Productivity is always hard, but after months of working from home (WFH), many are finding that their motivation is running low. Use these productivity hacks to trick yourself into focusing and getting more done!
Themed Pomodoro Method
Almost everyone has heard of the Pomodoro Method for getting things done. You work for a set period of time then have a short break, and after a set number of intervals you get a longer break. The basic template for this method is 25 minutes working, 5-minute break for 4 rounds then a 20-minute break. It’s a great way to motivate yourself as you know you are working towards your break. Now, this method has been taken one step further thanks to YouTube! There are hundreds of guided Pomodoro Method videos with different themes so that you can escape reality and pretend you are studying somewhere else. One very popular example of this is Harry Potter themed – you can study in the common rooms, with Hermione, on the Hogwarts express, or even in the impressive Hogwarts Library. Other themes include: Studying with BTS, Narnia, The Avengers, and so many more! The benefit of themed Pomodoro is that it’s an immersive experience, which makes it a lot easier to focus.
Post-it Notes
This might seem like an obvious one, but hear me out. If you stick Post-it notes in really visible places, they act as a visual reminder to get things done. I put them on my kitchen cabinets, the side of my computer, doors, and even the TV. These notes say anything from ‘Buy cling film’ to ‘Essay deadline = NEXT WEEK’. I find it super helpful to keep on top of what I need to do because every time I walk past the note I’m reminded. It makes it a lot harder to forget things. I also use ‘virtual Post-it Notes’ on my desktop so that, every time I use my laptop, I see the important dates coming up, any random ideas I’ve had and what I have on that week. Any form of visible note is an excellent prompt, so you can use this hack to remind you of important things, or even to revise!
Listening to Video Game Music
Video game music is designed to immerse its players in the game so that they are fully engaged. In order to do so, video game music has been specially designed to be background music that doesn’t distract from the main aim of the game. It has a consistent tempo and avoids significant changes in key or volume. This makes it amazing for studying as well! It creates a deep focus and will distract you less than typical music. So the next time you can’t work without music, trying cracking out video game soundtracks instead!
Website Locks
The easiest way to stop distractions! There are numerous Chrome extensions and apps that you can download and use to block any website. You submit a list of websites that you want to block yourself from using, for example all social media or websites you find distracting, then you set how long they are blocked for. I do this in conjunction with the Pomodoro Method. This is probably the most helpful tip I have ever used because it cuts down my procrastination massively as I physically can’t procrastinate!
Hopefully these tips will help you be more productive as it comes up to exam season! Don’t forget that key to productivity is having enough rest and relaxation time as well – make sure that you balance your work with the rest of your life in order to avoid burnout.