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At this point in the semester, I often feel like I don’t even have a moment to breathe. Switching to a history major was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and simultaneously has made me the busiest I’ve ever been in a very turbulent few years of college. Whatever I thought busy was before was a walk in the park compared to my workload now.
I can’t say I’m handling it with perfect grace; having so much work to do is really highlighting the flaws in my time management tendencies. And as I reach the mid-semester point, I really cannot afford to fall into the procrastination habits that I used to get away with so easily. Here’s how I’ve been trying to get myself together:
This is my absolute favorite focus app. Set a timer, and grow a cute little plant. If you leave the app, it will kill the plant! You can even set up an actual price that costs you real money should you break the timer. The app isn’t perfect in my experience and I’ve encountered a few glitches, but at its most basic functions, I enjoy this app and it helps keep me on track. It’s so satisfying to look back at my focus hours for the past months and see myself slowly getting it together, and having a virtual garden full of plants of my choice is the cherry on top!
Checklists
I love a good checklist, and when my schedule is on the busier side it helps to be able to visualize everything I need to do without getting overwhelmed or forgetting something. Lately, I’ve been relying on my whiteboard for the most part, but combining that with a planner is my preferred method so that I can fully plan out my week.
Listening to music
This depends on the day. Sometimes I can get totally in the zone in complete silence; other times I’m a few hours into a study sesh sans music when the silence suddenly gets really loud, and sometimes I just cannot focus until I turn on some tunes. My go-to’s are video game soundtracks: Zelda, Assassin’s Creed, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing have all helped me tremendously in staying motivated and focused. Occasionally I go a little historical and listen to intense classical music if I really need a boost of energy (and a sense of urgency for impending deadlines!)
Going on a walk
When I get really busy, it gets easy to stop prioritizing my mental health. But a while ago I discovered that going on brisk walks does wonders for managing my anxiety, yet I’m always surprised when I get oddly anxious after not going on my daily walks for a few days. Finding time to go on my walks is essential to my overall well-being and focus. Being restless and anxious when I’m trying to get work done is not helpful, so I need to block in time for even a short walk at some point in my day.
Doodles
Procrastination can be really stubborn, despite all other attempts. At times I have to combine multiple tools to make sure future me doesn’t end up really stressed out. A fun thing I’ve been doing lately is drawing a shape on my whiteboard like a heart or a star and then dividing it into the amount of hours I want to work for the day. Each time an hour is up (which I’ll track on flora), I can fill in a section. It’s all about figuring out how to get little dopamine hits from my productivity.
Take breaks
Lastly, it’s important to take breaks. Either I’ll make time for them intentionally, or my brain and body will force me to take one eventually. This is one I struggle with a little more because once I’ve lost the momentum to work, it’s hard to get back into it, but setting timers can be helpful. I do better with short breaks rather than long ones where I tend to get too comfortable and then have trouble getting back into focus mode.
Having procrastinating tendencies can be a real pain, but I’ve made it this far, so I like to think I’m doing something right. Using all these tools together helps me complete my work in manageable chunks and avoid the major stress that inevitably follows a bout of intense procrastination.