Hello, hello, helloo! How are you? I hope you're well.
Since starting university over a year ago, productivity has become more and more important in my life. University is so much more stressful than school and I have so much more to do and so much more to think about. I sometimes don't know how to manage all of it since I also want to continue writing blog posts and I also need to have time for myself.
Balancing all of this can be very difficult, especially if you are A+ at procrastinating, which I am. Not gonna lie.
Here are a few tips on how you stop procrastinating and start being productive:
Put you phone and laptop to the side.
Keep your work space tidy.
I
can only work well if my environment is tidy. Clean house, clear mind!
That really is true. It's much easier to think straight, if everything
around you is nice and tidy and not cluttered.
A phone can really hinder me from being productive since I sometimes can't help looking at my social media although I actually should do my work. Just put everything that could disturb you out of reach and start working!
Write To-Do-Lists!
I have never been a lists person. I tried to write lists on actual paper, but I always misplaced them or didn't look at them after writing them. However, I started writing lists on my phone and that is what changed everything. I always have my phone near me which makes it nearly impossible to ignore my to-do-lists. Since doing that, I noticed that I definitely got more productive, because I always see what I want to achieve in one day, and ticking tasks off is actually quite satisfying.
Furthermore, if you did everything you wanted to do and you ticked all of your tasks off, you feel amazing. Believe me.
Start working in the morning.
If I don't start working on my tasks first thing after breakfast, it will become more and more difficult to actually do them, because I lose my motivation. However, if you start earlier, you will also finish earlier. Personally, I always try to work on my tasks from 10:30 to maybe 2:00 when I don't have university. Most often I'll be finished by then and I still have half of my day to spend on things I actually enjoy like writing blog posts, watching YouTube, meeting friends,...
Furthermore I also find it to be very stressful to procrastinate while having all the things in mind I have to do.
Get some snacks and something to drink.
Just because you are working on your task doesn't mean that you should forget your basic needs. Especially when you do things that are mentally challenging like studying, you should definitely have a nice glass of water or a cup of coffee close by to keep yourself hydrated. Furthermore I recommend a bit of chocolate (at least that always helps me) or some nuts for those who like to stay healthy. These things also help you to think straight.
Make breaks in between.
It's also really important to make breaks in between, just to give yourself a few minutes to relax again. You could maybe do some work for an hour and then have a break for 15 minutes. I sometimes do this, if I have to do things I absolutely do not enjoy. Making breaks in between these tasks can really help.
Don't try to do everything in one day.
Don't overdo it. It's important to keep a healthy balance between work and free time. Always spread your tasks on several days. You will feel much better if you can tick of all the tasks you wanted to do rather than not finishing with what you've planned.
I hope these tips are helpful. How do you stay productive? Let me know!
I hope you're having an amazing start to the week! See you, xx
Instagram: @marythisisme