We all have 24 hours in a day, and yet some people seem to be more motivated and productive than others. How do they do it? Here are five tips for motivation and productivity that we found useful!
Know yourself
Motivation and productivity are intrinsically linked to how well we know ourselves. What works best for you may not work best for someone else! Experiment with work routines and see what works for you and what helps you be at your best. Meditation, talking to a trusted friend or mentor, and therapy can also help with getting to know yourself better. See the work by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly on flow and creativity for excellent resources on understanding how being in the right state of mind can help you be productive.
Set motivating goals
For many of us, productivity is closely linked to motivation. Motivation can be boosted by helping others while working towards our own goals. Use exercise as one of your daily goals to improve mental health and to stay motivated. For good tips on setting goals that support you in leading a healthy and productive life, see the book Goal Setting, by Thibaut Meurisse.
Put it in writing
Organize your goals and tasks to take control of your time and build better focus. Putting things down in writing can be very helpful to sift through and clarify your thoughts. Prioritize tasks in your to-do-list, so that the most impactful task gets your immediate attention. There are many benefits of journaling, including helping improve your mental health.
Use a calendar
Use a physical or online calendar to organize your day. Doing so will ensure that you tackle smaller, more manageable tasks. This approach can help you avoid getting stuck for hours at a time on a single task. It also helps you gain a sense of accomplishment throughout the day. To avoid burning out, make sure you plan breaks throughout the day. With practice, you will learn how to accomplish more in a day.
Eat that frog!
Be sure to work on your most impactful task first! Often, the most impactful task is one that we are not excited about and have been procrastinating. Getting momentum on that important task will allow you to look forward to the rest of your day! Brian Tracy’s book, Eat that Frog, talks about the concept of tackling the most impactful task first and has many other good productivity tips.
Conclusion
Staying motivated and productive is important to your success as a student. What have you found helpful in staying productive? Tell us in a comment below!
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