How to be Productive at University

You have probably come across this hoping to find something that will make you get all your work completed faster so you can then spend your time doing what you want to do rather than just working! So I’m going to tell you how to be productive at university.

In which case, I don’t blame you.

All this is based on my own experience, the knowledge I have gained and what I have read in some books! Not all of it will work for you, you will need to adapt it to suit your lifestyle but it’s more about the ground rules you set yourself.

What is Productivity?

Before I dive in and give you all my secrets, I want to outline what I am working towards. Productivity for me is ticking the most amount off of your ‘To Do’ list in the shortest amount of time!

But what if you have a 4000-word assignment, that’s not an easy task! For these situations, these tasks need to be broken down into more manageable chunks. Such as 400 words a day.

The moment you stop being productive it becomes a slippery slope.

Being Productive: Top Tips

• Write a ‘To Do’ List

I find this helpful – each and every day write down what you want to achieve or need to do. That way, as you complete the tasks you can tick them off and it gives you a nice little buzz as you tick them off!

• Clarity

Be clear on what you want to achieve, this will crossover with the point above, however, I want to be a little clearer on this point! For example, you can’t write, ‘be more productive’. Tell yourself how! That’s where you change it to more actionable points such as – Words in an assignment, actions to tidy the house, how many job applications need filling out etc. Find a way you can measure your output! This can be by happiness!

• Space

Think about where you are working and the environment you are working in! Some people work better in groups, others alone with some very loud music! My only tip here is don’t expect to get any work done when you sit in a group or leave your door open at home. Those who have nothing to do will want to spend it with you!

• Motivation

This is a bit of a tricky one, however, you only get motivation from completing tasks and you only get tasks done with motivation. A little bit like the chicken and the egg, however, if you start small you can then build it up! There will be times where you don’t want to work but deadlines still need to be met! It is easier to do a little each day rather than climb mountains periodically.

• Daily Habits

Everyone has their own patterns of when they work, sleep and eat best. Don’t try and defy the odds, work with yourself. If you work best in the early hours of the morning, make sure you get stuff done then. The same if you are a morning person! Figure out the number of hours of sleep you need in order to feel good and schedule that in as well. Once you put these into your schedule you can start work around these and then you can figure out when to start the largest or most difficult task and when to schedule the easier bits.

I personally am not an early person and I don’t function without a cup of tea and some breakfast. After that, I just check on a few bits to get my head in the day and then I map out what I want to get done and then make a start on the more difficult or longer tasks and as the day goes I get an easier ride! Supposedly!

Summary

There are many other points to look at, one that is worth a mention is the food you eat! It is becoming more and more apparent that if you eat rubbish food it makes you feel rubbish and then that can have an effect on your motivation which then stops you from making progress!

This can happen as a student, especially if you drink a lot and then eat a takeaway at the end of the night. Make sure that you get some good food and then crack on with the day!

If you think I have missed something really important and want to see it on the list, then please message me and I can add it in! These are the points that I find work for me, but I appreciate everyone is different and they will have their own methods and in light of that I want this to help you find a routine and habit that works for you!

I hope this helps you become more productive at university.

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