Many of us can agree that 2016 wasn’t the best year, but on January 1 we were able to kick it to the curb and welcome 2017 with open arms. The new year was presented with a bountiful basket of resolutions intended to last until December — although most rot away within a month. Mixed amongst these piles of promises is one that college students across the country swear to keep — to be more productive. While seemingly difficult to follow through with, we at the Clog have devised some top strategies that will allow you to have the most productive semester of your college career.
Cut back on sleep.
Most individuals say that eight hours of sleep a night will leave you feeling refreshed and ready for the day. While this may be true, indulging in such a habit can actually generate great stress. This is because although your mind is recharging, you’re also losing time to work on vital assignments. That is why it’s better to just “sleep when you’re dead.” By doing so, you can use your time to actually read your professor’s work or even get to class on time. We promise, by cutting out your zzz’s, your GPA will no longer be made up of C’s. Plus, it has been reported that sleep deprivation pushes people to be delusional, yet highly creative. This will open up your horizons and enable you to grow into a well-rounded student.
Become a multi-tasking master.
The majority of time, students plant themselves in the library and take an excruciating amount of time to finish individual assignments. Such a strategy can leave you feeling drained and overworked. And by the time you’ve finished everything, you can’t even remember any important information from the readings. That is why we at the Clog have devised a more productive strategy. Instead of doing one assignment at a time, take on two or three. Many people don’t take advantage of the fact that humans are born with two eyes, hands and ears. Each can be used to its full potential. You can cut your study time in half by listening to two readings at once — your mind will filter out important keywords. Not only that, but you can write two assignments at the same time as well. While this may be a bit messy at first, with practice, you will become ambidextrous in no time.
Stay tidy.
This is something that many fail at within the first two weeks of the semester. At first, your notes look like they were taken by a calligrapher. As the days drift on, though, they become infested with coffee spills, pen scribbles and conversations with your friend sitting next to you in class. Not only that, but your room and backpack become a crime scene for loose papers. The best way to fix this problem is to ditch notebooks all together. While many people have done this by opting to use their computer, this too can add additional distractions. Instead, we at the Clog propose to use your arms, legs and hands in place of a notebook. By writing directly on your skin, you will be forced to stare at your notes all day. By doing so, your brain will automatically absorb all the information it sees. You will never have to study again. Then, when you take a shower the next day, you start of with a clean slate ready to absorb new information.
Now that we have equipped you with top tips to stay productive, march into class with a newfound purpose, knowing that this semester, you’ll be successful and efficient.
