Times are difficult, and motivation is hard to find. Here are some of my favorite methods to increase my productivity:
- Setting a Constant Wake Up and Bedtime
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Although this might seem like the most generic advice possible, with online learning, this has become a challenge. I often used to find myself still working well past midnight. For a while during the pandemic, I was almost full nocturnal. The most difficult part of this is going from the weekend to the start of the week. Try giving yourself a reason to wake up somewhat early on the weekend and only allowing yourself to deviate two or three hours from your regular schedule instead of four or five.
If you are having trouble sleeping, something that has helped me is not scrolling through social media right before bed. Set aside a time for that and enjoy it. I talk more about how to implement this later on. Before bed, try to get away from the screen. We are all on screens most of the day considering our relaxation mostly also comes from screens. This makes a huge difference in getting to sleep faster. To wake up consistently, try to experiment and truly see what time works best for you. Some people can’t imagine being functional before 8 AM. For others, that is the most productive time of the day. That’s a nice thing about online learning; save synchronous classes, you have the opportunity to find what works best for you.
- Pomodoro Method
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The Pomodoro Method has been proven over and over to increase productivity and reduce burnout. The concept is that you set a timer for twenty-five minutes to work and then take a five-minute break. After four rotations of this, you take a twenty-five-minute break. This technique has helped improve my ability to focus drastically, especially with online learning.
This technique is as much as you put it to it, though. During five-minute breaks, try physically moving to a new location, cleaning, or grabbing a snack. Five minutes seems like no time at all, but it gives your brain a chance to relax and reset. Then, when you sit back down to work, you are as good as new. There is an app called “Focus Keeper” that automatically tracks the Pomodoro method as well as sets daily goals for you. It is super helpful if you are new to the idea or just to keep you on track.
- Increase Your Heart Rate
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I never was one to work out. I hated running. I hated sweating. But once online learning dragged me down, I tried approaching it with a different mindset. I like to start the day by running or walking for thirty minutes. Now, I can see a huge difference in my productivity on days that I don’t make this a priority. If the idea of this scares you, start slow and change your mindset. You are doing this to increase your heart rate in order to help your brain focus better.
A great workout to try if you have a treadmill is the famous thirty-twelve-three walk — walk for thirty minutes at speed three on a twelve incline. It might seem like you couldn’t possibly have time to do this, but you can sit on TikTok for thirty minutes without batting an eye. Honestly, for me, this was a huge hurdle to overcome, and it took a while to be able to make it a daily habit. But I promise the payoff is so worth it.
Another way you could try this is getting outdoors. The weather hasn’t quite broken yet but on the few nice days we have had I’ve been going on a walk around noon for thirty minutes. Having an opportunity to be out in nature really helps you reset your brain and improves focus and productivity.
- Break Nights
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This is by far the biggest advice I give anyone struggling with burnout. Burnout is real, and it’s bad, especially because our spring break was stolen. The idea is this: set a designated start and end time for your school day. For me personally, 8 AM to 6 PM seems to be the perfect amount. Then, at the end of your school day, be done with anything school-related. Close your laptop and scroll on TikTok or watch an episode of your favorite show. Give yourself a couple hours to relax. If you work 8 to 6that is ten hours a day — more than a full-time job. Some days, you might have more work to finish up later. Don’t force yourself to finish it before the end of the day; instead, take your break for a few hours then come back to it. It makes it feel like homework again instead of just school, which was honestly a distinction I was missing.
Using this method also helps to motivate you to make it through the dull of the afternoon. I used to have a bad habit of taking long afternoon naps — which were wonderful, don’t get me wrong — but then I would be up late trying to finish work that should have been done in the afternoon. I’ve only been doing this since our so-called spring break, but it has made a huge difference. By Thursday night, I’m not completely burnt out and done.
If you are struggling to battle burnout, this is the number one thing I would suggest. For everyone sitting there thinking there’s no way they have time to implement this, try it. I never thought I would either, but it’s amazing how much more productive you can be when you have motivation to finish each and every day strong.
I hope these methods help you to be more productive during this difficult time!