By Candice Childs
Begin with organizing
- Use a calendar or planner to keep track of long-term assignments deadlines, vacation dates, doctor appointments, social or work commitments.
- Organize your workspace and computer files so you never have to hunt for your textbook, research notes, writing tools, graph paper, etc. Avoid loose sheets of paper by keeping them in a notebook.
- Begin each day with a short to-do list and then prioritize your list (numerically or “A” for must do today, “B” should do today, and “C” for try to complete today).
- Create a new list the next day, making sure to include those incomplete/not accomplished from the day before and referring to your calendar/planner as well.
Alternate between focused study and breaks
- Set a timer for fifty-minutes or one hour of distraction-free, focused study time. Turn off the cell phone, log out of chat windows, and ignore incoming email.
- Take a 10-minute break each hour. Stretch, get a snack, check your phone, or just relax. Set a timer for your break too and when it ringers, begin another distraction-free focused hour of student.
- Eliminate time wasters throughout the day. Figure out what takes time award from your work (phone calls? Social media? Conversations? Fiddling with playlists?) and reclaim that time for productive work. You might think you’re multitasking, but multitasking can actually be a time-waster – see Harvard Business Review’s article, How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking
- When stuck, do something physical to refresh your brain: get a drink of water and then do something physical to get your blood pumping. These can include: a quick walk, jumping jacks or push-ups, running/jogging or biking around your block, cross marching, putting on some music and dancing.
- Keep your breaks short so you don’t lose momentum, always keeping your daily goals in mind (your to-do list). Enjoy your break fully and then set the time again and get back to work.
Tackle large projects one step at a time
- Divide large, time-consuming projects into smaller tasks, working on one task at a time.
- For difficult or dreaded tasks, work on it for ten minutes at a time (use a timer); then take a quick break or work on something else, and then do another ten minutes.
- Take time to do a quality job. Correcting mistakes on sloppy work will cost you more time in the long run.
- If writing a paper, create a plan using a mind map and refer to your notes.
When finished for the day, put everything away where it belongs so you can find it again when you need it. Perhaps take a photo when your room or desk is organized, and then refer to it later when cleaning up. East well, sleep well, and exercise regularly. A healthy lifestyle will improve your focus, concentration, and productivity. And you actually feel better.
Struggling with procrastination? Watch Tim Urban’s Ted Talk: “Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator”
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