3 ways to become more productive during these semi-quarantined summer months…
Hey y’all, its been awhile BUT I am here with a short read on how to be productive during this time. I know its a weird summer… it’s like you’re still not able to go out but things are starting to open again so you want to go out but you shouldn’t… Also, when I say productive, I don’t necessarily mean school work or work related tasks in general. More so activities that are good for you but you procrastinate. I always want to lay in my bed and stare at my phone for seven hours straight or watch seven seasons of a Netflix show straight through… don’t judge me because I know ya’ll feel it too. BUT as responsible young adults we have to take some time to better ourselves. So without further or do I have three basic rules to create a sense of productivity during these months.
Get yourself out of bed BEFORE 11 am….
Okay… I know sleeping in sounds divine but if you wake up after 11 half of your day is gone. You will feel more inclined to do absolutely nothing for the rest of the day because you woke up so late. Fun fact: if you wake up one hour earlier everyday for a year, you would have fifteen extra days a year. I know its hard because I love my bed and I currently don’t have any responsibilities so why get up early? Waking up earlier will give you more time to make breakfast, exercise, read etc. there is so much to do and wasting your time in bed is not what we’re doing anymore. I also noticed that when I wake up earlier most of what I planned to do gets done before 12pm… that leaves me with the rest of the day to do everything and anything else.
Write down a “to-do” list for the upcoming day the night before.
So, I love buying to-do lists because they’re cute but do I actually use them? No. Im a mess.... But I noticed when I do anything on my Ipad I am far more consistent. On Etsy, they have planners and to-do lists for like $10 and I love it. Currently, I have been writing a small to do list the night before just to give my brain an idea of what I want/need to do for the next day. Again, this to do list does not need to be extravagant like “Start research on the cholera outbreak in Haiti… Write an entire novel and publish it” but if that’s the type of “to do” you want… go off sis. Anyways, the to-do list can be as simple as:
Make sure to do laundry
Take my dog for a walk
Prep Dinner
Read two chapters of x novel
Personally, having a to-do list from the night before keeps me focused and more likely to complete tasks rather than procrastinate. It’s also exciting to check things off of my list! I get one thing done and I feel like I created the vaccine for COVID… it's ridiculous.
The point: go get you a to-do list or use your notes app!
Create an incentive for completing your list
It is really hard for me to do anything without knowing there is some time of reward at the end of it. For example, willingly going out to work out is tough. I need some type of reward for doing it so I'll tell myself if I work out for two weeks consistently then i'll order a new sports bra or some type of workout gear. I think developing a reward system motivates you to get what is needed done. You definitely deserve it after sticking to your list!
Summer will unfortunately come to an end so deciding to become more disciplined during these summer months will help you prepare for the greatness that is awaiting you in the fall. Please do not stress yourself out trying to be productive! Take things one day at a time or shall I say one to-do at a time… you can do it!
P.S: if you tried any of these tips, please let me know how it worked for you or maybe didn’t work! I want to hear all about it.
Stay safe and empowered!
Love,
The EBW
