All of our routines have took a turn to the more unproductive side nowadays --most of us against our will-- and it's hard to find new and motivating ways to be productive. Ella walks us through a day in her life as she gives us productivity tips!
Day number 44.
I wake up to the bright light of day and my radio clock blaring the morning news. I spend my morning staring at my computer screen, going through my schoolwork of the week, then spend my afternoon scrolling endlessly through my phone. I start my evening by reading, then watching Netflix or YouTube as the sun goes down on another day at home.
If you are anything like me, all of your days consist of about the same mindless activities, repeated daily. After school ended, my daily screen time rocketed along with my boredom levels. Not being able to see my friends mixed with not leaving home equals a constant level of weariness but never without a slight motivation to fix it. Every day, I wondered what productive activities I could possibly be doing with all this time, then being ashamed that I wasn’t actively being productive.
I realized quickly that I didn’t work well with this much free time. Then, I told myself that I couldn’t spend every day of this almost-six-month break doing the exact same things over and over. So, I started making plans for making a new break schedule.
The first thing that I knew had to be dealt with was my phone time. I knew that if my phone was on me at all times, there was no way I would be able to cut back on my screen time. So, after I checked my phone in the morning for texts or emails, I would plug it in across the house from my school work area. I made a habit so that I would not check it unless on breaks or in-between classes, and the only time I would unplug it would be after “school”. Cutting back on my social media and general phone screen time significantly helped me focus on my task at hand.
As I knew that I am very easily distracted, especially during online school, I tried to cut out as many distractions as possible. I designated my desk in my room as my school work area, and I stopped doing my work at the dining room table surrounded by distractions. Before starting school work, I would choose an instrumental playlist to play softly in the background. I would close my bedroom door and open a window for a pleasant studying environment that virtually eliminated all my possible distractions. Finding a quiet and relaxing place to study is key in maximizing your school time.
As for the actual school time, working on a schedule was not a positive thing for me. Though the school-issued schedule is a good way to organize time, my personal schoolwork load did not pertain appropriately to the time allotted for each class. So, instead of working by a schedule for the week, I started making small goals for what I wanted to get done each day. For example, Mondays were normally designated to finishing the weeks’ work for some easier classes. Throughout the rest of the week, I slowly worked through the bigger assignments each day by making a goal of how much I wanted to complete by the end of the day. By making goals for myself, I was able to get a considerable amount of school done in a shorter period of time.
When school ended in the middle of March, my sports season was cut short. I went from a dramatic drop of about 10 hours of exercise a week to practically none. So, recently I started researching more ways to stay active at home. Almost every day, I began taking walks around my neighborhood. I quickly found that my favorite time to walk was in the evening right before sunset, when it was cool and uncrowded on the streets. I also started using YouTube for videos of follow-along yoga and workout videos. Staying active during this time spent at home is essential for this break from sports and other activities.
The unusual amount of free time that I had after school got out was the perfect opportunity to pick up new or old hobbies again. Immediately, I started reading many more books than before. I have read twelve books since school ended, though I am working on reading more. Though it has become much more difficult to find physical books to borrow during this time, a good place to borrow books is the online library. If you have a library card, you can use the app Overdrive, and when you sign in with your library card number, you have access to hundreds of books. Once you choose an available book, you can download the book and read it on your phone, tablet, or computer for up to two weeks at a time.
Another great activity to pick up again is playing music. Playing your instrument during a time such as now is a great way to boost morale and keep busy. Finding online video lessons is a great way to advance your skill set. Also, finding new pieces of music on sites such as sheetmusicplus.com, musicnotes.com, and musescore.com is an efficient way to get more advanced sheet music. Keeping up your skill set over the break will ensure that the start of school in September will be smooth and easy in your music class.
If you are in a similar boat as my prior situation, doing things over and over without feeling productive, I encourage you to try new things to help you get on more of a healthy schedule. Keeping a schedule that allows for maximal productive time without distractions or sidetracks will help you keep busy and active during this time away from friends and school. Though it is important to get healthy individual time, maintaining a healthy social life is key as well.
