Tips for Organization and Productivity

Tips+for+Organization+and+Productivity

Coming back from a long break away from school can affect your ways of being organized

and productive. Here are some tips to help you start off the year with good academic habits.

 

Organization

  1. Label everything- Labeling your folders, notebooks and other supplies involving school or work will allow yourself to know which class goes to which. Especially now with the block schedule, you may get confused about which classes you have on A days and B days. 
  2. Use different colored pens and highlighters.  When taking notes or studying and using colored pens it will allow you to remember what you wrote down more easily.
  3. Have a planner – When you have a planner, you can write down important events like a vacation, or when you have a big test coming up and you need to remind yourself to study. And you can buy a planner anywhere with supplies or make your own with a plain notebook. Having a planner really saves time so you know exactly what you need to do and not be confused about which assignments are late.

 

Productivity

  1. Turn your phone off – Phones are a huge distraction while you are studying. Just turning it off or  in “do not disturb” mode will allow you to concentrate and get some work done.
  2. Don’t do your homework in your bed – When you do homework in your bed, your brain thinks that is time for you to be sleeping, so, you eventually get tired while you are doing your work. Have a designated space in your house or at a coffee shop for you to do you work and your brain will recognize that when you are there, it’s time to be productive.
  3. Make sure to set an alarm for when you want to have breaks — Obviously, when you’re studying you are going to want to take breaks. Even taking a 5-minute break will help your brain rest. Don’t stress yourself too much and pile on a ton of work for you to do. Take your time.
  4. Reward yourself!- The more time you take to study, you could reward yourself with a little something, like a Starbucks drink or maybe a longer break. Either way this could help you be more motivated to do your work the next time you study.