Staying focused on a task can be tough when motivation is low and it seems like there are endless distractions preventing anything from getting done. Maintaining this passion project while keeping school, my social life, and happiness as my priority has taught me a thing or two about how to keep life fun while wearing many different hats and doing things that you don’t want to do. Here are some ways to improve productivity in a simple, low-stress, and efficient manner.

Treat whatever you’re focusing on like a 9-5 job.

When I first started college my grandpa got me How to Become a Straight-A Student in hopes that it would help me reach academic success. Although I definitely am not a straight-A student anymore, the biggest takeaway I got from this book was to think of school as a job in itself. What this means is that regardless of how many classes you have on a given day, you use all of your free time on the given day(s) doing school-related tasks. I use this mentality only on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and doing this has made procrastination obsolete and opened up lots of free time to do what I truly feel passionate about. It’s also important to note that this mentality can be applied to areas other than school, like growing a side hustle or learning a new skill.

Add elements that make it more enjoyable.

This tip has been imperative for me recently, as I’ve come to learn that if I don’t incorporate little aspects of enjoyment into a task that feels like an uphill battle (like writing this blog post at the moment) the momentum won’t last in the long run. This could be putting on a Cercle set when studying, going on a walk around the block as a break, or ordering Starbucks’s newest seasonal drink. For Christ’s sake, life is supposed to be enjoyed!

A three-bullet point to-do list.

Sometimes when it feels like there are a million things I need to complete, writing out a to-do list and subsequently being reminded of everything that needs to get done is the last thing I want to do. To combat the stress that comes with information overload, I’ve adopted a strategy from the Mindset Mentor Podcast that’s made all the difference. Instead of writing out every single task you want to complete in a day, you make a list of three, just three, items that absolutely need to get done before the end of the day. Doing so has made productivity come off as less daunting and more attainable.

Assign each device a purpose and stick to it.

Just as the Constitution says to not mix church and state, don’t mix different reasons for using a piece of technology between devices. For me, this means using my phone for checking social media and texting, assigning my laptop the role of doing school work, creating documents and spreadsheets, and watching things, while my Apple Watch is used to keep track of my metabolic activity. This means that I don’t have text notifications on my Apple Watch or laptop, which yes is a little unconventional, but doing so has made getting work done so much easier because it minimizes the opportunity window for distractions to occur.

Remember the bigger picture.

Connecting the small, mundane tasks to a larger, more meaningful ‘why’ is a powerful way to make getting work done more rewarding. Discipline trumps motivation any day, and making this principle easy to attain starts with building those tiny efforts into something bigger over time.

💘 Hanna