Let me guess: “New Year New You”? At the beginning of each year, we set a bunch of resolutions that barely make it past the first week. Whether it’s to lose a couple of pounds or to launch the business that’s been nestled in your head, each year the intention is to do more. Being more productive and working on better scheduling techniques are the keys to getting more out of each day and sticking to those New Year’s resolutions. Here are a few of my favorite productivity strategies, so get ready to takes notes!!
Productivity Tips
The first major tip that sets the pace is to WRITE IT DOWN. It is beneficial to write all your goals down because it turns abstract ideas into tangible achievements. Going a step further, attach a date to everything. Adding a date helps because it limits the amount of time something can be put off when there’s a deadline. After you have a list try breaking it down yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily. This will help spread out what exactly needs to get done every day leading up to the overall deadline. Writing it down can even become a creative activity by making a vision board, this way you can have something appealing to hang on your wall along with a constant reminder of all your goals.
Another thing I learned to do is to be a productive procrastinator. Every year I tell myself I’m going to get my work done early and be ahead of schedule but then procrastination shows up right on time. Instead of lying to myself I decided to just become productive in my procrastination. If I know I’m supposed to start studying for a test or starting a project at 4 p.m., I won’t sit at my desk to get started until around 7:30 p.m. In that time, I will start taking care of other things I know need to get done like folding clothes or cleaning my room. So, instead of laying on your bed scrolling through your phone get up and do something beneficial in your procrastination time.
The Power of Planning
Buy a calendar. Buy lots of calendars!! They are super inexpensive: you can buy them in the dollar section of Target or even print one from online. I have a wall calendar, desk calendar, electronic calendar, and the calendar in my planner. Calendars are so important because they keep you on track for the deadlines you’ve set on your goals. It is so easy for our days to get booked up and become overwhelmed. That’s why it’s good to have a calendar to log assignments and events this way you can know when to say NO to certain things. I find it best to use each calendar for something different. I use my desk calendar for business matters, the wall calendar for social events, and the planner calendar strictly for academic deadlines and assignments. Then to have everything in one place I use an online calendar, such as Google calendars, where you can categorize each entry.
I also find it helpful to make a daily schedule. It has the same purpose of writing your goals down: it holds you accountable to stay on task and not waste time. Creating a schedule is easy and can be done on a software like Excel. First, log the time you usually wake up, go to sleep, and eat. Then add things done on a consistent basis (class, work, etc.). After, add things you know you should be doing, so carve out chunks of time to study, go to the gym, or work on stuff for your business. Then schedule times to do chores and errands. The last step is to add time for social engagements. After finishing your schedule MAKE COPIES. Print out some and post them on your wall, keep a copy in your bag and even have a copy on your phone, this way you’ll have no excuse.
For academic scheduling, it’s best to invest in a planner. This way all your academic assignments and meetings can be logged in one place. Another strategy to stay on top of all projects, exams, and homework is to make a list of every assignment due for every class and make a list of them monthly. Then as you go through the month you’ll know exactly what is due and you can start checking things off as you complete them.
REFLECT
The last step is to REFLECT. Whether it’s at the end of every month, week, or day it’s you must sit down and reflect on how much you accomplished in comparison to the goals you have set. If you’ve fallen short, adjust and think about what you can do to stay on track moving forward and if you’ve been on track keep going and keep setting more goals as you accomplish each one.