For many students, school is just starting this month, but in a more secluded, remote setting. There’s a lot of new changes that are being implemented, from changes for students rotating between home and school to the sudden jump to fully virtual school for others. I get it. It’s definitely been a struggle at least for me to stay productive for 6–8 hours when I’m stuck at the table for most of it. There’s a lot of things I’m missing out on, like senior events and seeing my friends for one last year. But there are also things I want to keep working hard towards, like my goals of graduating on time and getting into college this year. I wanted to get certified as a pharmacy technician and to serve my community more during my senior year. But I’m not the only one with plans and goals that were disrupted, so let’s figure out how to combat this.
Let’s talk productivity for a bit. Everyone has a personal style of being productive, whether one does best around a lot of people, or is able to focus on tasks when they’re in a quiet setting. COVID-19 has interrupted many of our ways of staying on task, whether it be from meeting with a school counselor or studying in the library. That doesn’t mean we should stay discouraged with what issues we see. Instead, we can focus on ways to improve our efficiency and our mentality in order to do our best while feeling our best.
First, let’s look at what we’re working for. It’s easier for us to set a hard goal where we can see results quickly. Whether you’re working for a certain grade in a class or trying to work out more so you can get stronger, it’s so much easier to stay on track when you see physical results. At least for me, I’m much more likely to work out when I can see myself getting more fit. That’s not always the case though. Even though there is a disconnect with some of our hard goals, that doesn’t mean we can’t set a target for ourselves. Continuing with my example of working out, instead of being annoyed that I can’t go to the gym twice a week or run a certain mile time and just quitting for a week (or a month), I could change my goal to running to make myself feel better. Exercise helps me feel better. After a good run, I feel like my head is decluttered and I’m ready to work on a project. Something that I usually try when I feel like my aspirations are unattainable is to write all of my goals down and write down ways I can still reach my goal in different manners.
An example of this is my relationship with music. I play the cello. I really wanted to perform with a certain symphony group, but I wasn’t able to finish the concert. This caused a lot of frustration. I stopped practicing for a few months, didn’t pay attention to classes, and sat in bed grumbling about my problems into a bag of Cheetos. This wasn’t the best use of my time, my talents, or my energy. And it kept my mood at an all-time low. Instead of setting my heart on symphony, I started thinking of ways to do what I love: entertaining people! Finding ways to tie my aspirations together helps me to go somewhere with my ideas. I wanted to serve my community more, so I started doing charity concerts via Zoom. Finding ways to keep your morale up, combining interests, and understanding that what you’re working towards impacts the person you are can help you boost productivity.
Multitasking is another thing. We’ve all done it. Maybe it was during a meeting where you find yourself suddenly checking your email, responding to a text, or playing Papa’s Donuteria (is this just me?). Or maybe you multitask when trying to finish your essay while listening to a mandatory lecture from your math teacher. Although we might commend ourselves for checking off multiple items from our to-do list, how much of it was actually our best work? It’s best to ditch the multitasking and start doing one thing at a time. If you tell yourself you’re going to type your essay, turn off your notifications, leave your phone in the other room, and type that essay! This is applicable in multiple areas of your life. Sometimes, it’s better to dedicate a couple of hours to finish that essay than revisiting it while you do your biology homework. If you say you’re going to take a nap, don’t bring your device with you, because you’ll probably spend time on that instead of sleeping, throwing off your plans. If you’re going to eat dinner, don’t bring your reading book with you. Taking that break is important, so don’t combine your required reading with your ravioli.
Giving yourself time to keep to yourself is vital to staying productive. If you want to work on your practice test for your chemistry class, don’t tell yourself after 10 minutes “I need a break” and pull out your phone to scroll through social media. However, if you’re constantly working on the practice test, just take a small mental break so you don’t tire yourself out. In the same way that I mentioned separating tasks so you don’t multitask as often, it’s important to take breaks. You do need to give your mind a break, as well as a chance to reflect and see how much you’re actually doing. When I’m working on a new cello piece, rather than spending 3 hours practicing, I take a break every 30–45 minutes. This allows me to do several things. I get to reflect on the past 30-something minutes and see how much I’ve done. Have I really made the best use of my time? I also evaluate what I get out of my practice. Is my practice beneficial for what I’m working on? Or can I continue my practice another time and work on my college essays instead? Ask yourself these questions when you take a break. Grab a water bottle midway through your worksheets and go walk around the neighborhood. Have a mini-discussion with yourself while you’re eating a snack on your porch. Exercise is a great way to give yourself a break from studies, and breathing some fresh air will help you in your efforts to stay productive.
Staying social and connected is something we’re all struggling with, but it can actually help you stay productive. We’re all used to seeing our friends in school, maybe going to after-school clubs together or having mini study sessions in the drive-through for McDonald's before first-period history class. Whatever the case, it’s important to recreate that and adapt it to how you’re living now. This is because your friends can keep you accountable, as well as be supportive of what you’re trying to achieve. Even if it’s harder to reach friends at this time, maybe setting up a virtual study session where you quiz each other with flashcards or making a combined spreadsheet with due dates to keep you and your classmates in check for added accountability could help. My friend and I go to different schools, but we made a productivity and mood tracker, and at the end of each week, we call each other and talk about how the week went, where we want each other’s help, and we stay connected through that. Whatever works for you. If you have a sibling at your school or a parent or cousin who could help you stay accountable, while being supportive to your needs, this could help you keep on track.
Another tip I’ve learned is to dress my best. Many of us had a structured manner of living (and appearance) while we were doing things in-person. Although I can’t go to school feeling confident in my outfit or walk into an interview feeling invincible in my suit, I can still recreate that level of confidence. I love my hair. After starting online school, I always made sure I did my hair, whether it was in an updo or I just combed through it. After putting on a nice shirt and drinking a glass of water, I felt put together and ready to work. Appearance isn’t everything, but taking a minute to appreciate yourself and give yourself a bit of structure is important. Separating your schoolwork from your home life is a way to introduce such structure, and keeping my outfits different helps me change my mindset to reciprocate that.
I learned to separate schoolwork from home by doing chores. Really. It was mainly by rearranging workspaces. I didn’t have much room in my house to make a study room, so what I did was keep my reading books and cello up in my room, and left my computer and class textbooks at the table downstairs. This helped me separate my online work in a different setting, allowing me to keep my room distanced from schoolwork, which helps me focus on my life offline. Although this might not work for everyone, it has helped me finish work faster and better when I wasn’t sitting on my bed, thinking about how much easier it would be to take a nap in the middle of history class. Maybe switch study spaces with a sibling. If one of you took a quieter part of the living room for an early-morning study session, the other could work there for the later half of the day. Working out schedules with the people you live with and making sure you give yourself the environment to success can help you get through it. My younger sister is also in high school, and we both take similar classes. Whenever I want to borrow her calculator and headphones, she’ll usually take my rosin and my room in return so she can practice violin away from my study area. If I want to ask my mom a question about my calculus homework, I make sure to ask her when she’s not busy and we’ll sit at the dining table to go over formulas over a glass of ginger tea when no one’s eating. Find ways to make use of your living spaces and don’t be afraid to ask for help from your family.
For many of us, our houses are our makeshift classrooms, our practice spaces, along with a place of shelter with our families. Maybe our work-flow has been impacted by current events, and we do feel upset. The important thing is not to “keep going”, rather, to figure out what works for you and to take time for yourself. We’re so used to adding things to our lives and combining tasks, so sometimes we don’t appreciate separating things and understanding what we’re working towards for what it is. Figuring out what’s the point of working towards something is what helps you stay productive, and incorporating strategies to help you feel your best while doing your best will help you develop your mentality in your work. For everyone starting school this month, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, and for my fellow seniors, I hope you’re able to find what you’re working for and put your heart and efforts into it. Here’s to the most fulfilling school year yet!
~Abbey Kollu, MindSage Intern
