Well, it is back-to-school season, and for me, as a high school student, I know what that means: work and responsibilities piled on top of me that will keep me up into the wee hours of the morning.
This year in particular will be extremely busy for me; I will have to be juggling tons of work, both academic and non-academic related. Being as awful at time-management that I admittedly am (I am actually writing this up last-minute, actually), I wanted to compile a list of methods that enable me, personally, to be more productive. By doing this, I hope to not only help myself establish.certain routines so that I can work more efficiently this year, but I am also hoping that I can help some of you students learn a few tips as well.
1. Plan all your work out before-hand.
2. Prepare your workspace.
Set out all the necessary items you know you will need during your work sessions, but try and keep the area where you are working as clutter-free as possible. It’s also great to work in more open areas where sunlight can easily reach. Preparing your workspace will enable you to go from one task to the next, so that you won’t have any excuses to say, have to go grab something from another room “real quick.”
3. Put on some music.
It is best to put on instrumental music while studying so that lyrics don’t interfere with your thinking (that awkward moment when you accidentally write lyrics of a song you were singing along to down on your school work). Apps like Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube, even, have great playlists of instrumental music ready to be played at the push of a button. But...
4. Limit your access to electronics.
Unless you are using them to do online work or research, keep your phone, tablet, laptop, and/or other electronics at slightly more than arm's length away from you and away from your sight if possible. This will enable you to minimize your temptations to grab them and check your notifications from social media, your texts from friends, etc..
5. Take Breaks.
Never push yourself to work for extensive amounts of hours in one sitting. The human brain, though it is capable, is not meant to be worked in that way. However, make sure your breaks are well-spent as well. Stretch, grab a snack, have a random dance-session to your favorite song, use the bathroom (please don’t hold stuff in). Try to stay away from social media websites, as those can tend to suck all your attention away from the work you have yet to do. Set timers if you have to during your work sessions and your breaks! Don’t know how to divide up your time? Try the Pomodoro Technique.
6. START.
You’ll never get anything done if you don’t start. Find ways to motivate yourself, like promising yourself a reward for when you get all of your work done, or maybe set that Shia LaBeouf meme as your desktop background. Whatever it takes.
