A friend once asked me how I manage to do my tasks so efficiently. I wrote a 500-word essay in 20 minutes. I finished my math homework and studied for a quiz in the half hour before morning assembly. I sleep at 9 pm on most nights. But how can I possibly achieve that?
Iâve seen people, even good students, check their phone every minute or two as theyâre studying. Iâve seen students âstudyâ for six hours straight, meaning taking down some notes then watching a YouTube video then reading their textbook then opening Instagram⊠you know what I mean.
My advice is to commit to whatever youâre doing. Not too long ago, another friend asked me, âJo, do you ever get distracted at home?â to which I replied, âDistracted by what?â They told me about how they always have the urge to check their phones, talk to their friends, or get some food. Â I canât say I never get distracted, but it very rarely happens to me because I focus on what Iâm doingâand only what Iâm doing. Hereâs how:
1. During the time I allocate for working, I turn my phone to airplane mode (with WiFi switched off, of course). No messages or notifications will distract me from what Iâm currently doing. Recently, though, Iâve left my phone on in case thereâs anything important. There might an RMUN photoshoot tomorrow, or a Physics quiz, or a music showcase. I know myself well enough to know that I have the discipline to do nothing more than glance at the notification. However, if this isnât true for you, then I suggest you keep your phone on airplane mode.
2. When I allocate time for relaxing, thatâs all I do. No homework. No textbooks. No opening emails as they come. Just me and a good book or Photoshop or the piano or something. That way, I can satiate my thirst to relax within the half hour or so and not crave more when I start working
As for music, itâs been proven that music makes you less productive when trying to recall and absorb information (studying, in other words). Music only makes you happier when youâre doing things but not more productive.
By this, I donât only mean which ones are most urgent, but which ones you canât accomplish anywhere other than at home. For example, letâs say you have these three tasks: a) research about structural unemployment; b) write a poem with the theme of death; c) answer some questions about quantum physics; d) do a problem set about implicit functions; and e) memorize a set of chemical reactions. This is how I would do them:
Write the poem on the way to school. Maybe this is just because I like poetry. And because I canât write when other people are around. Iâd probably get a first draft done by the time I get home.
Do the research about structural unemployment. My schoolâs WiFi is terrible.
Answer the quantum physics questions. The new information is still fresh in my brain and doing the homework will help me revise, easing the process of spaced repetition.
Memorize the chemical reactions before I go to bed. Studying before you sleep is supposed to improve your memory, and since my memory is terrible, thatâs exactly what Iâll do.
Do the implicit functions problem set as soon as I get to school the next morning. Math is undoubtedly my best subject, and itâs very refreshing to do math at 6:45 AM in the morning.
If you saw the pattern, I assigned each task a time slot when I would be most productive. I also did them from easiest to most difficult to the easiest again. Because everyone works differently, I suggest you find out which types of tasks are the most difficult (memorizing, in my case) and which types of tasks require a certain environment (e.g. requiring WiFi for doing research).
I guess thatâs pretty much self-explanatory. I like to nap right after I get home from school if Iâm feeling especially tired. As for breaks, I prefer to take them between tasks instead of every 25 minutes because of my high study inertia.
Commit to what youâre doing
Give yourself shorter deadlines
And thatâs it! Hope this guide to efficiency was helpful in some way. I do believe that by following these four steps, you can accomplish all your tasks in a much shorter amount of time. If you have any further questions, please donât hesitate to drop me an ask!
