Ever have that essay due in a week looming over your head, begging you to get started? We all have those things that we could get started on or should be doing, but realistically, sometimes we just need a break. Instead of disappearing into your bed for 4 hours and burying yourself in old Victorious episodes, follow these few ways to get things done, even when you can’t:
Educate yourself! Recently I have loved learning new things in my free time. I have always loved my school courses, but sometimes find myself getting burnt out by core curriculums and bland textbooks. Finding my way back to my love and passion for learning has been so amazing. My favorite way to do this is some good old fashion media consumption. Whether that has been breaking into a new book or watching a Netflix documentary while doing another small task (see #2!), spending my free time learning something new always leaves me feeling accomplished and enlightened. Some of my recent favorites are below:
- Documentaries
- City of Joy (Netflix): A hard to watch, but important documentary about a Congolese organization aiming to help post-war towns dealing with rape and violence.
- Game Changers (Netflix): A documentary about the athlete’s lifestyle and meat consumption, really made me think!
- News
- The Daily Good: A curated daily newsletter sent straight to your email each morning. Contains new music, sustainable clothing brands, and articles to get your day started.
- The Skimm: Really simplified and easy to understand version of the news, my personal favorite.
- Books
- There There by Tommy Orange: Next up on my must-read list!
- The Alice Network by Kate Quinn: A wartime tale of 2 women that has made Reese Witherspoon’s coveted book club list.
- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens: A recent favorite and national best seller.
Complete small, manageable tasks! Doing tiny things that are easy to finish and check off your to-do list will help you in so many ways. Not only will you be able to ride the wave of productivity and complete increasingly big tasks, you’ll be getting stuff done while your at it. Small task completion kick starts productivity and allows you to feel accomplished, even if you still can’t start the research paper or study for the test. It truly happens to the best of us. Below are some of my favorite ways to do this.
- Paint your nails. My 2 most recent favorite colors have been a “dark teal” from OPI and “slate grey” by Essie.
- Clean out your drawers and donate at least 3 items of clothing. There is a bin between Finlay and Walsh on campus where you can easily get them off your hands!
- Order a holiday gift for a loved one. Get ahead of the game!
- Reorganize your notes, binders, backpack, or desk. You’ll feel so great afterwards!
Move your body! No, you don’t have to go to the basement of McGinley and accomplish any sort of athletic feat. All you need to do is get up and walk around. Grabbing a warm drink and catching up on missed phone calls while wandering around the botans is my personal favorite. You could walk to a friends dorm or apartment just to say hey, or bring them something to eat! Even going on a short and slow jog will get your body moving and your mind clear.
If you’ve completed all (or none) of these and still feel like a puddle of procrastination in your bed, don’t worry. Productivity is a good goal to have but not at the cost of mental health, so be kind to yourself. Maybe today wasn’t your day, maybe tomorrow will be!