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Productivity 101

  • Writer: Zoe Carr
    Zoe Carr
  • Oct 11, 2017
  • 3 min read

For many college students, myself included, finding and keeping productivity is very difficult. I'm not sure if it's my success in procrastination or the fact that I know I could be doing something more fun, but sometimes schoolwork and project are just not something I want to jump right into. SO, I'm going to be sharing some staple tips that I have found to be extremely helpful over the year.

  1. Set A Plan

  • Write a to-do list each day to ensure that you are getting what needs to be done, done

  • Keep a daily schedule (ie. planner, calendar, etc.)

  1. Take Small Breaks

  • Know your study "limits"

  • if we push ourselves when doing work it actually makes us more unproductive. If you find yourself spacing or getting antsy, step back from your schoolwork and give yourself a couple of minutes to unwind.

  • productivity often increases after taking some time to refresh yourself and your brain.

  1. Keep Your Space Clean​

  • Clear off your surface (desk, table, etc.) of any items that you do not need at the moment - stick to the essentials

  • getting rid of items that are not needed or distracting help keep our productivity levels up.

  • Keep papers and notes organized in folders/binders to avoid confusion

  • personally I color coordinate my folders with the designated color the subject is in my planner. By doing this I am able to reach for exactly what I need without having to play the guessing game of what information is in which folder.

  • typically I will only leave the folder, notebook, and laptop on my desk to keep my area clear. This maximizes the space I have to spread out and write or look at my notes while typing on my computer.

  1. Set Study Times

  • ​Make designated times after class during the week to start doing homework

  • this tip is one of the most helpful for me and is something I have done every semester. After taking a quick power nap after classes (what can I say, I'm a child), I start my homework at my designated start time. This semester my schedule was: MWF - 5:00 and TR - 2:30. Having this schedule helped me to avoid rushing to get work done a late hours of the day.

  • Set deadlines to have work completed by to help avoid falling behind and adding unneeded stress

  • as a huge fan of deadlines, this is probably the best thing I have done for myself. I have found that setting a time each day to finish the work that absolutely needs done helps me keep what is important in mind. I'll usually set an alarm set on my phone, but always love beating the clock because it gives me such a sense of accomplishment!

  1. Rid Yourself of Distractions

  • Get rid of the technology, especially cell phones

  • this tip is something that I find myself doing a lot. I am the person who loves to check their phone, even when I know there won't be notifications. I'll turn my phone on "do not disturb" and put it in the drawer of my bedside table to avoid temptation. Because I also have an Apple Watch, I will take that off when I go to do homework because I get notifications on that as well. As soon as you take the watch off it automatically locks itself, so I'll just throw it on the charger until I am done or need it again.

  • Avoid checking social media

  • social media and I are 100% frenemies. It is the reason I lack productivity at times, so I will avoid this at all costs when doing my homework because I know I will get sucked into a mindless app when I actually need to be getting work done.

all of my best wishes and vibes,

Zoe

 
 
 

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