Wednesday, 30 October, 2019 - 15:00
We all want to be more productive. With new technology we expect life to be easier. But that’s not always what happens. What will actually help us achieve the things we want to achieve?
Below are some great productivity tips for students based on how the brain works best:
1. Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
A 2017 study by the Brain and Mind Institute found that people who sleep 7-8 hours per night have greater cognitive performance.
2. Cultivate self-awareness.
Be mindful of your own habits and productivity patterns - Do you focus better in the morning, afternoon, evening? Does it depend on the kind of task?
3. Trick yourself into feeling productive.
An interesting study showed that, even though we can’t technically multi-task, the brain can trick itself into being more productive by believing that it’s doing more than it is. For example if you are listening and taking notes during a lesson your brain will believe you are doing more which will keep it motivated.
4. Question, rather than affirm, your goals.
Research shows that if you ask yourself whether you will accomplish your tasks or not, rather than simply saying, “I will accomplish this task,” leads to greater productivity.
5. Allow the source of your motivation to change.
Research has found that our source of motivation changes part-way through the process of pursing a goal. First, we are motivated by the idea of achieving the goal, but after a while, our motivation changes and we become driven by the idea of not achieving our goal.
6. Exercise before learning to enhance retention.
Part of productivity is efficient learning. We need to be adept taking in new information and hitting the gym before class will help you to retain information.
7. Identify the bigger purpose.
Sometimes we can get caught up in the small tasks that we forget the bigger reason we’re doing them. We’re more likely to stay motivated if we keep the big picture in mind.
8. Ease into using new productivity tools.
The brain likes familiarity just as much as it likes variety and newness. If you’re thinking of using a new app or productivity tool, make sure it doesn’t change up your habits so much that you end up being less productive.
9. Brain-dump your worries before you study.
The Default Mode Network is the part of the brain that gets in the way of work when we’re distracted by our personal life. It’s activated when we’re thinking about our problems. So put your worries aside before you study by doing a brain-dump. This can be by writing or talking about our concerns - just so long as we’ve got them out of our heads.
10. Tie goals to your identity.
We’re far more likely to do things that we feel are in line with our personal identity. For example, if you tell yourself “I am an entrepreneur” while you’re taking an entrepreneurship course rather than waiting until after the course, you’ll be more energized to tackle each task along the way because it’s already part of your identity.
To read this article in full visit https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/10-productivity-hacks-students
Source https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed By Saga Briggs