I used to hate starting the week off. As a professional procrastinator, I often felt assignments and chores roll over into the new week (or weeks, depending on how lazy I was). Although I still struggle with procrastination, I have improved my personal productivity and organizational skills. If you are looking for some ways to set yourself up for a productive week, check out some things that work for me:
Organize, organize, organize
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- Fill out a weekly printable from Pinterest or Bloom’s free resources. Sometimes I have so much going on that I can’t even fit it on to my usual planner. For those weeks, I like a full 8.5 by 11 pieces of paper to organize my commitments.
- Obviously, track your school assignments and extracurriculars. We have been hearing that since the 6th grade. What else is worth tracking though? I like to pencil in social events like dinners with friends or parties. You can also plan your meals (if you don’t have a meal plan) and workouts. Personally, I am more likely to stick to a workout plan if it’s written down on paper.
- Do you have a lot of work but are unsure about where to start? If so, setting aside blocks of time to work on certain projects or assignments is the best way to go. You can look at your schedule and write in things like “4-5:30 pm = Calculus homework” or “1-2 pm = Sociology Chapter 7.” It may seem overboard, but I swear it works. Want to go the extra mile? Set a timer on your phone.
- Like most college students, I am tight on money. To make sure I don’t get overdraft notifications from my bank, I like to set out a loose budget for the week. There are some great personal finance apps to help with this, but I’m old fashioned and like pen-on-paper. I will write on the side of my journal things like “30$ – food” and “25$ – gas.”
- Lastly, set some small and reachable goals for your week. I always write my goals on sticky notes, so they are on the forefront of my planner. Small goals like “go to therapy” or “volunteer on Sunday” are achievable.
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Clean
- Do your laundry for the week and wash your sheets
- Clean your makeup brushes
- De-clutter your backpack
- Tidy up your personal space
- Vacuum, sweep, or dust
- Throw away trash & empty your trash bin
- Put items back where they belong
- Disinfect frequently touched spaces and objects like light switches, doorknobs, phones, chargers, earbuds, keys, etc.
Miscellaneous
- Fill your car up and grocery shop
- Update your computer and phone apps (if they are not on auto-update)
- Take some time to practice self-care like doing a face mask, reading, going to the park, crying, etc.
- Change your phone background
Image from Giphy
While this list is lengthy, the important thing to remember is you don’t have to do it all in one day. If any of these tasks seem more beneficial than the others, just focus on completing that. My Sunday routine may not be as pertinent to you! Customize if need be.