“Productivity is not just about doing more. It is about creating more impact with less work.” – Prema Malik
Have you sat in front of your laptop for what seems like hours with nothing productive to show for it? In this article, I am going to share with you three productivity hacks I have picked up over the last few years in college from research, talking to people, and listening to various podcasts.
Prioritizing: A lot of people do not prioritize their responsibilities which in turn causes them to stay busy with no tangible outcome. The first thing I did in the beginning of my semester is make a list of all my responsibilities and how many hours a week I would have to put into each of them. Then I got rid of the things that are not important and redirected that time to something better. I use my planner to keep record of all my due dates for classes and internships, while I use my calendar app in my phone to keep record of appointments, class schedules etc.
Push Goals: I learned about making “push goals.” These are just small goals you make as steps to accomplish/achieve your bigger goals. I take 30 minutes out of everyday to sit and write out my push goals in my journal. I also use my journal for to-do lists and writing down my thoughts. For example, one of my big goals is to save up enough money to purchase a ticket to visit home in the summer, so my push goals were to work at least 10 hours every week and save 15 percent of every paycheck.
Self Care: The enemy of productivity is procrastination. The only way to get rid of that is by discipline and self care. You have to stay motivated but you also have to take care of your body and mind. In the summer, you can catch me in my favorite little coffee shop. In a comfortable sundress, I read a book and get some work done. Self care can be anything you want it to be. You just have to give your body and mind a rest by indulging in something other than work.
Like my dad always told me, “A clear, sharp mind paves way for productive work.”
Are there any productivity hacks that have helped you keep your responsibilities together? Comment below, I’d love to hear from you!
