College life is stressful; let’s be clear about that. There’s too much to get done academically and socially. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun in college. There are tricks to balance your curriculum with extracurriculars.
As a college student, you will face distractions and pressures, whether in your personal life or otherwise. The pandemic has only made it worse. Students today struggle to be productive and focused. Financial strains, especially after the pandemic, and exhaustion due to excessive academic pressure, lead to burnout. Remote learning has made learning more challenging for students because not all are equally motivated.
Here are five productivity hacks for you:
- Set a timer: Focus on a task for about 25 minutes. When the session is over, put a tick mark next to this. Then, take a break for another 5 minutes and resume the task (if its’ not done yet) or begin a new one. Once you have done about four mini-study sessions, take a break of about half an hour. See what is distracting you and how you can keep it aside. Most of us lose motivation if we have to do too many things in a day. It’s better to take care of 3-5 tasks every day.
- Give your study space a makeover: Our mind can benefit from a scenery change. As college students, we are so used to following a set routine that our bodies yearn for a change. Some students work better when surrounded by sounds and distractions, while others prefer to study in quiet places. You can switch up the study environment by choosing another room at home for it.
- Keep the hard-to-accomplish tasks for the peak performance periods: When are you most productive? That’s a question only you can answer. If it’s early morning or late evening, it’s not a problem. Keep the most difficult tasks for that time of the day. You will get them done on time because your energy levels and concentration are at their highest level during such times.
- Keep the smartphone away: Mobiles will distract you, like it or not. Aimless website browsing is unarguably the biggest threat to productivity. Whether it’s a shopping ad or breaking news that catches your attention, it can affect your concentration. Keep time to browse social media after you have completed a study session successfully.
- Limit decision fatigue: There’s so much to accomplish in college that the mind gets tired. You will find yourself in situations where decision-making is a problem. You have too many choices and don’t want to let go of any. What should you do? Limit your options and narrow these down to a few. Make decisions only when your mind is fresh and active, not when you are tired and sleepy.
Use these productivity hacks to get better at what you do, whether studying or working. Simple changes can make a lot of difference to your performance.
