Your college guide to productivity

You have as many hours in your day as everyone else — it’s how you use them that matters. It’s up to you to split your day into productive (or unproductive) pieces. Sure, you need to include time for sleeping, classes, work and other obligations, but the rest of the time is up to you.

Are you still there?

Something Netflix asks mid-binge and a good reminder to check in with yourself to see if you’re spending your time the way you want to. It can be very tempting to lounge in front of your favorite series after a long day. But how often do you look back at the time and think about what you accomplished? Not often. This is key time that you can reassign to something you’d rather spend your time on.

Sparking joy

If you’ve already used some of your TV time to watch Marie Kondo’s Tidying Up, you know she tells people to get rid of things that don’t spark joy. This is great advice for time management, too. Does scrolling through Instagram for an hour bring you joy? If not,then reassign that time. You can argue that studying doesn’t bring you joy, but think about the end result (your degree, future career, etc.) and re-examine your joy-o-meter.

If it takes 5 seconds…

Another life-ism to take to heart is if something takes only a few seconds to do, do it. Think about this when it comes to looking up a due date instead of guessing at it, or saving your essay with a logical title that will help you find it again. Quick, simple activities can help your life go more smoothly and help you be more productive in the future, while barely taking time out of your day.

Feeling like you’re always “on”?

If you’re feeling like you should be using every hour to be productive, let’s reexamine. You should definitely schedule an evening off when you can, a night out with friends or a day focused on an activity you enjoy. Find ways to be productive means knowing that when you need to get something done, you can shift your time and find space in your schedule to accomplish your goals.

Try these ways to up your productivity

• Peer coaching – Your success coach is a helpful resource to keep you on track. They can share tips and strategies to manage your time and keep you motivated.

• Tutoring center – Tutoring sessions should definitely be a part of your plan for doing well in your courses. Especially if any of your classes are feeling particularly daunting — check out how we can help with that. Tutors can also help you fine-tune your study skills and can even help you build a study schedule.

• Writing center – Before you turn in an essay or any assignment with a written component, run it by the writing center. Tutors are ready to help you with clarity, grammar and phrasing so you can be confident that you’re getting your point across in the best way possible.