Productivity Tips
​
These are things that have worked for me throughout the years, they might or might not work for you so take the time to discover what is most beneficial to you:
​
​
-
I like to break down my “to-do list” into little tasks. That way I can properly visualize the effort a task would need from me and I’d have more items to tick off from my list (which gives me immense satisfaction!). For example:
-
Submitting an application becomes: Downloading it, printing it, filling it, and submitting it.
-
Studying becomes:
-
Read X# of pages
-
Make notes of X chapter
-
Go through X number of flashcards
-
Solve X number of questions
-
Review X number of questions
-
Go through X number of lectures
-
-
​​
-
Make a targeted “to-do list” for your day by extracting the things from your main to-do list according to urgency and aim to finish that by the end of the day.
​​
-
Use a way to track your days either through your calendar app on your phone or through a notebook/agenda.
-
Write down important deadlines.
-
Write down exam dates.
-
Write down announcement dates (grades announcement, acceptance announcement, etc).
-
Beginning and end of semester dates.
-
​​
-
Figure out what hours and environment best works for you: Do you prefer to study during the day or at night? Do you prefer to study at home, at a coffee shop, or in a library? Alone or in a group? Give each of those things a try and assess how your productivity and mood compares through each experience. For example, my ideal combination is during the day + library + alone for some tasks, in a group for others.
​​
-
Maintain your notes and computer files in an organized way, it will save you a lot of time for when you'd need to refer to them.
​
-
Scan any important documents and keep them in one folder e.g. passport, CV, immunization records, certificates, transcripts, degrees, etc. When applying for something it'll be much easier to upload any supporting evidence they need by simply referring to that folder.