If you’re in college, chances are you’re already familiar with all the trials and tribulations that may befall a college student. If you’re only venturing into academia, you’re only about to experience this all firsthand. But forewarned means forearmed. And no matter how much time you’ve already spent in college, knowing how to maximize your productivity and make the best of your study life will definitely not hurt.
Along with earning the best possible grades, you should strive to maintain a healthy balance between your studies, life, and quite possibly, work. Even with a hectic schedule, you can adopt some workable strategies that will help you get enough rest, maintain social relationships, and take good care of your mental health. Below are some simple yet effective tips and techniques you can use to boost your productivity and lead a balanced and rewarding life while in college.
Know Your Schedule
The first thing you should do to maximize your productivity is to know how you’re spending your time. Oftentimes, students fail to give regular glances at their timetable and therefore find themselves unable to stick to it. Hence, such problems as having to pull all-nighters, missed deadlines, chronic stress, and poor academic performance. Of course, you can always say, ‘I need someone to write my essay for me’ and get instant academic help with your assignments. This way, you can avoid these unpleasant consequences. But what you also want to do is always keep track of your lectures, workshops, tutorials, and seminars. Make it your rule to regularly check your schedule and plan your day according to your academic load.
Put a Lid on Distractions
Much has been said about the importance of avoiding distractions when working on your assignment. And though all students are well aware of this simple rule, few actually follow it.
It’s extremely difficult to stay on track with all those distractions that come in the form of WhapsApp messages, Instagram, viral TikTok shorts, and cute Pinterest kittens. That said, with some effort and dedication, you can force yourself to break the habit of giving in to distractions. The best way to achieve this is to break any assignment at hand into more digestible pieces and devote your undivided attention to each scheduled item.
Set Deadlines and Don’t Procrastinate
As it has been noted earlier, failure to meet the deadlines is one of the major dreads of college students. But it’s good to know that deadlines are not set to add stress to your already stressful life but to ensure that you can assimilate knowledge over a designated period of time. Of course, students are encouraged to work at their own pace. No more and more educational institutions allow their students to create and stick to their personal learning plan. That said, it critical for your academic success that you not only meet major deadlines but also set ones yourself. Never postpone your important projects until some later time.
Once you decide what work needs to be done, make sure to schedule enough time for its completion. Set realistic deadlines and try your best to stick to them even if you feel like going out tonight or itching to binge-watch a new Netflix show. Remember, if you fail to catch up on your homework now, chances are you’ll need to spend more time scamming then. And study marathons are not conducive to either effective retention of the learning material or your overall well being.
Take Breaks
Students often find it difficult to strike a healthy balance between study and rest. While some teens procrastinate and don’t miss a single party on their campuses, others pull all-nighters and schedule criminally long study sessions with almost no breaks in between them.
You also might feel tempted to jimmy tons of tasks into a non-stop study session from time to time. But we highly recommend that you ditch this idea before even putting it into practice. Believe it or not, but your productivity can suffer immensely if you don’t give your mind and body enough time to rest and reload, you risk burning out and being unable to go on.
When scheduling your study session, allow enough time for regular break. It’s up to you to decide how much time you need to restore your focus and refresh your cognitive functions. Once you start to incorporate adequate breaks into your study routine, you’ll bring back the feeling of control over your life and fuel your creative potential. This way, you can not only boost your everyday productivity but also ease stress and fatigue, which are common concomitants of binge learning.