With apps such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram somehow calling our attention every time we’re on our phones, it is hard to stay on the document and finish (or start) our progress. One minute you’re searching for references, next thing you know you are on your 6th TikTok.
When you’re working on assignments for class or a deadline set by your work boss, it is important to get it done early for lesser chances of cramming last-minute changes. Getting yourself in the habit of being productive is a routine and cannot be changed overnight, yet there are practices you can start as early as now to get the hang of it!
Here are five productivity hacks to consider for your next task assignment:
- Know What You Need To Do
This is you plotting out how your day or studying session pans out. Write your To-Dos down or make a note of it in your phone’s notes app. Do you want to finish this essay by the afternoon, or do you want to continue writing until night time? Will you start another assignment after the essay?
The habit of goal-setting and day planning makes you realize that there can be multiple tasks possible to finish in a day. It helps to know what you are planning to do on a specific day because it keeps you on track with your responsibilities and deadlines. That way, you cannot look over something urgent (and have to come up with an excuse later on).
- Work with Peers
** Get some good kind of peer pressure by working with friends and loved ones. Apart from keeping yourself responsible, friends can help by making you accountable for your work goals and get you to actually stick to them. Despite the risk of talking more than working, it helps to know that you both are working at the end of the day—and who knows? Maybe seeing your friend start their second page of the paper might motivate you to catch up too 🏃
- Find the Right Playlist
** Everyone has their favorite songs, but not everyone can multitask between singing hOlivia Rodrigo songs mid-write up and also finishing a deadline.
Find a playlist that helps you focus and at peace while you work. Popularly known for this vibe are genres like Bossa Nova, Jazz, Lo-Fi, and even elevator music for 1 hour on YouTube. For others, they also prefer fast-paced music like Phonk to get them in the right productive mood to speedrun through tasks.
- Pace Your Tasks
** In cases that you have a lot of work to do, you have to identify which ones have the earliest deadline possible. From there, it is best to arrange them by their difficulty or the time it will take to finish them. Knowing which one takes the fastest or longest can help in speeding through your deadlines that are coming sooner than the rest.
Some operate better by starting with the small, easy tasks before heading on to the bigger assignments. Others do better with finishing the hardest paper to streamline a faster finish. Whichever the case, it is important to work on tasks however you see fit for your capabilities—as long as you get it done according to your day goals.
- Set Up a Reward System
Lastly, have something to look forward to! This can be a promise to yourself to get ice cream after clutching your revisions, a good meal after studying the entire afternoon, or checking out a long-wanted item from your online shopping cart. You can set plans with a lover or your friends to hang out after your deadlines so you have a source of motivation to push through the day. Life is already hard enough as is, so make your comfort spaces a place of relaxation!
Having a productive day all boils down to self-discipline in pacing yourself around every assigned task. At the end of the day, your work routines must always be proportionate to you and your lifestyle. No matter how busy life gets, know that a balance between tasks and your doomscrolling “me-time” always exists—you just have to practice it first and lock in.
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