Ah stress. I think we can all agree that in our society, stress is glorified and productivity is put on a pedestal. In a way, I think that’s good. It drives ambition and for those of us who love working hard and making plans and dreaming, it feels GOOD to be productive, to be a little stressed. But I think as with everything, too much stress ceases to be beneficial. There’s a fine line between being stressed enough to work your butt off and enjoy yourself in the process, while feeling like a boss, and being so stressed all you want to do is run away, but you can’t run and so you just cry into your cereal and wonder how you got into this mess.

Stress and productivity are the driving forces of so much change we see in the world, but I really hate that whole mentality that you need to drive yourself into the ground to be successful. Like you need to put your head down and forget all joy and basically become a machine to actually achieve your dreams. I’m sorry, but I would much rather be a teeny bit less “successful” but still keep my friendships and hobbies and the spark within me. Because to me, success involves being happy.

Plan it Out

I’m a huge proponent of planning. How could I not be when my Myers-Briggs is ENFJ (<– the J means I’m a planner!) I live by my Erin COndren Life Planner, and in there I put everything from the homework to workouts to plans with friends, and everything in between. In addition to that, I usually have a Notes document on my iPhone that has an hourly plan for the day (especially clutch when I’m literally running from one thing to another to help me stay sane and organized).

I usually get both of those done the previous day so that I know what to expect for the next day and am not lying awake ruminating on all the various things I need to not forget to do. I will say, too, I’m a planner, but I’m not too Type A. I’m pretty okay when things don’t go according to plan and I’m pretty good at adapting. So I would definitely suggest planning, but not putting too much pressure on yourself or the plan. Things do happen, and sometimes even the best plan can fall flat through no fault of your own. So give yourself some grace and remember that you’re doing your best. And honestly sometimes making a plan makes you feel like you’ve already accomplished a bunch.

Chunk It and Time It

This has been so huge for me, especially this semester when I have so much homework and various things that honestly I often REALLY don’t want to do. By breaking it up into bite-sized chunks and giving myself clear intervals of time to work on it, I feel much less intimidated by the work and actually sort of see it like a game. It’s like, ooh okay I have an hour, let’s see how much of this subject I can fully do and if I can start on this other one. Plus I have a little break to look forward to.

I really like the Pomodoro Technique for this, and you can find those timers online for free. The idea behind that is you work for a short period of time with no distraction and then you take a break. It’s scientifically proven to boost productivity because your brain does not have the chance to start getting bored or overburdened when the time intervals are so manageable. Definitely try this!

Employ Anti-Procrastination Techniques

So I’m normally not too terrible at avoiding procrastination. Like, I obviously still do it, and I’ve definitely been in the place where my roommate comes home and sees me reading another Pottermore article (#truelife), but this happens most often when I’m especially tired and just have way too much on my plate.

Procrastination is one of those things that feels really good when you really don’t want to do something, but then you kind of hate yourself because you know you’re only self-sabotaging. Sometimes, you need an extra little push to discipline yourself, and here’s where a whole variety of different apps come in.

For computers, I really like the app Self Control, which basically lets you put in specific websites to be totally blocked off from for a set period of time. It’s cool because you can’t get around it, even if you turn off your computer. However, I don’t use this too much because I usually procrastinate either on my phone or by going on really obscure websites, but this helps if you find yourself consistently going on Youtube or Netflix or something like that.

If you’re like me and you use your phone to procrastinate, you know how hard of a habit this is to break. It just feels so good to grab your phone and scroll through Instagram or check your email for the billionth time or text a random person. It’s literally a dopamine hit. I knew I needed to do something when I found myself literally checking Instagram and Gmail every five minutes, despite knowing there was nothing new there. I was taking twice as long to do all my work and just felt out of control.

And then I found a life changing app. Okay, maybe that’s too dramatic, but it’s amazing and I’m so excited to share it with y’all. It’s called Forest, and basically you plant a tree and let it grow, but if you exit the app during the interval of time you set, the tree dies. And the tree is so cute and little, and you just feel like a horrible person when you kill it, so somehow this really keeps me focused and avoid procrastination.

Schedule Breaks

Breaks are honestly the secret sauce to productivity. Just like rest days are one of the most important parts of a solid workout routine, breaks help you maintain your energy and motivation.

There’s no right or wrong way to take a break, but I would suggest doing something that either makes you happy or just makes your brain take a break. Sometimes having a snack can be a good break if you’re getting hungry and need a boost, sometimes half an episode of a show (just try to discipline yourself with maybe some of the techniques of the previous point). Sometimes it’s drawing or coloring for 10 minutes, or playing a few songs on the guitar. Sometimes it’s reading a few pages of your favorite book, or reading a couple blog posts. I know there’s often an urge to scroll through social media, but that’s the one kind of break I wouldn’t recommend. Social media is kind of a black hole, and it’s really hard to stop once you start scrolling. Plus, it can put you in a bit of a negative mindset if you start comparing yourself to everyone “living their best life.” If ya gotta ‘gram, cap it at about 3 minutes. I find that’s enough for me to catch up with my favorite accounts and make sure the world is still revolving. 🙂

Socialize

I think this one applies to both extraverts and introverts, but for the latter, may take backstage priority when the to-do list gets long. I’m an extravert, so I know I do not feel my best when I haven’t had enough interaction in my day. I would argue that every single person needs to feel connected and get a bit of a social boost to make sure they’re feeling their best.

When you’re so busy, it can be hard to actually schedule a hangout or lunch, but for me, even sitting together with a friend in silence and studying is often just what I need to make the process so much less painful and even enjoyable. MB and I often hole up together in a study room, turn on either HP or Star Wars music (those two are seriously BEST for studying), and just go at it. It’s much harder to not be productive when there’s someone sitting across from you getting their work done.

If you prefer to study alone, or this isn’t an option, even phoning a friend or a family member and talking to them for some time is often the perfect remedy for burnout. They’ll listen to you vent and remind you that you’re a badass and you got this.

Food and Exercise

Trust me, I know how easy it is for these two to fall to the wayside when stressed. There’s a reason that finals season is basically synonymous to sitting in one place in your sweatpants surrounded by piles of chips and pretzels.

I know I feel best when I’m fueling my body properly and moving in a way that is helping me purge excess stress and is not adding on unnecessary stress to my body. So while I normally love high intensity workouts, when I’m super stressed, I might be craving a yoga flow instead to calm me down. Or maybe I’m actually craving a run because I just want to focus on the physicality of my body and not think so much about everything I need to do. Other days, I know I’ve just got too much going on and also am running on super low sleep, and so taking a rest day is the best thing I can possibly do for myself. It all changes day by day.

In terms of food, I think eating healthy is definitely harder but totally possible when you’re busy, and eating real whole foods will help you think clearly and perform at your best.

One thing I tend to do when I’m super busy and stressed is I start eating small snack-sized meals throughout the day because it’s quick and gives me a fast boost of energy. It’s not super ideal, and a lot of times, those days end up sadly lacking in veggies, but I still know I’m eating foods that make me feel good. Lots of nuts, fruits, hummus and carrots, smoothies, etc. Lemme know if you wanna see a post on my favorite quick healthy snacks!

Sleep

I have such a love-hate relationship with sleep. I am well aware that I need a lot of it. Like 9 hours is my ideal, which happens 10% of the time. But I also always want to do more and sometimes feel like I should just finish these last few things before I go to bed. And so sleep stops getting prioritized. The issue with that is the following day I am significantly less productive than I could have been and also just feel much more cranky, sad, and off. When all of that could have been avoided by just going to bed earlier.

I think with sleep it’s the same thing as breaks. It feels hard sometimes to let your body rest because it almost feels lazy. Like no, I can keep going, no rest for the wicked! But that’s a surefire way to burnout, and I promise you’ll get so much more done if you prioritize rest than if you chug it through, armed with caffeine.

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And those are some of my best tips. Trust me, I am not perfect and sometimes don’t follow any of these, but I ALWAYS feel better when I do. What I hope this post conveys is that it is absolutely possible to be productive and get shit done without hating life or feeling like you’re punishing yourself. I do NOT think success has to come at the expense of happiness, or that you can “sleep when you’re dead,” or any of the other ridiculous messages the media sometimes tries to sell. You do you, boo, and remember that your journey is only yours, and you are exactly where you need to be.

Love you lots!

Linking up with Amanda for Thinking Out Loud

What do you do to boost productivity and ease stress?

Do you think it’s possible to be successful without driving yourself into the ground?