You can never have too many tips!

Being a student means many things. It means meeting your forever friends or perhaps finding out you’re not as much of a fan of instant ramen as you anticipated. Among the great things that come with being a student, busyness is at the forefront and it can get overwhelming fast. 

But luckily for you, gatekeeping doesn’t come with being a student. Here are some tips to help you put an end to drowning in assignments and instead join in on the fun outside of schoolwork. 

Sleep is everything

You can’t expect to complete a day’s worth of work if you haven’t slept for the past three days. It can be difficult to fall asleep with a lot on your mind. Apps like Calm or sleeping playlists on YouTube or Spotify can be a great help.  Some of my favourites include ocean sounds, forest sounds and even rain sounds. Fun fact — you can listen to rain, stream, ocean, dark night sounds and so much more in the background of your Apple device. You can even listen to it in combination with your music playing from your streaming app – just follow these steps!

But, sometimes music is not enough. I often have a hard time shutting off my mind about what I have yet to complete, so I turn to my journal for a mind declutter. It’s usually gibberish about what I’m feeling but it genuinely eases me into the night. And do you know what happens when you prioritize sleep? You can start your day earlier!

If anyone’s figured out how to wake up at 10 a.m. and still manage to finish all their assignments — please let me know, let us all know.  Waking up early is unfortunately in fine print at the bottom of our registration forms — ok, it’s not, but it should be.

Once you transition into an early riser, you’ll fall in love with it. What’s not to love about the peace and quiet on an early autumn morning, checking off your to-do list or clearing your schedule for anything else? I mean, don’t jump into your morning with Blackboard opened up — try to ease into the morning, the same way you ease into your night. Listen to music, make some coffee, eat a full breakfast, take a warm shower and pick out an outfit. Make your morning to make your day. 

Write it out

No matter what they say, the classic to-do list is underrated. Invest in a notebook that’ll be solely for your daily and weekly tasks. Some of my favourites are from Indigo, but I’ve also scored some vintage notebooks from thrift stores. 

You can jot down everything and anything that you need to complete. From assignments and readings to laundry day — the possibilities are endless. Writing it all out has helped me manage my Sunday scaries —anxiety about the week that’s to come — so that’s a plus. With a lot of us managing various classes, part-time jobs and social activities, forgetting a due date or appointment can be easy. So, organization plays a huge part in your to-do list, and guess what? I have the perfect technique to share with you. Let me tell you about time blocking.

Start off with writing out 30 minute blocks from the start-time and end-time of your day. For example, 7 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 8 a.m, 4 p.m. and so on. Now take a look at your to do list and jot your tasks next to a time block.

Set your expectations to your own pace and due dates. I’ve fallen victim to forcing myself to skip breakfast and lunch to finish my tasks from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and it’s almost never worth it. 

This technique has helped me set suitable time expectations for everything I want to complete. Especially for the more annoying, daunting tasks that take no time at all — like calling my mechanic to book an oil change. But those tasks need love too so the two-minute rule is going to be your best friend. 

I learned about the two-minute rule from a podcast named 80/20 that I listened to years ago. It has stuck with me and I’ve practiced it daily since. The two-minute rule is simple: if it takes two minutes or less to do a task, do it that instant rather than adding it to your ever-growing list. We have a ton of two-minute or less tasks, so declutter your list and get it done!

Create your environment

I know it’s tempting to do your schoolwork from the comfiest spot in your bedroom — your bed. But among all the wonders our brains are capable of, it may link your bed with work instead of rest. I’m sorry to be that person but I promise it’s for the greater good. But don’t worry, I won’t leave you without showing you the brighter side. Creating your study environment is crucial for success, and this can mean different things for everyone. It may be a coffee shop, your desk, your dining table or the library. You want to have the spot — a spot that will allow you to declutter your to-do list.

I know I said not to study in your bed, but now I may tell you that not every spot is the ideal spot. Perhaps you ditched your room for the cafeteria but it could be too noisy from all the chatter or the microwaves going off. Search for a place with minimal distractions.

But even once you commit to a study space, you can still encounter one extra rocky road bump — your cellphone. For starters, put your phone on do not disturb. You can catch up with Instagram later, I promise. 

Make a playlist

I had to save the best for last. I am notorious for creating playlists for every situation, and studying is one of them. Most platforms have dozens of playlists that will set your preferred study mood. Whether it’s energetic and motivating or somber and calming — my personal preference — there’s a perfect playlist for everyone. 

My study playlist is 17 hours long, my longest playlist yet — yikes. It basically allows me to pretend I’m Rory Gilmore or Hermione Granger. A girl can dream, right? If you also love to study to somber and calm music, you’ve come to the right person. Some of my favourite artists are Bon Iver, Hozier, Iron & Wine, Billie Marten and Big Thief.

If you haven’t found your favourites for your study playlist, Spotify is amazing at recommending playlists that are catered to you. But of course, the classics are classics for a reason — YouTube is also a great platform to find what you are looking for. Following the theme of a somber and calm playlist, this 12-hour long YouTube playlist is one of my favourites.  

Once the semester gets rolling and with the midterm season upon us, we can easily underestimate how fast we can get behind. But don’t worry, IGNITE is always a shoulder and an ear you can count on.

Pop over to our Instagram @shareignite to let us know of any of your favourite productivity tips and which one of these tips has helped you out!

Feature image by IGNITE

Do you want to know more about study tips? Check out 6 ways to create a study schedule that really works for you!

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