Balancing Being Productive In School

Written By Colēgia

Productivity comes in many forms and it's necessary in order for us to accomplish our goals and responsibilities. The problem however is when we feel our self-worth is defined by how productive we are. It's unrealistic to think that way and we need to recondition ourselves to try and see it differently. We want to look at some mindset shifts that can help us when it comes to being productive in school.

Studying The Right Way

Study habits form the basis of how well we're able to get through our assignments and our performance on tests. One of the biggest things we need to unlearn is the idea of cramming most of our study material the night before. Procrastination often gets a bad reputation but it's often caused by a multitude of things. It could be that there are more urgent things that take priority or it could be the result of not taking care of our well-being. A better approach to studying is to gradually do a bit of it when we know a test is coming up. Half an hour each day of studying can work much better than setting aside 4 hours straight one day since it establishes a sense of consistency while building a habit. The benefit to this is that it's also much easier to use half an hour each day for an activity than setting aside a large block of the day for just one thing.

“Study habits form the basis of how well we're able to get through our assignments and our performance on tests.”

Recognizing Diminishing Returns

An extremely important thing to consider is how diminishing returns affect our productivity in school. One example of this can be taking too many extracurriculars. While a few of these are good since they give us something to look forward to after school when we do too many we run the risk of other areas of our life suffering as a result. If we're too busy with an excess amount of school assignments or activities we aren't making the time for our friends or family which provide their own sense of fulfillment. Being a good student is more than having the best grades, it's about having a sense of balance, integrity, and being able to appreciate all the small things that make up our lives. When we're dedicating too much of our time to one area we aren't making space for the other things in our lives that matter.

“An extremely important thing to consider is how diminishing returns affect our productivity in school.”

Rest Is Productive

Of all the things to be mindful of it's that rest is productive. It's unrealistic to keep going and putting out 100% of our effort for everything we do since it’s unsustainable. We eventually need to take time for ourselves to decompress so that we can mentally reset. A nap for example can give us the energy needed to get back to our activities and help us feel more refreshed. Taking enough breaks from our assignments can give us the motivation needed to return to them while also promoting fun throughout our day. Taking care of our well-being gives us the sustainability needed to do some of the toughest projects because it ensures we're valuing ourselves.

Colēgia

Colēgia

Previous

Mindful Studying
Next

Learning New Languages