This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bentley chapter.
I often start to get anxious if I feel like I am falling behind on my “to-do” list for the week or haven’t been getting enough done. This semester, I have been focusing on taking good care of myself and having better time-management. Here are a few small tasks you can easily get accomplished throughout the day that will instantly help you feel a lot more productive:
- Make your bed – obviously, whether or not your bed is made isn’t that important, but it’s a great mental reset that will help you feel like you have your life together.
- Hit the gym – you don’t have to workout for hours to be a productive and active person. Go for a walk outside or hop on the treadmill for 30 minutes and break a light sweat. This will help reduce stress and anxiety as well as keep your body healthy.
- Eat at least one “healthy” meal per day – your diet doesn’t have to be perfect, and it is important to have balance and a good relationship with food. By “healthy” (a fairly abstract word), I mean nutrient-dense. Eating one meal per day with foods that are whole and full of the essential nutrients your body needs will give you the energy you need to get through your day.
- Have a “to-do” list and cross off accomplished tasks – the main reason I make a “to-do” list each day is because I love the feeling of crossing off tasks I’ve finished or assignments I’ve completed. It will help you recognize just how much you accomplish in a day and keep you from stressing about forgetting to do something.
- Empty out your inbox – when my unread emails build up, I instantly start to feel stressed. Important messages you didn’t see when they first come in can get lost in a sea of spam. Filtering out your inbox once per day can keep you from falling behind.
- Take time for yourself at the end of the day to unwind – your day can be as productive as you want, but you won’t stop feeling stressed unless you actually set aside some time to allow yourself to relax. Before I go to sleep, I like to watch a movie or television show. Sometimes I will even do a facemask or have a light snack to really help myself feel at peace.