How to Plan for a Productive Day
Last updated April 1, 2021
As you progress through school, you’ll have more assignments and, in general, a busier schedule filled with extracurriculars and (possibly) a job. To get everything done, you’ll need to practice time management. You might already have a rough idea of what works for you, here are tips on how to plan for a productive day.
Use a planning tool
Decide on what tool you’ll use to help track your day. You can use a paper planner, a planning app, or bullet journaling. It matters less what type of planner you use. It matters more that you feel comfortable with whatever tool you use and are consistent in using it.
Review your schedule the night before
At the end of the day, go over the day you’ve had by checking off what you’ve finished. Ask yourself, what is in progress and what do you need to start. This will help you prioritize the next day with everything fresh on your mind.
Establish a morning routine
What do you need to do in the morning to have a good day? It could be having breakfast, doing your hair, making your bed, etc. Whatever it is, try to do this every morning to get yourself in the mindset for school or work.
Prepare your space for longer blocks of classes
If you are distance learning or working from home, you’ll be in front of your computer a lot. Set up your space to be as comfortable as possible with these ideas.
Block out time for breaks and eating
Using your computer all day is not healthy. Schedule times for breaks to get up and move your body, eat, or work on tasks where a computer is not needed. To help with screen fatigue and to rest your eyes, set a timer to go off every 60 minutes and focus your eyes and mind on something not on your computer screen.
Wind down from school/work
If you are learning or working from home, do something at the end of the day to signal the end of attending classes or doing work. This could be putting your textbooks away in a basket or bookshelf, shutting down your computer before dinner (and then turning it back on to study later), or changing your clothes.