It’s a new year and we are already in the second month of the year (how time flies by). Although January felt like it lasted forever, here we are in the beautiful month of February. Whether you came back from a vacation, starting a new semester or a new career, this really is the perfect time to look back at 2017 and set new goals and plans for 2018 in any area or aspect of your life. I came across this quote and I couldn’t help but not share it, mainly because it really applies to this passage: “January was just a trial month relax, the year starts officially in February.” We could always use a little humor especially during times when life gets though and we have to sit back, think of new strategies and acquire some motivation to get back on track. But now, back to business. When setting up new goals in the New Year, everyone talks about wanting to be more productive at school or work, wanting to maximize revenues and that famous “stop procrastinating”. Let’s face it; with the era of technology that we are living in it’s hard to escape the temptations of procrastinating especially when it comes to our phones and computers. For any digital lover (or digital freak) like me, I often postpone many of my work, assignments and projects for days closer to my deadlines which means increasing levels of anxiety, stress, and panic attacks. Luckily for me, I work best under pressure and tied to deadlines, however doing that do not necessarily mean that I am being productive and efficient. I have set a number of new goals for myself this year mainly getting my grades up to above a 3.5 GPA, lower my caffeine intake (I consume at least 4-5 tall cups of espresso per day) and really putting my mental health and emotional well being first. The funny thing is, although this seems impossible for some, the way (or rather the key) to make this happen is pretty simple, at least for me: start on time and make use of every opportunity that you get. Whether your main goal is to become a more productive worker so that you can increase your evaluation performance appraisal, pass that exam or quiz for that course you don’t like, or even finish that book you always wanted to write, the key is really to take advantage of every opportunity. When I started to see my time as not only money ($) but also as opportunities, I realized how important it was for me to put in my best effort to complete my tasks for that day. So recently I discovered a few ‘hacks’ to really help you get started and become more productive. I took the liberty of trying out a number of apps and sites (free), which you too can use, especially if you are a college or university student to get the most out of your college experience. So sorry for my fellow readers who’s college days might be all long gone, but this one is especially for my college readers. However these hacks not only helps during preparation for exams and when in college, but you could also apply them at work and your daily life. If we are going to make 2018 a year of success and productivity, we should really put our best effort into it and this is how we are going to do it: GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT There are tons of ways to make or list your goals for the New Year. However it has been shown and proven that just saying “I want a new car” doesn’t really do much. We love fantasizing and imagining all the nice things we want to get or accomplish which is fine but what we really want is to make it happen. For me what really worked and helped me achieve big goals was making small goals from each big goal. For example: I wanted to reach a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) while getting more than 10 to 15 extra credits per semester (big goal). In order for me to make that happen, I had to make small goals and steps that would help me achieve that big goal so what I did was:
Keeping these small ‘tasks’ made it easier for me to get my 3.5 GPA and also made it less stressful and vague. The key to making realistic goals is prioritizing. Although everything feels like it is important especially if you have a hard time saying no, try to have no more than 3 top priorities. STAY AWAY FROM PROCRASTINATION It feels impossible but shortly said it is possible and thank you to the technology Gods it is easier than ever! I have been using a number of apps in the past to help me stop using my social media so much but none of them really helped because I was able to just get out of the app and check my Facebook for the latest gossip so easily. The point I wanted to really get across was stop using my social media so much because it took a lot (and I mean really a lot) of time of my study or work. For mac users: the self-control app is a free and easy to use app that can help you restrains yourself from over-using your social media. Before taking drastic measures, if you are really able to stay away from your social media or phone, setting specified times for breaks and work is an easy to manage task. However if you are like me, the self control app basically and literally prevents you from going on the websites you list such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. for the time you set (10 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hours or even 1 day!) The only way you can go back on those sites is after the timer is up, so if you put a restraint of 8 hours, it will be after 8 hours when you could go back on the site. Now I know that might mean using your cell phone instead...the same app or other alternative apps do the same task for mobile use. I recommend using: Self Control (mac users) Cold Turkey (for desktop and mobile) Forest app STAY FOCUSED If you want to get the most out of your day and resources, you would have to stay focused. Staying focused means be sure to take frequent breaks, take time to meditate and just breathe, nourish your body with the right food and drink a lot of water. Coffee keeps me focused and on edge especially when it comes to exams however it also increases my anxiety levels meaning I get distracted more easily when I am anxious. Stay focused also means keep your eyes on the prize. When you are focused on your goal for that day, you also avoid misusing your time on non-sense and time consuming things like social media for example. I like the word being mindful because it really captures the essence of staying focused and aware of the now in a positive light. When I started taking more hours in my day for myself (not overdoing it), I was getting even better results in terms of the goals I had set up for that specific period. STAY BUSY AND ORGANIZED I always slack and start procrastinating the minute I am sitting at home with nothing to do. Once I get comfortable with binge watching series on Netflix or doing anything but working or studying, I find it even harder to keep back my rhythm especially during study weeks. One secret that has been helping me during my these last years was remaining busy (in a healthy way) with either a steady part-time job, volunteer activities or perhaps a club meeting you attend every other week. I personally feel that having certain obligations and commitments, help me stay more productive and get the most out of my time. I am currently a full-time student working two (2) jobs and I am taking extra credit courses (2 and a half hours a week of classes) but somehow I am still able to keep an above 3.0 GPA (unbelievable huh?!). I believe your personal qualities and also your personality play a major role when you commit to achieving certain goals successfully. For me, the periods when I was busy the most with working while juggling school was also when I saw I performed even better academically. Basically, I was able to keep a tight schedule which left no time for slacking. Obviously there are (more than enough) days where I just do absolutely nothing. Here is how you too can create a weekly planner and become a master (or wiz) at time management this year:
Update your weekly planner or agenda regularly. Make it a habit of keeping your planner neat and clean (I use colors for specific events/activities). You can also add special sticky notes or stickers to make it more visible and attractive. Your planner and agenda should be the first and last thing you see when doing to sleep and when waking up in the morning. Keeping your day organized has a magical way of making you feel that you have your life together. College is a hectic and stressful period (believe me I know), but its also the most fun and memorable time of your life. So make it fun, and get the best out of your experience. KNOW YOUR END POINTS It's easy to work non-stop until you reach your desired outcomes, but in reality that is not healthy nor does it get you the outcome you think you want. Your mind is your biggest and most important resource, and just like any other resource it can wear out if you overuse it. In-between breaks is critical when doing work, studying for exams and doing intense activities that require a lot of mental and cognitive stretching. One of the lessons I have learned the hard way last year was knowing what my end points are. I always feel the need to out-do myself and overachieve everything I do. I can easily spend an entire day working non-stop on assignments and projects (with the help of a lot of caffeine of course) and not knowing when I should stop. Eventually as you might have guessed I burnt out and ended up spending days and weeks not able to do anything. So set realistic time tables and schedules that include breaks and enough space for eating, sleeping (7-8 hours at least) and recreation. Finally, the best way to accomplish goals in real-time is simply keeping your ambition and positive face on. There is no best secret than keeping your drive and reminding yourself about the reason why you want to accomplish a certain goal in the first place. Whether it is passing a midterm exam, a difficult course, finishing that project for your division manager or just doing what you said you would do (months ago), everything could be done if you remember that you are a human (not a robot or a machine) and your health and wellbeing comes first.
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My name is Keyla and I am a second year university student studying social work. I blog about social media, lifestyle, health, beauty, love, relationships, career and student life-hacks. Leave a comment and give my articles a ❤️ or 👍🏻 and don't forget to share to show your support. 😘, Keyla Publication Dates
March 2018
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