In the rigorous IB program, there is obviously a lot of school work to be done. Here are some recommendations on how to get this work done quicker and more effectively. I recommend dividing the work even further into smaller, fractional tasks. An example of a very hard and time-consuming assignment is the all dreaded Extended Essay. Let’s say you have a month-long period with your supervisor to finish the EE intro: divide this further into 4 once-a-week sections. If you really want to make it further simplified you can break this down even more. For example, during this month-long window, work for 15 minutes each day on your EE intro. It is very easy to see how this time will add up and you will surprise yourself once you’ve finished within half the time given, having only done 15 minutes of work each day. Surprise! You are now ahead by a two-week period.
There are two new options that present themselves. One is to start working on the next section of your EE using the previous fractional method or the other option is to slow down during this extra time. You can maybe watch an episode of that series you used to binge on or do anything you want. If you apply this mentality to every single one of your classes you will be amazed by the results that can come from implementing the fractional time rule.
This idea which I use in my studies and has taken me this far was first pioneered by the well-known speaker Stephen Duneier, who explains in a Tedx Talk titled “How to Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals” (which has amassed a total of 10.9 million views) how using this method got him from being C average students to making the dean’s list every time and becoming one of the most successful hedge fund managers of his time. This may not work for every assignment or task. In some cases, my second method might be better. This method is very simple: you commit to doing 30 minutes of deep-focused work and then reward yourself with 10 minutes of whatever you like. This could be video games, a youtube video, etc. The idea is that you are rewarded for your work and this tricks your mind into wanting to get work done faster and more effectively.
To conclude, implementing either of these techniques of breaking down big tasks into smaller and more manageable ones and/or rewarding yourself after a period of focused work has helped me and can surely help you in being more effective with your time. I believe that these methods can make the IB experience less stressful, as you will no longer be constantly flustered with the utter amount of work to be finished.