So most of us will be heading home this week to catch up on some much-needed rest, home cooked food, and do some work. Well, try and do some work as we all probably have some sort of deadline coming up in the next week or so and we’re very much out of practise when it comes to any kind of revising or essay writing. So here are a few tips on how to stay concentrated this week if you’re aiming to get some work done. They may seem pretty obvious but it’s surprising how many of these we still do whilst working – wasting time and energy when we could be getting it all done!
1) Turn off that phone.
Don’t just put it on silent and put it at the top of your desk. Turn it off and hide it away so it can’t tempt you. Whether that means giving it to a friend to hide for you or just putting it in a drawer, your phone will probably be the most distracting thing about working at home, especially if you’re wanting to keep in touch with all your friends.
2) Clear/calm space.
We all work in different places better than others, whether it’s your bed, a desk, the floor or on the sofa make sure you find a place where you know you can concentrate. Minimise distractions by turning off the telly, having a good amount of light and even if you do work better with music make sure there is no great amount of surrounding noise. The prep work for working is almost as hard as the work itself!
3) If you’re working on a laptop or computer, BLOCK Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/ASOS…
It is very easy to be working on your laptop looking at some scholarly journal or database and ‘accidentally’ wander over to Facebook, or Instagram, or Twitter…. There are programmes (free!) that you can download onto your laptop to block certain websites for a certain amount of time. If this doesn’t seem like your cup of tea then log out of everything, you’ll be less likely to mindlessly browse when you’ve got to try and figure out your log in details!
4) Breaks and snacks.
Taking breaks whilst working is crucial. It’s important to set yourself a good amount of working time, say 40 minutes (it varies depending on person), and then take a 15 or so minute break to let your mind rest and to have a cup of tea (or coffee). Having a little snack whilst you break also helps you keep up energy and makes sure that you’re not getting hungry whilst working and giving up to go and make lunch.
5) Schedule your day.
Planning a work schedule can mean that you do end up doing the amount of work you were aiming to do. Before the day starts, either the night before or that morning, decide what work you’re going to do, put some breaks in, and then get going. This way you can get used to a routine, which is always useful when having to do work!
6) Time with family & friends.
Although reading week is given to us to enable us to work without the stress of seminars and lectures, it’s important that you also spend some time with family and friends. You can’t work all day every day or your brain tends to shut down, so make sure to have a night out with the girls or a movie night with the family to give yourself a break from having survived Uni for almost 6 weeks!
(Photo credits to Pinterest)