Happy May! I’ve been saying this for a while, but time doesn’t feel consistent or real at all lately. Time has been passing slower or faster than usual, and the speed of time passing depends day to day. It’s been very disorienting. April seemed to fly by, as to compared to March. Has it been that way for you?
Anyways, I graduate college in a few weeks. I will officially have my Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management with an emphasis in Professional Sales. But, because of quarantine, I haven’t been to school since the 12th of March. Since then, it’s been Zoom meeting after Zoom meeting and constant texting in group chats for school projects. My productivity has taken a hit, for sure. Being back at home requires a certain degree of knowing what I have to do at all times and what’s due and when, which requires loads of organization. I have no issue with that, thanks to my bullet journal, Google Calendar, and task lists. But I needed certain things to be productive and here they are!
Google Calendar
I have been using Google calendar for a few months now and I love it! It’s really helped me stay productive because I can plan out my day and know when my assignments are due. Especially during quarantine, it’s easy to lose track of time. Thanks to my Google calendar, I get notifications before events or due dates. It helped me once with my online homework because I got a notification thirty minutes before it was due. I had completely forgotten about it and thanks to that notification, I was able to get it done on time. Another bonus of Google Calendar is the ability to color-coordinate the events! I can differentiate between class schedules, online assignments, work, and other due dates. I highly recommend!
Apple Watch
I wear my Apple watch every day for a bunch of different reasons. Mostly, for exercise and being on top of my health. The other big reason is so that I never miss a notification from my phone! Before I received the watch as a gift, I would miss texts, calls, and emails because I didn’t have my phone on me 24/7. Thanks to my watch, I now am super on top of everything I need to do! I have all my settings set so that I get notified when people text, when my calendar(s) have an event coming up, and when people need to get ahold of me. My productivity has been higher since having it. I really like it and recommend it to everyone. Word to the wise, check out Target. They always have sales and you can get an automatic 5% off when you use your RedCard (which is free to sign up for if you don’t have it!).
Set Goals and Rewards
I know what motivates me. I like having things to look forward to once I get something done. Case in point, when I finished writing my paper for my Women’s History class, I let myself enjoy a pint of Halo Top. I wrote my paper faster knowing that I had something to look forward to than if I didn’t. That’s what works really well for me! Of course, everyone is different, and what motivates me will most likely be different than what motivates you. Try some different things out! Try having a reward, or setting a goal, or just feeling proud that you accomplished what you needed to. Try everything to try to find what works best for you!
These are my productivity essentials and tips! I know that it’s been hard lately to be productive with time not feeling real and being stuck home all the time. These are some of the things that I use and do to stay productive during these times. I hope that you enjoyed this post and let me know what you do to stay productive! And, as always, thank you so much for reading!
Love,
Kaitlin H Powell 