A lot of you might hear the word ‘productivity’ or ‘productive’. This word is used all the time especially in social media nowadays and maybe in the StudyTube Community. But I wanted to explain this word and go into depth with it because I feel that people have misinterpreted this word.

Many people nowadays have this perception that productivity is when you ‘get a lot of schoolwork done’. You must have possibly studied or revised for hours and hours and that is the only way you can find yourself ‘productive’. However, this could not be further from the truth. 

Productive is achieving a significant amount or result. – Google

This simply means that if you are achieving something that will add value to your life or will give you a good result or will positively impact you in some way, you might be ‘productive’. This could surely be doing schoolwork or academic work, but it could also be extra-curriculars, self-care and sometimes even taking a break.

Obviously, there is a disclaimer to this. Procrastination cannot be productive as it is a guilty pleasure and is not really the break you deserve. So the key to being productive is priority – what is more important to you at that moment. You cannot be taking a break all the time and you have to do what is best at that moment. If you have an exam tomorrow, the thing that will make you ‘productive’ is obviously studying. But if you have just finished an exam, maybe what would be productive is spending an hour rewarding yourself by talking to your loved ones so it will replenish and motivate you for the future.

Productivity comes with discipline and choice. You have to want to be productive even when you are in a low day sometimes. 

Prioritise. Be Productive. Move On.

Please share this short, motivational reminder to anyone and everyone. 

What does productivity mean to you? Comment down below.

Please check out my other articles relating to Islamic content, My Experiences, Teenage Advice, Book Reviews and Poetry.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

And you may intend for this holiday to be productive.

What does it mean to have a productive holiday? Can you really do everything that you want to do during the holidays? And most importantly, how can you be productive this holiday?

In this article, I will be answering all those questions so make sure you scroll down and read the secret steps to success.

What Does It Mean To Have A ‘Productive’ Holiday?

Productive – achieving a significant amount or result. (By Google)

When you have a productive holiday, it doesn’t mean that you are working at your desk 24/7. It means that you are doing things that will add value to your life. Some of the things that I like to do in my holidays which makes me feel productive are focusing on academia, extracurriculars but also on self-care and relaxation.

Can You Really Be ‘Productive’ During The Holidays?

Of course you can. The key to being able to achieve your goals during the holiday and stay productive is time management. If you can manage your time, you can get it all done.

How Can You Be Productive During The Holidays?

Create A Holiday Plan

On your first day of the holiday or the night before, take a piece of paper and create different mind maps. For me, I like to make mind maps respectively for ‘Homework’ ‘Revision’ ‘Free Time’ and ‘Extracurriculars’. This can vary from holiday to holiday. Make all these mind maps in one sheet of paper and write down all the tasks on each mind map. This helps you to visualise what you want to get done this holiday.

Create Daily To Do Lists

After creating your holiday plan, you should know now what you have to do. Now, every single day, pick out a few tasks from each mind map and add them to your daily to do list. By having a variety of tasks, you are less likely to get bored and more likely to get them done. Make sure to follow those to do lists and you will realise some progress happening.

Work And Have Fun At Your Optimum Times

If you are a night owl, you may realise that during the holidays, you are getting academic work mostly in the night. Try to use your optimum times to your advantage. If you like doing academia in the morning, extracurriculars in the afternoon and fun activities in the evening then follow that.

Try To Wake Up And Sleep Around The Same Time

Now that you know which times you work best at, try to also wake up and sleep at around the same time. For instance, if you are a night owl, perhaps, you may wake up at 10am and sleep at around 11:30pm. Make sure it fits you.

Reward Yourself

Please remember to reward yourself as the holidays are a time for relaxation. Relaxation can also sometimes be productive if done in limits. If you have a 10 day holiday, maybe you spend 6-7 days of that holiday staying at home and then the remaining 3-4 days may be spent lazing around fully. Do what works best for you.

These were some of the tips on how to be productive during the holidays. Comment below any tips that you have in order to stay productive in the holidays. Also, don’t forget to share this website article with your family and friends.

Please check out my other articles relating to Islamic content, My Experiences, Teenage Advice, Book Reviews and Poetry.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

If you are new here, my name is Surobi. I am a teenager and student who also is trying her best to create weekly podcasts on ‘The Chat Library’ (available in over 5 podcast platforms), create weekly blog posts on this website and stay updated with 2 Instagram pages (@surobiscribbles and @thechatlibrary). And if I can do it, you can probably do it too.

So here are my tips:

Habit 1: Find out what your true end goal and purpose is

A lot of people live very disorganised lives due to the fact that they don’t know why they are there. You need to find out what you are working towards. For example, instead of making school a place you go to just because ‘it’s required by law’, make it a place you are going to ‘seek knowledge and learn skills for life’. Find your purpose in life, and this doesn’t necessarily only mean your future career.

Habit 2: Write down your general routine

Now, after you have received that boss of motivation and purpose, it is time to look at yourself right now. Be honest to yourself but write down your general routine at the moment, meaning what you do generally on a daily basis.

Habit 3: Figure out your limits

If you realise that your routine is packed with unproductive tasks, it is most likely due to the little devil within you who tries to stop you from achieving things. Everyone has a different devil within and also different problems in life. Try to figure out what is limiting you to be productive.

Habit 4: Try to work on your problems

This may take time but you need to exercise this muscle every day bit by bit. You need to have a positive approach that if you have problems from stress to family problems to being undervalued, you need to solve them.

Habit 5: Get rid of your distractions

If there is anything physically that you can remove from your life quite easily, try to do so. An example of this is your phone so have limited screen time, put it somewhere else when you are working or even hand it to someone else.

Habit 6: Make small adaptable changes/habits into your life

When you are working on these problems, believe strongly that you will solve it and also do it slowly. You can’t expect yourself to completely eliminate your social media in one go if you have been using it for 5 hours daily. Take it slow but try to stay consistent.

Habit 7: Have a planning system

A lot of people do end up procrastinating because they have so many tasks and they don’t know where to start from. Start by writing a brain dump of all the tasks and then prioritise and go from there. You can stay consistent on doing this procedure by having a set planning system, whether it is a bullet journal, academic planner or a digital app.

Habit 8: Set aside time for relaxation and self-care

Relaxation and self-care are needed so when you are incorporating healthy habits into your life, ensure that you also have time in the week where you focus on yourself. This is not always a fixed time but just try to assign times where you can take care of yourself and not tire yourself out.

Habit 9: It’s okay to have a break

Remember that sometimes it is okay to have a break. But do not use your breaks as a reason to procrastinate. What I am saying here is that if you feel burnt out, want to reward yourself for actually achieving something good or if it is spontaneous, then you should have a break. 

Habit 10: Keep accountable with someone else

If you are finding it hard to do these tips, do not worry. Take it slow bt if you need some extra help, ask for help! You can ask for help from a trusted adult who is most likely to be your parents, older siblings or a counsellor. You can change your life for the better.

These were some of the tips that sort of helps me to manage my time well and I hope this helped. Use these tips to your own risk as it is your choice. And remember, that you should never give up because that is just not worth it. 

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Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!