Every one of you has probably procrastinated at some point. As a college student, I feel as though procrastination is the norm. It is almost inevitable. I don’t mean to get distracted, but it would feel strange to be completely focused for the entire day. I think our mind just finds any opportunity possible to escape from the stresses of school, work, and social events. What I have noticed is that it isn’t necessarily the school work that makes college in particular difficult; instead, it is the difficulty that comes from trying to balance your social life, your academics, and your personal health and well-being. So, what do I do to make myself as productive and as organized as possible?
It might sound bizarre, I completely agree, but something that I do to manage my time better is to find other things to occupy my time with. I know you must think I’m crazy. If your life is already stressful, why in the world would you add more things to do? Well, here’s my experience with this bit of advice. I will admit it is not something that will work for everyone, but I personally find that whenever I have a very busy week or a very busy day planned, I somehow end up being more organized and productive with how I use my time. It makes sense if you think about it. Since your day is filled up with things to do, you don’t have as much room to get distracted by small things here and there. These distractions, even if they might seem small and harmless, oftentimes end up consuming such a huge portion of your day without you even noticing. The important thing to take out of this, however, is to fill your day with things that will make you grow as a person and that you actually enjoy doing. Work, volunteer, study, or work-out. If you’re a writer dedicate some time to writing in your journal or brain-storming something for a blog or website (hint hint, Odyssey). If you’re an artist, for example, allocate time for yourself to relax and sketch, paint, or design something. The things you choose to consume your day with don’t all have to be stressful, academic or work related. They can be things you genuinely love doing and things that are good for you mentally and physically. The great thing about this is that you plan out your day and have a more organized timeline of how you will spend it so your mind won’t be lost helplessly looking for a distraction. If you love doing a particular hobby, work, or craft, your mind will probably even look forward to that moment, making your time fly even faster. A cute little addition to this would be to have a visual representation of your day such as a large wall calendar, a phone application, or a planner. Color coding these resources will make it so much more fun and rewarding to get through your day productively. Lastly, remember to stay true to your goal of being more organized and productive. Don’t get into the pattern of putting off the work you set out to do and reward yourself for your hard work. I find that motivational quotes and weekend plans with friends and family really help me stay focused and feel motivated and accomplished.
