pretty simple – they use geo-blocking technology. It allows them to redirect or restrict user access based on their IP address. 

Why your IP address? Because it reveals your geo-location. With it, BBC iPlayer (and any site, really) will know:

• What country and city you are from.
• What your ZIP code is.
• Who your ISP is.

This is all the information the site needs to hit you with the “BBC iPlayer only works in the UK” error.

How to Unblock BBC iPlayer in the US – Quick and Simple!

BBC iPlayer blocks your access because it knows what your IP address is. The site can easily see it when it receives connection requests from you.

So, to fix that problem, you just need to hide your IP address.

It sounds complicated, but it’s surprisingly easy to do. Just use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) – an online service that “hides” your IP address by routing your traffic through a VPN server. 

Basically, your connection goes through your ISP’s network to the VPN server, and afterwards reaches BBC iPlayer. Like this:

Device ? ISP Network ? VPN Server ? BBC iPlayer

You just need to use a VPN server in the UK, and you’re good to go. The site will see a British IP address, so it will grant you access to whatever content you want.

That’s not all – VPNs also encrypt your traffic. That means your ISP won’t know you’re binging BBC iPlayer every day or on the weekends. Because of that, they won’t be able to throttle your bandwidth when you use too much data. 

Just make sure you use a reliable VPN service. Not all of them successfully unblock BBC iPlayer in the US because they don’t update their IP addresses regularly. So BBC iPlayer blocks them.

Need help finding a good VPN? No problem – here are the best USA VPNs for both mobile and desktop. ProPrivacy’s guide has all the information you need to make a smart decision, and it’s all presented in a nice, reader-friendly manner.

Getting Slow Speeds? Try This

As cool as a VPN is, it unfortunately can slow down your speeds. It’s not always by a lot, but some of you might notice it and get annoyed.

If you experience any problems, here are a few things you can try to make the speeds smoother:

• Use a server that’s closer to you. For example, instead of using one in London or Aberdeen, try a server in Wales. It’ll take less time for data packets to travel between it and your device.
• Use a lightweight protocol. We know most providers and online guides recommend OpenVPN, but it’s not the best choice. Don’t get us wrong – it’s a great protocol, but it’s very resource-intensive and can slow down your speeds a lot. Instead of it, try using IKEv2, SoftEther, L2TP/IPSec, or WireGuard. 
• If you insist on using OpenVPN or the VPN provider doesn’t offer any of the protocols we mentioned, use it over UDP instead of TCP. UDP is less stable, but much faster.
• Try using a wired connection instead of WiFi. With WiFi, you get a lot of signal interference that can slow down speeds. Even you being in a different room than the router can cause problems.
• Turn off background applications you don’t need. If you have an older device, you’ll need all the memory you can get to enjoy better speeds.
• Restart your modem or router. It might be suffering memory leaks, which can lower speeds.

Wait – I Thought I Could Watch BBC iPlayer Outside the UK

You’re half right. You can watch some content, but not all of it. According to the BBC, you can only watch:

• BBC News
• BBC Sports
• BBC Three YouTube Channel
• BBC Podcasts
• BBC Sounds

Really not the same as binging Doctor Who, Killing Eve, or Normal People.

What’s Your Experience with Unblocking BBC iPlayer in the US?

Did using a VPN work well for you? Or do you rely on other methods? Do they work just as well, or are they even better?

Let us know in the comments or on social media. Also, if you know other tips for improving VPN speeds, please share them with us all.

One study states that 77% of workers assert that they have improved productivity while working from home. So how does a team member ensure a remote situation will be successful and contribute to advancing a career?  Just check off this list. 

• Define your remote workspace. What does the perfect workspace look like for you? The answer varies from person to person. Perhaps you like low lighting or some fresh air. Maybe you need a standing desk or double monitors. No matter where you are working, it is important to identify a space where you can get to business. If this place is your own home, then be sure to create a separate space that reflects your ideal work environment. This will help you focus and get you plugged into work mode. 

• Communicate your remote needs to your superiors. If you don’t have screens or specific tools that you need, speak to your manager or the right department to see if you can borrow them. They want you to be productive from home and should be open to fulfilling your needs. 

• Be as organized as possible. Being organized in a remote work environment means ensuring everything you could possibly need to assist with productivity is at your fingertips. 

• Know how to easily contact your team members. Create a list with everyone’s work hours and personal cell phones to be able to easily connect with them when emergencies arise.

• Actively participate in the company. We live in the age of tech connectivity and there is no better way to take advantage than with remote work. Join training, lunch and learns, webinars, and anything else that offers the ability for you to dial-in. Set up remote team building activities to help. 

• Keep track of projects and time. Have a project management tool set in place to make sure all work stays on track. Make use of a time-tracking tool if your company monitors time for employees or clients. If your manager checks in, you’ll be able to easily deliver what you’ve been working long, how much time you’ve spent, and what’s in the pipeline.  

• Check-in with managers and teammates. Consistently touch base with managers/supervisors to ensure your presence is still felt and that lack of facetime is not inhibiting contributions to the team. The same goes for your teammates — it’s easy to be the helping hand when you hear the person next to you say they can’t figure something out, yet much harder from afar. To that end, try to shoot a quick message here and there to check on workloads and see if anyone needs something they haven’t thought to ask you about.

• Set up weekly meetings to touch base. If you don’t have weekly meetings with your coworkers to go over responsibilities and status, start setting those up so you’re on the same page and are properly scheduling assignments. 

• Communicate any changes in schedule. Remind team members about any scheduling changes so people know where and when to find you, and make yourself fully available via phone, Skype, or instant message. Update your calendar accordingly. 

Make Room for Self-Care

Working remotely is ultimately what you make of it. You decide what setup works best for you and place your health and needs at the top. What can you do to maintain a professional work life from home? Here’s our take. 

• Be mindful of ergonomics. A lot of employee handbooks have a section on the importance of maintaining good posture at the desk. The same goes for your work setup at home. Ensure you have a comfortable chair, standing desk if needed, and the proper height for your desk and distance of monitors. 

• Dress the part. Numerous studies have shown that having a strong routine helps boost productivity and psychological health. Kick-off your mornings the way you would if you were to get in your car and go to work. Take a shower, do your makeup, brush your hair, shave your beard. Put on a nice outfit and dress for success. 

• Take time for yourself. Remember to fit in a break or two! At times, because you do work remotely, you could forget to take a break or be prone to a guilty conscience and opt-out of taking lunch and breaks. Remind yourself that you are doing the work and are a vital part of the team. As long as you put in the hours and deliver the expected results, there’s plenty of room for self-care.