Welcome back everyone!
Unfortunately, the past week was a really unproductive week for me. I had a five-day weekend (it was supposed to be a three-day weekend, but then California fire season came in full swing) so I spent a lot of time at home and intended to get a lot of work done, but it somehow just didn’t happen. The time slipped through my fingers, and here we are in the thick of another busy week. During busy times like this where I can’t seem to accomplish anything, I have to reevaluate where my time is going. If you’re having similar issues, keep reading- this might save you a lot of time in the long run.
Time-Waster #1: Too much time spent on social media – This is the probably the biggest and most obvious culprit. Even if you think you don’t spend that much time on social media, it’s probably still a sizeable amount. If I know I have a lot of work to do, I usually leave my phone in another room. The only thing that makes this tricky is when I need my phone to check teachers’ websites/look up school related questions, and end up getting distracted on social media. If you have an iPhone, I suggest turning the Screen Time feature on and limiting yourself on social media apps. It’s also eye-opening in general to see how much time you really spend on your phone. If you still want to keep up with your friends, I recommend limiting your daily social media checks to before bed, when you wake up, and car rides.
Time-Waster #2: Having TV or other media on in the background of work – This isn’t always harmful; as I’m typing this post, I have Gossip Girl on my TV in the background. If you’re doing casual work or cleaning, I find watching TV or YouTube videos makes it a lot easier and more enjoyable. However, if you’re trying to study or do homework that requires a lot of focus, this is definitely a distraction. It’s so easy to look up for a second and get sucked into the storyline. I recommend only having media on in the background if it’s music, or if you’re doing non-academic work.
Time-Waster #3: Multi-tasking – Similar to watching TV in the background, this isn’t always a bad idea. Sometimes you need to be doing two things at once, like eating while studying, or cleaning while having someone else quiz you. In these cases, multi-tasking boosts your productivity and can actually help you get more done. In other cases, it just scatters your brain and prevents you from finishing any one task. If you’re working on different assignments/projects in multiple classes, working a little bit on all of them at once won’t actually get you anywhere. It’s best to tackle one thing at a time and finish it completely; the work will usually be better quality, and you can cross it off your to-do-list altogether.
Time-Waster #4: Not having everything in front of you – If you keep having to get up from your workspace to grab tools or whatever you’re missing that you need to finish your work, it wastes a lot of time and continuously disrupts your thought process. For example, if you need to print out a bunch of papers, print them all out before you start working. You wouldn’t want to print out each paper as you go, because that’s just more time going back and forth to the printer. Lay out all your necessary tools before getting started- it will save you time and it will keep you in your focus ~zone.~
Time-Waster #5: Spending too much time “getting organized” – Kind of the opposite of not having all your materials in front of you, sometimes it’s a waste of time to set everything up neatly. Once you’re pretty sure you have everything you need and you know what you need to accomplish, get started right away. I use a planner to track my homework and write important dates/extracurricular stuff in it, but I don’t spend that much time planning out exactly how I’ll execute tasks. I know some people enjoy bullet journaling and hardcore-planning (I wish I did, it’s so aesthetically pleasing) but unless you really love that and it works for you, I think it’s more efficient to just get started when you can.
Time-Waster #6: Too much time researching/looking things up rather than actually working – This happens to me a lot, but it’s often with extracurriculars and not even schoolwork. I’m very indecisive and like to have all the possible information I can find before making a decision to do something/start something, so I spend a lot of time reading random things on the Internet. It’s good/necessary to do some research before jumping into a project or signing up for an activity, but there’s a point where you just need to get started and learn along the way. I’ve spent soooo many hours scouring forums for extracurricular ideas and opportunities, and those hours could have been spent actually doing something or even starting my own project/activity.
I’m not happy with how I’ve been spending my time lately, so I plan on cracking down on some of these things. Keep in mind different things work for different people and some of these “time-wasters” aren’t always bad things to do- only if you’re really pressed for time or you get distracted easily, like me. If there’s anything you think I’m missing that has really helped you save time, feel free to share!
-Brooke
adventures of a typical high school student 