By now you should be back into the swing of things as the Christmas holidays become a memory. In fact there is every chance that a little bit of study fatigue is creeping in. Perhaps it’s the dark evenings and mornings, the weather, or just the fact that your workload seems to be going up. Staying motivated is the key to getting your work done so that you don’t fall behind yet still have time to go out and do other more enjoyable things too. Instead of wasting time thinking about getting your work done it would be far better to get on and get it out the way – but that means keeping your productivity levels high (which is never easy when there are so many distractions around!). Here, we offer a little advice with a few productivity hacks to keep you studying.
While you might want to create a digital to-do list, nothing quite beats pen and paper for this. Writing out what you want to get done on paper means that you won’t forget anything plus you get the satisfaction of physically crossing things off as you get them finished. You could put your list on your wall so it is there to remind you what you need to get done and save you from any nasty last-minute surprises. Make sure to estimate how long each task will take so that you don’t overload yourself and lose your all-important motivation!
You know how easy it is to get distracted by your mobile phone – whether that is people sending you messages, or that little voice in your head that tells you to check your social media feeds! Put your phone on silent (or off) when you settle down to work – an unexpected message can seriously interrupt your concentration. The same goes for any tablets, and if possible your computer too. In fact, studies have shown that using social media late at night may even be bad for your health! Of course, you might need your computer to do your work, but the fewer distractions the better. It can take up to 25 minutes to re-find your focus following a distraction – time that you could have used to get that piece of work done! Equally, don’t try to multi-task – concentrate on one thing at a time.
Research has shown that taking a walk can increase your productivity by up to 60%, so take a stroll before you settle down to work. You might want to take some exercise before you start your work, or even head out for a quick walk around the block when you feel stuck.
If you are really struggling to get started try setting an alarm to go off after around 20 minutes and see how much you can get done in that time. This will not only help you get started as you seek to beat the clock, but will also break your study down into manageable chunks. His is especially useful for things like revision where you need to give your brain some time to rest. When the timer goes off take a moment to have a quick break, maybe grab a drink or something to eat as a reward and then reset the alarm and get back on with your work. Of course, if things are really going well you needn’t actually stop when the timer goes off.
A big part of productivity is deciding what to tackle first, and there are different thoughts on this. One side says that you are better off tackling a few smaller items of work first – building up momentum, crossing items off your to-do list in quick succession and improving your motivation to keep going. Others argue that it is better to tackle the biggest task first, while your mind is at its freshest. The idea here is that you take on the most challenging job first so that you can simply mop up the other jobs at the end. Find out which method you prefer, or maybe mix and match both – perhaps doing a couple of the smaller jobs to get you going before taking on your biggest assignment.
Whichever of these tips you use, be sure to take some regular breaks and reward yourself for a job well done – it will help your productivity too!
