So you want to be more productive. You are looking for a way to boost your productivity and get stuff done.
Believe me, I understand. I know how it feels struggling to keep up with the workload while professors, peers, and parents all tell you to get it together.
That’s what today’s post is all about.
Today I have for you seven ways that you can change for the better and boost your productivity through the roof.
I won’t ramble on too long here, let’s get to the good part!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission when you purchase something through a link on my site at no extra cost to you.
Boost Productivity with Designated Times Throughout your Day
I personally find this one extremely helpful since it gets your mind and body used to going about your day in a certain order.
Psychologically speaking, humans are creature of habit and it takes about 30 days to make or break a habit. If you work at eating, going to bed, studying, working, and waking up at the same time every day, it makes sense that it would become easier to get your stuff done.
To go further, I would suggest you spend the same amount of time studying each day should your workload permit. You’ll give yourself a bit more motivation to get through today’s study session when you know how long that study session is. You’ll also being giving yourself a more rigid due date to further motivate you.
Now, keep in mind, this will get better with time. Don’t expect the first day to have much effect since it does take a while to build the habit of knowing when it’s “study time”.
Once you do build up a little schedule, your mind will subconsciously want to do the same things at the same time. Much like how you get hungry and sleepy around the same times of the day. You’re just used to eating and sleeping at those times, boost your productivity by making studying one of your things!
It’s also important to have planned “do nothing” times where you are free to do whatever you want. Or use it catch up on stuff you need to complete. Relaxation is just as important and working, don’t discount your body’s need to rest!
Keep Track of What You’ve Done and What You Have to Do
I think a big problem a lot of us have with productivity is knowing what we need to do right now, and what isn’t urgent.
It’s all too easy to get caught up in busywork or tasks that are easier and less pressure. The issue is that you don’t get the important stuff done.
By keeping track either on a to-do list, or sorting things into bins/piles, you’ll find it’s much easier and more rewarding to cross it off, or put it in the right pile.
This also helps you prioritize and plan out your study sessions. Just giving yourself something to quickly glance at to know what to do first can go a long way to boost your productivity.
Keep Your Workspace Clean and Organized
Put out cups for pens, use drawer separators, create folders on your desktop, anything! Not only does it make it much more aesthetic, it also saves you time that you would otherwise be spending on finding a paperclip.
Even if you don’t need or use a desk, your workspace should be organized with separators where possible.
Having a cute workstation can motivate you to start working just for the sake of romanticizing school too! Not to mention the stress you feel when you keep bumping into things while trying to get your work done.
Don’t get yourself caught in a mess amigos, keep your station clean and your mind fresh!
Keep a Notebook on You at All Times
I mentioned this in my post on beating procrastination, but notebooks are great for keeping your studies in check.
You know when you’re super inspired to get your work done, sit down, and then realize you have no ideas? Well, start writing them down.
You can use a physical or digital notebook, voice recorder, or speech to text function to do this. Whenever an idea pops into your head, jot it down! By keeping a list of ideas available to use, you’re removing some pressure involved in starting your work.
Condense Your Work
I know you’ve probably heard this everywhere but boosting productivity is not about doing as much as possible. It’s about you doing what needs to be done with the least amount of time and effort.
I know how difficult this can be, but to become efficient, you’ve got to tone down the perfectionism. Its okay if your presentation doesn’t flow perfectly from one transition to another. Your professor will not notice that one image that is slightly off centre. All professors care about really, is that you do what they ask you to.
My first year of university, I spent way more time than I should’ve in the formatting of my essays and reports. Worst of all, I realized that my profs didn’t actually care. When I was more focused on getting it to look the part, I usually got worse marks since all they’re looking for is the content that I wasn’t delivering.
By focusing more on what you’re saying and less on how you’re saying it, you’ll be freeing yourself up so much more to say everything you need and want to. Trust me, it’s better to have a meh looking presentation that says everything it needs to, then a beautiful one that’s written a bit more poorly.
Boost Productivity by Knowing What’s Reasonable
When you look at the grand pile of work to do, it will look like a lot. That’s because there kind of is. At the same time however, it was also designed to be doable, but not all at once.
You’re not supposed to sit down and read four chapters at once. Then write two essays. Then an online quiz immediately after. Slow things down, break it up into manageable bites.
Best case scenario would be if you plan a week or two in advance of your work being due, but even then, you need to plan out individual days.
I would suggest doing about an hour of work with a 10 minute break before jumping back in. I wouldn’t suggest over two hours without breaks. After about two hours, take a 30 minute to one hour break to recharge and have a snack. I say minimum work time is 30 minutes with a 10 minute stretch/snack break.
Chop up your study time into blocks to efficiently get your work done in the session without burning out. This is a great way to ensure you boost your productivity and keep yourself happy.
Create a Study Routine and Plan Your Work
This one is super important. Make sure that when you go to study you already know what you’re working on.
Note! Before you even crack open those books, take 2-5 minutes visually planning out what you’ll work on. Using the study blocking in previous point, block your study session accordingly so you can complete your tasks with breaktimes built in.
Okay great! Now that you know you’ll spend 20 minutes on A and 40 minutes on B before your first break, find a little routine you do before and during your study time.
Personally, I like making a cup of coffee or tea, doing some stretching, and starting with the most annoying subject. I start with the worst and work towards the good ones because I can keep telling myself throughout my work time that it’ll only get better from there.
Having a little routine you do before and during your study time helps get your brain in ‘work mode’. This works the same way your bedtime routine makes you feel ready to sleep, and your morning routine makes you feel ready for the day. If you already use routines for parts of your day, add a study routine. You can do anything you like with it!
On top of the fact that it can boost your productivity, it can be a fun way to romanticize studying!
Sign Off
We all know how hard it can be to get stuff done as a student when there’s so much to be done. I hope some of these tips gave you an aha moment to implement them.
That’s all I’ve got for you for today, thanks for reading all the way to the bottom! ilysm amigo!
Feel free to have a peek at some other posts that might pique your interest and follow me on instagram and pinterest.
Adios for now!
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