INTRO: Hi there fellow Females of Filadelphia readers! I’m finally back with another blog after traveling for 13 weeks on the West Coast. Maybe I’ll do a little recap of that experience in another blog but for today I have a blog to get you prepared for school! I’ve been back at school for a week and I’m already having trouble adjusting to the time management skills needed to get the level of productivity I desire. So if you’re anything like me, this may be the blog you need to read.
PROCRASTINATION. My favorite hobby. Here’s a list of all the things I have done in the past to procrastinate (this is just for some comedic relief, if you want the actual time management skills scroll down a bit):
- Cleaned my entire apartment
- Deep cleaned my bathroom
- Washed other people’s dishes
- Ran other people’s errands
- Watched 20 YouTube videos without stepping away from the computer
- Sat in my bed scrolling through Pinterest
- Written a blog for Females of Filadelphia (lol)
- Tried out recipes even though I’m not a good chef
- Swiffered the floor twice even when it’s not dirty
- Organized my closet by color
- Then reorganized my closet by item type
- Polished my shoes
- Looked up furniture I won’t ever be able to afford (looking at you Wayfair)
- Looked up rescue dogs I could adopt in the future
Okay you get the point- I can be a master procrastinator when I want to be. Don’t get me wrong, I usually get all my work done. But sometimes it all comes together in a not-so organized way. But I’m getting better, I promise. Below I’m sharing with you some of my tips for avoiding procrastination and improving time management.
TIP #1
ORGANIZE YOUR TAKS. Have a planner, a to-do list AND a calendar. Trust me, you WILL need all three if you want to stay on top of everything.
What do I put in each one?
Planner: Include homework assignments, exams, and daily tasks that you have planned out in advance. (If you are already in the workforce you can include project deadlines and project timelines on here as well). I always go through my syllabi and write down everything I need to know for the semester. A really good planner I bought for this semester is found at this link. I used one from the same vendor last year and it helped SO much!
Calendar: This is where you include your meetings, your doctor’s appointments, and your all-day events. Are you babysitting on Saturday? Put it in the calendar. Are you meeting with an executive at a coffee shop on Tuesday after work? Throw it in the calendar! I like to use Google Calendar because I can easily access it through my phone and through my laptop (+ it’s free).
To-Do List: You should write this as soon as you wake up or as soon as you get into work. This is where you compile your calendar and your planner, and can start checking off what you did for the day. To-do lists keep me organized and help me accomplish all of my tasks. You can organize your list in order of importance or by time of day. For example “take out dog” is important but may not need to be the first thing on your list if its not time to take your dog out. I usually use a sticky note and stick it on my laptop to keep track of everything I’ve done during the day.
TIP #2
REWARD YOURSELF. Have a rewards system in place. I know this sometimes sounds a little silly but it does work.
Some rewards you can set up for yourself:
- You can eat dessert after finishing a homework assignment.
- You can watch your favorite Netflix show after studying for an hour and a half for your exam.
- You can hang out with friends after your to-do list for the day has been completed.
- You can go on social media after you’ve accomplished at least three of the tasks on your to-do list.
- PRO TIP: Utilize the screen time feature (available on iOS) to limit your screen time on social media and messaging apps!
The most important part of setting up a rewards system is making sure the reward is somewhat equivalent to the task. For example don’t buy yourself plane tickets for every 20 minutes of work you do OR don’t give yourself a 10 minute break for 7 hours of studying.
TIP #3
PRIORITIZE. Refer to the matrix I made below. It is so so so important to prioritize. People often get overwhelmed because they aren’t prioritizing and then they end up procrastinating. Always do what your future self will thank you for.
TO DO: Make a matrix following these guidelines for the tasks coming up in the next week and feel free to let me know if this helped you prioritize by commenting down below!
TIP #4
KEEP YOUR SPACE TIDY. Chaotic workplace = chaotic mind. I know some people say they like their mess and they know where everything is. But I’m sure you will find that most of these people also procrastinate a lot. So start decluttering. Start keeping things in a specific place. Start avoiding the chaos. I recently bought a couple of items from Ikea and Amazon to organize my space, check them out here:
- Shelf unit with baskets to organize books
- Mason jars to organize desk clutter
- Folders to organize my notes on my desk
TIP #5
WAKE UP EARLIER. Ugh. My least favorite one. I can be SUCH a night owl. But night owls are also known for procrastinating. Procrastination is not always bad. Sometimes it leads to amazing projects, and late night thoughts can be extremely creative. But procrastination brings a lot of unnecessary stress. So try setting that alarm clock for fifteen minutes earlier than usual. Avoid naps. Next thing you know you’ll be going to bed at 10pm and waking up at 7am naturally.
- Recently I’ve been waking up at 5:30 am to help with my commute and I notice I get so much more done. I have time to keep my space tidy, get my homework done, and also relax.
- BONUS TIP: If the time you need to wake up at coincides with the sun rise, leave your blinds open and let the sunlight naturally wake you up! But make sure to set an alarm anyways since this system can fail occasionally.
OUTRO: Thanks so much for reading my blog and I hope it helps someone out there! If you have any questions about this blog or suggestions for a future blog feel free to reach out through the website or through @femalesoffiladelphia on Instagram! ‘Till next time 🙂