Midterm season is slowly approaching. I am currently writing out everything I have due––projects, papers, exams. I am also calculating the days I have for each of those assignments. I like to start significant tasks two weeks before the due date and then break down the project into smaller parts, which boosts my productivity. Then I can work a little on it every day; unless I have a day free from my other responsibilities, then I just hunker down and finish the assignment.
In this post, I will describe the top productivity tips and what works for me.
Top Productivity Tips
Wake Up Early
I started waking up at 7:30 in the morning even when my classes didn’t begin until 11:00am. In that time, I had breakfast (nutrition is vital), and I would get through a lot of my homework. Since everyone else is sleeping, you have no noise that can distract you. You also get the morning rays of sunshine which really helps motivate me in the morning.
Pomodoro Method
I have tried using the Pomodoro method, and it works! However, it’s definitely not for everyone, and you have to play around with it. It worked for my math and science courses, but it’s useless for my English and creative writing courses. I don’t want to stop reading every 25 minutes. If I did that, I would struggle to get back into my reading/writing. There are also different versions of the Pomodoro method. I’ve heard of the 90/20 rule too, but I’ve never tried it. You should try it out, playing around with it until it’s geared to your productivity.
Breaking Down Assignments
As I mentioned earlier, breaking down assignments takes away the daunting feelings surrounding your work. Some of my professors do it themselves too. I have a research paper for my final this semester, and she broke down the assignment into various parts. We have the topic, the proposal, a draft and then the final product. This definitely reduces a lot of stress on my end already. The draft, however, I also break down. 2–3 days dedicated to research and then 3–4 days dedicated to writing. Breaking down your assignments even if it’s not for school, just life, in general, lessens the stress that you’d feel as the deadline approaches and boosts your productivity.
Multiple Calendars
My roommate swears by this method. By having multiple calendars, you can spread out your activities by categories––assignments, social engagements, weekly schedule. You won’t now see five things under one date, but now have it categorized and can think more clearly when looking at them.
Reminders on Phone Calendar
If you’re the kind of person that looks at the calendar on your phone religiously, then use this method when it comes to school too. Put your tasks as events on your phone’s calendar. Now you can be reminded when you should be working on your assignment and get off social media. It’s an excellent way to put yourself into gear and work more diligently with the time you give yourself.
Homework Right After Class
Working on assignments from the class you just finished is a great way to complete the homework efficiently. You have the prior knowledge you might need to complete the task. Doing the assignment right after class would also help you retain the information.
Put Your To Do List On a Whiteboard
Similar to the calendars, you can have a whiteboard that contains your day’s to-do list. This way, when you’re sitting at your desk, you can look up and be reminded of your assignments. I, personally, use a corkboard and tack on post-it notes, but my roommate lives by her whiteboard. It helps when you’re breaking down your assignment––you can write out that you have to do the research or part of your assignment today. Afterwards, you can change it to the next step of your process for tomorrow’s to-do list.
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