Increase your productivity and try these next 4 tips!

4 tips to be more productive

Your day to day life is probably very full. Classes, working on projects, exercise, having a social life and general adulting stuff (groceries, cleaning...), it's a lot. It can feel like you have more stuff to do than hours in a day. Tough, but there are habits you can implement in your daily routine that will save a lot of time and increase your productivity! Try these next 4 tips.  

1. Set your phone to an airplane -mode

How often do you 'quickly' check something on Instagram while you are studying, and then emerge out of the deep black hole of social media three hours later, completely disoriented? Not good for your productivity. Something that can help while trying to concentrate on a specific task is setting your phone to airplane mode, or installing a restriction task app to your laptop like Work Mode. It will take a while for the urge to check all your socials constantly to wear off, but you'll be surprised how effective this trick can be. 

2. Combine your to do list with time slots

The disadvantage of a to do list is that it doesn't take available time into account. You just get confronted with this mammoth amount of stuff you need to get done. Besides that, we are very likely to overestimate the free time you do have. To minimize stress but also make sure you divide your available time accurately, combine your to do list with time slots. Reserve a specific slot for a specific task, and when that time is up, move on to the next thing. Over time, you will get better at estimating how much time certain tasks take and how many tasks you can fit in a specific day. It's also less stressful to look at this list, because you have time set aside for each activity. 

3. Set a morning routine

We know, sleeping in and snoozing is one of the best things there is. The big disadvantage is that you waste a lot of valuable time. A clear and consistent morning routine will set the tone for your entire day, so implementing that might really help kick start your productivity. Ideally you'll get up at the same time every single day. Make it more pleasant by making yourself a fancy cup of coffee or taking the time to shower and pick your outfit. Start small, and build your productivity every single day. 

4. Combine Mosquito Tasks

The small tasks that come with regular life can really add up: calling your parents, doing laundry, grocery shopping, vacuuming... these little things can cause a lot of stress. How are you going to fit these small things in to your already full calendar? If you can't do them right as they pop in to your head, they can clog up your brain and become a distraction. The solution is simple: plan a half hour every day to do these non-study related things. A good time is just after dinner. Put on some music, wash your dishes, put your clothes away and order that birthday gift you keep putting off online. 

Need even more tips to increase your productivity? Check the image below:

Source: Calnewport

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