We’ve all had those days, weeks, or months where all we want to do is lay in bed and ignore all our responsibilities. Shutting out the world and slinking down further under your covers may seem like a reasonable temporary solution to your problems, but will lead to stress and cramming later. Telling yourself to get yourself together is easier said than done, so here are some tips and tricks to create a more productive day, week or month.
If it’s a time management and scheduling issue, definitely invest in a nice planner that you look forward to opening up at the beginning of each day. Other than writing down homework from each day, on the monthly calendar, write out each event on the day that it comes so you can truly plan ahead and visualize the upcoming month. Hey, color coding never hurt anyone either. Maybe you could even write personal events in pink, like a birthday party or fundraiser. Big assignments that are due could be in blue, and green can be used to pencil in practices or pre-scheduled work outs.
Reminders on your phone can also be a life saver. If you just need that extra boost to put on that sports bra and go to the gym, just have your phone do the hard work for you. Then, you don’t have the “Oh I forgot” excuse. And also, you have a set time when to work out, so it becomes part of your daily or weekly routine. If you’re like me, looking ahead to certain weeks can lead to anxiety and mini breakdowns. I constantly find myself thinking “How the hell am I going to survive this?” What calms me down is taking it each hour at a time. It may sound silly, but breaking up your days and weeks by the hour can help you to plan productivity. Grab a piece of notebook paper and schedule out your goals and plans for each day. After your 10:00 am class, head to the gym for a half hour, and then study for an hour and a half. After that, reward yourself with an episode of Friends and then move on to that big essay. This way, you can see exactly what the day ahead has in store for you, and it’s not suddenly 11pm without any productivity.
Open up your curtains in the morning. Let some light in during the day. Coming back from an 8 am class, it’s so tempting to crawl back into bed, but get some natural light, wipe off your desk with some disinfectant and declutter, and make a vow to yourself that you won’t go back to bed until it is time to sleep. You’ll be way more motivated to be productive. Plus, who’d doesn’t love to cross off a task out of their planner? Organization is a college student’s best friend. Use it to your advantage and hold yourself accountable for the many things you have the juggle.