Do you find yourself lying down at night, reflecting on your day and thinking about all the things you wanted to do but couldn’t because you never found the time?
It is easy in this fast-paced society to feel like the clock never stops spinning, not even for a second, and all you want is a bit of time to catch up with everything.
Thankfully, each new day is a new beginning. Follow these 5 hacks that will help you get more out of each and every day.
Hack #1:
You Snooze You Lose
If hitting the snooze button is the first action you do every morning, you are already starting the day by procrastinating. Do not let yourself procrastinate right when you wake up.
A tip that I personally do is place my phone as far away as possible so that when I wake up, I have to force myself to get up in order to turn off my alarm.
If you are someone who often sleeps through your alarm, try the trick of putting your phone in a glass. Therefore the sound of your alarm is amplified and your more likely to hear it.
I definitely wake up way later than 5am, but regardless, this YouTube video featuring Vanderbilt University student Elliott Choy really opened my eyes to the many tasks that one can accomplish by waking up earlier.
Early risers also tend to be more motivated, better problem solvers, and more successful. So go for a jog, hit the gym, wake up to some lo-fi beats and rise and shineeeee (Kylie Jenner voice).
Hack #2:
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Hide. Your. Phone. It is hard to get in the zone when you are tempted to scroll through Twitter. Create a workspace that will help you focus on your work and avoid any distractions.
“The Pomodoro Technique” makes it easy for you to divide your day up into grind sessions that are 25 minutes long and 5 minute long breaks. I use the Google Chrome extension Marinara Pomodoro Assistant to help enforce this method. The short breaks will keep you refreshed and prevent your brain from being overworked. StayFocusd and FocusMe are Google Chrome extensions that has the ability to block websites (Facebook, YouTube, Netflix) to help prevent distractions while you work. You can also power your phone off and place it in another room to create a distraction free study environment. When I am studying at coffeeshops though, I like to put my phone all the way deep in my backpack so if I want to actually use it, I have to dig through all my stuff to get to it, making it easier for me to resist the urge.
Hack #3:
Prioritize your tasks
It is best to do the hardest tasks first so that the rest of your day is freed to complete everything else you need to do. Create daily to-do lists; they can be written on a post-it, whiteboard, or phone. Checking off tasks on a list is satisfying, and this way, you will ensure that even the little tasks are not forgotten. Momentum is a Google Chrome extension that displays a new inspirational photo and quote each day, as well as a to do list that can help keep track of your responsibilities.
If you forget things easily like me, make sure you insert time for smaller tasks too so that you don’t forget to do them. You can make simple labels for those such as “meet with advisor,” “email TA,” and “buy milk and bread.” Bigger tasks can be color coded with bright colors like red and yellow so they pop out more. On personal planners, the tasks can also be underlined, circled, or CAPITALIZED. Studying for an exam, finishing online homework, writing a blog post (hehe) or catching up on lecture videos can be considered “bigger tasks.”
As someone with ADHD, it is sometimes hard for me to organize my thoughts and plans for the week and my Passion Planner has helped a lot. I love how effortless it is to break down goals and daily activities because of the layout of the Planner and how organized it is.