Want to be more productive? (Don't we all!)
Productivity is a challenge, and it's very individualized. That means that something that works for your friend might not work for you, and that's okay. You just need to find a way to get things done that fits your needs, be they low- or high-tech.
Sometimes the hardest part of being productive is getting started. Either you're procrastinating, or you're just not sure where to begin.
With procrastination, it's often best to just start writing, outlining, whatever the project may be. You can also use some of the focusing tools, like timers, to at least start.
Procrastination often has a root cause, and you can sometimes figure out what it is to unblock yourself from working. For example, is your space untidy? If you go somewhere near or clean your workspace, that can help.
If you are worried about making mistakes, allow yourself to draft freely for the first draft, not looking at errors and setting a timer to write anything you can. You can use a tool like Lucid to organize your thoughts or create concept maps, or google "five minute timer" to get a timer without bothering with specific tools or apps.
If you're unclear of how to proceed with a project, you can use AI tools to help break things down. One tool, Magic ToDo, offers to-do lists in the form of tasks and subtasks. Just write what you're wanting to do, and it will give suggestions of what you should do step by step to get to your goal. You can even break tasks down into smaller units (so, instead of "research for your paper," it would tell you to look online for sources, look at the sources, etc.) or estimate how long the tasks will take.
You can also use an AI tool like ChatGPT or Copilot to help generate a study plan or task list. This is great for projects that you're not quite sure about. You can provide additional information about yourself that the AI can take into account, such as your sports schedule, the fact that you can't do anything on Wednesdays, etc.
Focus is one of the biggest challenges for tackling big projects. There are different ways to tackle focus: by using timers and systems like Pomodoro to take structured breaks, turning off distractions, and using music and sound mixers to create your focused environment.
As mentioned before, the easiest way to get a timer is to google "X minute timer," with the X being the number of minutes you'd like the timer to be. For example, "five minute timer" would give you a five-minute countdown that you could use to do a writing sprint, a brainstorm session, or some research.
One helpful way to approach getting things done is to use the Pomodoro system, which allows for work time and break time in a structured setting. For example, you might work 20 minutes, then break for 5, and so on. You can find an online Pomodoro timer on the Pomofocus site.
If you work best with a bit of noise in the background, be it rain or white noise or even lofi beats to study to, then you can go to online soundboard A Soft Murmur to try and create a productive soundscape. You can also look on music platforms such as Spotify for "study" or "work" playlists that resonate with you.
If you are distracted by apps and tabs and windows and programs, you can silence them in different ways. For notifications, you can pause apps or set up DND ("do not disturb") sessions to make sure you are free from alerts.
If you are really distracted, you can use tools like Forest and Cold Turkey to change app behaviors. For Forest, you plant a tree when you are trying to focus, and it grows if you don't mess around on your phone. The tree will wither if you are distracted. Likewise, Cold Turkey is one of several different programs that block your access to websites entirely. If social media is blocked, you may be able to ignore it long enough to make progress and enter a flow state.
Once you are working on your project, you'll often want to find a way to keep all the different information you've gathered and created organized. For that, you can look into two types of tools: a clipping tool and an organization system.
Clipping tools can be used to save (and sometimes tag) content so that you can access them later. The most basic way to do this is by creating folders on your browser and on your computer to save links and documents respectively. Beyond that, however, you can save files online on cloud-based storage like Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, or iCloud to access between your devices.
If you are wanting to save a mix of links and documents, one option could be to use a system like Evernote or Notion to keep track of all the different aspects of your project (or beyond). If you are mostly wanting to sort and organize research, you can use a tool like Zotero, which works well with library databases to keep track of all the references you are using for a paper or other project.
