We’ve all had those days where by the time our head hits the pillow, we feel like we haven’t really done anything all day. Even with the greatest intentions of starting a paper weeks ahead of time, or making flashcards for an upcoming exam, it’s easy to let time slip by us. If you find yourself being unproductive more often then you’d like to be, try these 4 tips and see if you can get a little more done than usual on a daily basis.
1. Wake Up Earlier
A recent study by Dr. Steve Kay at the University of Southern California shows that as body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning, working memory, alertness and concentration gradually improve. Towards later in the afternoon, however, it becomes harder for the mind to focus and concentrate. You’ll be much more efficient at getting work done if you set your alarm for a little earlier than usual and use the extra time to study! Even if you’re not a morning person, waking up just 30 minutes earlier will give you time to eat a good breakfast so you can be energized for the whole day.
2. Make a Plan
Every night when you’re setting your (early!) alarm for the next morning, take an extra few minutes to schedule out the following day. Plan out when you’ll eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, when you’ll go to the gym, and even when you’ll get your laundry done. It’s important to be realistic about how long each homework assignment will take you so that you don’t feel pressured to rush anything. Also make sure to schedule in time blocks when you can take a break or catch up on a favorite TV show! Doing schoolwork and running errands all day can get exhausting, so don’t deprive yourself of some downtime so you can re-energize.
3. Utilize Every Minute of Your Day!
I know it can be tempting to use that awkward hour in between classes to lounge around or aimlessly browse the Internet. Even though it may feel like you have just enough time to hang out in your room but not quite enough time to get any work done, all those unused hours can add up! I usually head straight to my next class and catch up on answering emails or I review my notes so that I’m prepared for the lecture. I’ve been told multiple times that the best way to be productive at college is to “treat it like a 9-5 job” in the sense that you should be committed to school work for a designated number of hours every day. If you do so, you can use your afternoon and evening to relax and get other stuff done!
4. Remove Distractions
You know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s impossible to ignore Facebook when your phone is lighting up with notifications that you’ve been tagged in Halloween pictures from this weekend. Turn your phone off or put it on silent and leave it in another room. If you don’t need to be using the Internet for schoolwork, turn off your Wi-Fi and quit safari so you’re not tempted to check Twitter or Buzz Feed every ten minutes. Or, use a website like http://keepmeout.com/en/ to forcibly block yourself from visiting social media sites when you should be studying. You’ll start to realize just how many times you mindlessly go to search the web in the time it takes to finish one chapter of reading. Removing all distractions will allow you to complete your work faster and absorb the information better.
Oh and don’t forget… when in doubt, caffienate!