Performance Enhancement/Productivity

Enhance Your Performance

Mid-terms, finals, projects, homework, they all have a way of sneaking up on us. We see many students that are struggling with being distracted, feeling like they don't have enough time, lack motivation that they used to have, and just have a sense of being overwhelmed. Below are some tips on how you can help yourself get more done in the same amount of time. 

Tips

• Identify what your distractions are -  Sit down for a few moments and think about how you operate.  Jot down some things that get in the way of your productivity.  Is it social media?  Texting?  Phone calls?  Friends keep popping in?  You need quiet and can't find any?  Really assess your own study habits.  When do you focus the best?  When do you struggle?  

• Organize your space - Once you've identified the major distractions, come up with a plan to decrease or eliminate them.  This may mean turning off your phone, turning off your social media, telling friends that when you're studying you won't talk to them, going off campus to find a quiet spot.  

• Organize your priorities - Now that you have a space that you feel you can focus, take a look at what needs to get done and organize it.  What's your priority?  How do you prioritize?  Will you do most difficult work first or the work that is due first?  Build a plan that is right for you. 

• Build a schedule -  Your schedule can be as tight or loose as you want it/need it.  The important thing is to have one.  Building a structure helps you look at things in pieces or smaller chunks.  This often helps alleviate that overwhelming feeling we can get when we think of EVERYTHING we have to get done.  Smaller pieces = more productive.  

• Build in breaks -  Though its important to finish tasks, it's also important to make sure you're not over doing it.  So, as part of your schedule, build in breaks where you can socialize, check email/social media, go for a walk, take a nap, etc.  This allows you to relax a little more and feel more focused when you come back to study.  Breaks can be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour depending on your needs.  It's a good idea that when you take breaks you get up from where you are doing your work and move around a bit.

• Breathe and learn to relax- If there is one thing that we need in order to focus it's breathing.  Breathing helps us physiologically by allowing oxygen to get to where it needs to go and acts as an instant soothing.  When we're stressed our breathing can be sporadic.  Sometimes fast sometimes we may even hold our breath.  Check out some of the exercises under the Self Help Resources in anxiety, test anxiety and stress. You could also come to our Wednesday group for performance enhancement and stress management.  Wednesdays - 5:00 pm in the Chapel.

Visualization

Use of visualization is a great way to help enhance your performance.  The best part is, anyone can do it and you don't need anything but an imagination to do it.  

Articles of Interest

Relax! You'll be More Productive - NY Times article on how relaxing helps you do more

50 Ways To Increase Your Productivity - Article taken from lifehack.org.

12 Rules For Increasing Personal Productivity - Article taken from business2community.com. December 16, 2014