The Key to Productivity

[ibsurvivors]

I often thought it took me 5 hours to write an English essay, however one day, around half way through the second year of the IB I timed myself to see how much time I actually spent on writing (I made sure the stop the timer whenever I took small breaks, procrastinated and did anything other than work). What hit me was how unproductive I actually was: out of the 4 hours I had been sitting at my desk only 1 hour and 45 minutes were actually spent doing what I was meant to. The worst part was that it honestly felt as though I had worked 4 hours!

 

This was a pivotal moment (one that came too late); I realized that I had created myself an illusion of how much I actually worked. You might think this issue doesn’t affect you but this wasn’t standard procrastination it was “stealth procrastinationâ€; one that struck from the shadows without leaving a trace behind. I suggest that you too time yourself and see productive you actually are.

 

Once I had identified the issue I begun timing myself and recording my worked hours daily. I was no longer blind to the stealthy procrastination that occurred every time I worked, and was able to slowly improve my productivity. I also used this log of timed hours to identify patterns in my work habit. If I hadn’t worked for long it would serve me as a reminder and a nudge to start working and doing revision. I was also able to see how many hours I could work each day and set realistic goals. Mondays were for example a weak day, and I could only clock in around 2 hours of work (real work), whilst Thursdays were productive days and I would often see myself working over 4 hours. By having all this data I knew when and how to divided my work time effectively for homework and revision.

 

I strongly suggest you try logging your worked time for a month or two (it will grow on you). The information you gather could change your work dynamic for the better.

 

Productivity is an important part in any IB students work life. Optimizing workflow and reducing procrastination are key to accomplishing more in less time.  

 

If you enjoyed reading this, make sure to sign up for our mailing list! It contains awesome, free to read content that we publish weekly and we also do lots of give-aways! You can sign up here:

 

http://www.ibsurvivors.com/subscribe/

 

All the best, and have an awesome 2016,

 

Arthur 

Edited January 6, 2016 by ibsurvivors

[kristinamontinola]

This helps so much!! Recently I've been struggling with the "addiction to procrastination," and have been stuck in a cruel cycle... I'll try this timing thing and see if it helps!! Thank you for sharing this!!!

[ellie]

This is great! Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely be trying this.

[turtle turtle]

Hahaha I actually did this today and yesterday before i read your post. I started working at 10am it's now 4:20, and i've only worked for 2 hours out 6. I guess you need to take quick breaks to keep focus and alert, so you don't get tired and procrastinate

[turtle turtle]

Actually it brings be back to the question: Is it better to study with music?

 

Studying with music helps me study for long periods of time because it makes me less bored with my work and feel physically capable of studying

However, it's distracting and reduces my productivity/efficiency.

 

But overall, I wonder if studying w/ music is better or worse for you?

[ibsurvivors]

Actually it brings be back to the question: Is it better to study with music?

 

Studying with music helps me study for long periods of time because it makes me less bored with my work and feel physically capable of studying

However, it's distracting and reduces my productivity/efficiency.

 

But overall, I wonder if studying w/ music is better or worse for you?

 

I think it varies from person to person. For instance, I love studying to fast paced, edm type music and it really ups my productivity, but that's not true for the majority of people. However, studies have shown that studying whilst listening to classical music does indeed improve productivity and can keep you concentrated for longer periods of time.