With our Ultimate Productivity Hacks For Students list, you’re going to be in charge of your routine like never before.

College Doesn’t Have To Be A Stressful Nightmare!

Starting college is one of the great milestones of your life. However, the initial excitement is often quickly tempered by the reality of just how stressful things can get. You are suddenly responsible for not only managing every aspect of your personal life, but you also have to deal with a challenging curriculum. It seems fair to assume that your college experience includes getting to class on time, completing assignments, working to support yourself, taking care of day-to-day responsibilities in your dorm or apartment, and so much more.

It can get stressful in a hurry. Thankfully, we’ve compiled some great student productivity hacks to keep in mind.

Amazing Student Productivity Hacks

The college experience can entail a lot of hard work. That doesn’t mean it should be nothing but work. Avoid burnout and other easily-avoided issues with these productivity hacks for students:

• Don’t just work hard for the sake of working hard: This is something to keep in mind from one day to the next. Don’t simply work so you can free up your calendar to do more work. Focus on a passion or interest that can be waiting for you at the end of your to-do list. Write down your passion projects on a post-it note and stick someplace where you study. It will serve as a constant reminder to focus on the big picture.

• The Pomodoro Technique: This is the concept of setting your timer for a certain amount of time, and then working on a single task as hard as you possibly can. More often than not, you’ll wind up just working until the task is actually completed. There are several apps on the Play Store and Apple store that will do this for you. But if you feel the phone can turn into a distraction, buy the real deal here.

• The 30-30 Method: This one can prove to be easier said than done. Nonetheless, it is well worth trying. Simply create a system in which you work for thirty minutes. At the end of that time, take thirty minutes to do something you enjoy. Eventually, the balance can become second nature to you.

And who knows, if you keep at it pretty soon you won’t be needing to take such long breaks.

Every week reduce the time you take for a break by 5 minutes. You’ll notice your focus and concentration span improve by leaps and bounds.

20 Study Habits of Top Students  

 

• Change the study space: Consistency is always good. Even so, changing up your study space every once in a while can be beneficial, too. Many people find a change of scenery to be refreshing, or even invigorating.

• Shortening deadlines: One of the enduring impressions of a college student is someone perpetually waiting until the last possible second to turn something in. Sometimes, it just can’t be helped. We would still suggest trying to shorten your deadlines whenever possible. Having one day before the actual deadline can give you time for things like proofreading, checking, and evaluating your work. All productivity obsessed people need to maintain a calendar. Mark your due date at least 2 days before the actual due date on this calendar. With all the multitude of things that your brain needs to keep track of, you will probably trust the calendar on the actual date and get your work done well ahead of time. Relegating minor tasks to post-it notes and apps on your phone is a good way to improve productivity.

• Learn to take good notes: Being able to take good notes is absolutely crucial in college. Work on developing good notetaking techniques. This includes figuring out your preferred method of taking said notes. Here are 5 methods that will give you an unfair advantage in your class. What method you stick to ultimately depends on the kind of course you’re enrolled for.

• Don’t switch tasks: Another impression of college students is that they are forever multitasking in a desperate bid to get everything done on time. Life demands multitasking sometimes, but not nearly as often as you might think. Try to stick to one task whenever possible. The more you switch tasks in the middle, the harder it will eventually get for your brain to keep up. Too much multitasking can actually hurt your productivity to a significant degree.

• Focus on your most difficult tasks first: Try to create a to-do list that is centered around starting with the most difficult items. Doing so helps with avoiding procrastination when choosing the easiest assignments to finish. Speaking of, here are six small habits to beat procrastination.

• Get some sleep! All-night cram sessions should not be a regular part of your life. You aren’t going to do anyone any favors, especially yourself, by not getting the rest you need. Sticking as closely as possible to a good sleep schedule will make it easier to stay focused on everything you need to do.

• Exercise: Even a few minutes of physical exercise a day can be beneficial. It can help you to de-stress, clear your mind, and boost your brain energy. However, if your slogging it out in the gym everyday you’ll find youself lacking the energy to pull an extended study session. Plan your gym days to coincide with days that are not demanding. On those days stick to something less straining like yoga, pilates or tai-chi. Yes, tai-chi. It’s not just for old people.

TL:DR

A good to-do list is ultimately going to be your foundation for success. A little flexibility in any schedule is important, but it’s still smart to have a fairly clear idea of what needs to be done each day. Schedule things as often as possible. This even includes taking some time to recharge your batteries!