Productivity - Tumblr Posts

The definition of productivity

I have 3 letter-writing assignments, a speech to edit, an argumentative essay to write and a debate to research.

Today I managed to convince my sister that I can see the future.

How was your day?

dimensions of executive function issues

(different reasons that i might not be able to focus, how to tell them apart, and [maybe] how to solve them. work in progress.)

low energy - feeling tired and sleepy - yawning a lot  - working feels like it takes way too much energy; I’d rather just sleep - feels effortful even to think - seek low-mental-effort activities like tumblr solutions: stimulants (incl. caffeine), listening to energetic music, getting up and going for a 20+ minute walk

lack of self-monitoring - feel like i’m running on autopilot - can’t easily recall the last 3 things I did - get up and walk around a lot; get lost in daydreams and thoughts - difficulty verbalizing thoughts - can respond to prompts, but hard to generate new plans/thoughts - often goes along with low energy solutions: not getting up and going for a walk, sitting at my desk and listening to happy-energetic music while looking at the task. talking through the problem with someone else – it’ll be hard at first but having to converse will bring my self-monitoring system back online.

restlessness - feeling bored, wanting stimulation - feeling frustrated - changing sitting position often, feeling uncomfortable, fidgeting a lot - seek tasty food but almost all food is not tasty enough solutions: try working with loud energetic music and a fidget toy. if this doesn’t work, go outside and run around for a bit until you’re breathing hard, then try again. let yourself have sugar after the run if you still want it. compulsion for something else - pulled towards other, more interesting thoughts/activities - if i start working, i get sidetracked by the more interesting things without noticing - easy to enter flow state on other tasks, just not this one solutions: this one is hard. write down the more exciting thoughts and promise yourself you’ll come back to them? (you may not come back to them.)

task aversion - feeling stressed when i think about the task - or, thoughts slip off the task easily (ugh field) - feeling scared or self-hatey when i think about the task solutions: try working on the task for just two minutes. if you still hate it / feel scared after two minutes, you can stop. try talking through the task with someone else and figuring out small first actions. try listening to happy-calm-forward-motion music. query your brain about other small things that would make you feel happy to be at your desk (tea? wearing your jacket if it’s cold? moving to a conference room with better lighting?) and if they’re easy, do those, and take the time to appreciate them as you’re doing them. but mostly, talk through the task and get help from others.

A cool technique for time management.

that horrifying moment

that moment when you realize that going on tumblr killed your productivity just a few minutes into starting your task. let's see if i can log off tumblr and get back in the groove again. no harm in trying.

Good news: if you’re currently laying around and not producing anything, you are a credit to your species.

LENOVO YOGA BOOK

Lenovo’s latest 2-in-1 offering isn’t only the world’s thinnest notebook, it also features a versatile second touch-screen instead of a keyboard

introduced at IFA 2016

my new notion setup♡ did some recoloring but elements are not mine !!

changed colors (on google calendar)♡ hex codes e0aac4, 191919, aa9a9c, f4a6d2, b07091, ca9db5 if u want to recreate !!!!

November mood and goal

- Clean bedding every two week

- Sweet candle

- Celebrate my birthday

- Celebrate mom’s birthday <3

- Honey hot milk

- Learn home remedies

- Baking vlog

- Buy a new journal notebook

- Change to a new diet

- Finish memorize flower meaning

That’s no problem! The latter months of winter are the hardest for productivity, even getting drawings done of a month is a success! Also RE7 is gonna ruin my work ethic.

Sorry I haven’t been very productive.  I got snowed in for a week and a half and lost power for half that.  RE7 comes out tomorrow and that will probably drown out the rest of my week, but I’ll try to start getting stuff done at a faster pace soon.

I really don’t like how I basically get one or two drawings done a month lately.

okay studybugs, to celebrate 20k+ (!! thank you so much?? what) i’m venturing into masterposts… so studying loads & loads works to a point, but using time productively is such a helpful skill (I’m still trying to learn) & can help reduce unnecessary study time/cover way more ground far more quickly so why wouldn’t you?? 

Methods:-

The right study methods are important, try a few and choose which work for you

E.g. I know that active study methods work best for me, so I write notes/essay plans, do exercises/tests, make flashcards and test myself, do past papers, and go over them all with a highlighter for good shit/key mistakes

Condense, condense, condense!! That’s why I use flashcards even more than full-blown notes now, it’s so much quicker and easier to deal with small chunks of info

Also flashcards take way less time in my experience – to make larger note-sheets pretty (which is a Big And Important Deal for me) takes a lot more time/planning/rewriting than just a little , A5- sized piece of card

I repeat: it is way quicker to write out 1 flashcard again than 1 whole A4 sheet of notes

On that note (ha), feel free to rewrite your notes if they go a bit wrong, but only if you have time and it will be beneficial to you. Re-writing notes can help get the information in better and is not always a complete waste of time. If not, tho, chillax, swallow your pride and keep on writing, even if you just had to cross out three WHOLE WORDS right in the middle of the page. Your examiner is not going to care. Promise :)

Use online resources we forget about these too much! Use Quizlet for absolutely anything (more on this below) and memrise is great too tho I don’t use/like it as much. If there’s a particular kind of test/resource you need, type it into Google, particularly if it’s for languages of for a set course (e.g. ‘EDXEL A-level History’), chances are someone else has needed it before too and it’ll be ready and waiting

Teach what you’re learning or discuss it with your mum/friends, anyone. Just talk at them and tell them everything you know on the spot, it’s a great way to help you remember everything and also test gaps in your knowledge

Alternatively just sit and write everything you know and can possibly think of for a topic it does the same job

General:-

Let’s improve time management

Study groups – beware to know thyself tho (if you think you and your friends will just spend ages chatting then avoid avoid avoid) but these can be a great way of keeping focussed and productive over longer periods of time, break up the monotony of studying and be a really helpful support network for a particularly difficult topic

Checklists! And keep them after you finish the day, they are so so indispensable for planning, staying on track and working out how much you have left to do, as well as reminding you how much you’ve already done (which is so important! Keep tabs on this! V. motivating and rewarding as well as instructive)

Actually just plan plan plan this cannot be stressed enough. I plan what I’m doing in each session for my entire day in the morning so that I can keep track of how well I’m doing. It doesn’t matter if you fall behind of catch up too quickly (lucky you), sometimes we over-estimate our fabulousness! Planning just gives you a structure (which really helps everyone) and short-term goals to work towards, which are important to keep you working/motivated

Plan specific activities/topics for each section. If you’re planning and writing in just ‘french’ for 45 mins or ‘latin’ for an hour then you might as well not be planning at all. Instead write ‘french: practise essay – [essay title]’ and ‘latin: four vocab tests (irregular verbs, adjective declensions, masc. & fem. nouns’

Have a set schedule! Keep to similar timings throughout the day with regular breaks (we all know this but it’s important). Lots of people find Pomodoros helpful, I find them a bit to stop-start-y and I can’t get much done so I prefer to have longer study periods with longer breaks. Do not work for more than 50 minutes at a time it is pointless, unhealthy and it does not work.

Maybe try to keep roughly to your school day timings to limit the amount of work you’re doing to a healthy level? I do 45 mins with a 15 min break each time (my printable schedule is here sorry it’s a bit messy)

This means even when I’m at school I can do 2/3 sessions in the evening still sticking to the same timings

What to do in breaks – make tea, small exercises, browse social media, have a chat

What to eat whilst studying – blueberries (the food of the gods got me thru my GCSEs), nuts, any fruit (your brain runs mainly on natural sugars – not refined), anything green (smoothie, kale, avocado), fish (maybe not for a snack but hey whatever floats your boat (ha))

Drink lots of water (tea counts! especially if it’s black (leaf-water)), eat well and exercise it’s actually beneficial to your energy levels, mood and information retention

Work in a well-lit (preferably natural light), comfortable and sensible atmosphere so you can FOcus – preferably quiet (exam practise) or if you need some noise make sure it’s low in the background so it won’t distract you – distractions = timewasting

Feel free to go somewhere other than your room if you know this is going to be more helpful! I find myself losing focus surrounded by my books etc. sometimes so coffee shops/libraries are a really good option (especially with classical music in my headphones)

I like soft piano music when studying as it’s calming and easy listening without any concentration but if you want to have a look at other background noise go here for music or here for general noise

Apps &c.:-

Disclaimer – I don’t often use apps to study. Almost all of these notes are just from brief interactions. I usually just use the default timer on my phone as my timings don’t fit the usual Pomodoro apps, but if you’re looking for something a little more snazzy my all-time faves (they’re all free) are:

Momentum (chrome extension for laptop) – studyblr stalwart; I actually use this every day & I love it. Aesthetic motivating new-tab/home screen with gorgeous landscapes, clock, inspirational quote and to-do lists 

Quizlet (website and app) – as I mentioned, my absolute fave app for on the go revision. Any quiz/test you need will be there (within reason). I way prefer it to memrise as I find that just takes too long. 4 different ways to learn on the app + more online, once you’ve saved the quiz it doesn’t need wifi so you can use it literally anywhere  

Flat Tomato – fave timer I’ve found. Based on Pomodoro but I’ve changed the settings and it works perfectly with the way I like to schedule my time (which is rare). To-do list from which you can name each session & also looks pretty with nice colours. V. simple, no habit tracker or anything but works really nicely & well 

FocusNow – Bye delay – free version of Forest which I’ve never used tho I know both are v. famous in the community (and for a reason!). Has an adaptable timer (based on Pomodoro). Grows a ‘castle-farm’ square-by-square for every session you go without clicking off the app. Habit tracker & everything and v. sweet 

MinimaList – v. simple but lovely-looking and accessible to-do lists. If you click on a to-do a timer for 15/30/45 mins comes up, and if you pick up your phone a dialogue box tells you to put it back down 

Pomotodo – really nice app from what I can see, just as good if not better/more aesthetic than Flat Tomato, with habit tracker &c. and v. v. cleverly designed. The only thing for me is that you can’t change the timings – it’s Pomodoro or nothing, but if that works for you would deffo recommend 

(FYI I have an iPhone so the above apps are all from the app store. Some good google play ones I’ve seen are: Pomotodo (again), Brain Focus, ClearFocus, Focus Lock and Forest which is on google and apple too (but: ££))

plus! focus & study more effectively; study better; study tips for lazy people

hopefully this helps, feel free to ask if you have any questions or requests (also 1st masterpost eek so please be nice and let me know what you think!). striving for maximum productivity is the interminable struggle - good luck

xxx e

23.07.2023 Today was both busy and enjoyable. In the morning, we went to the water, but due to the heat, we returned after lunch. Once we got back, I started working on the first chapter of my book. If all goes well and I stay awake after having two coffees, I may post it here tonight. After taking a break, I went to the store and bought another coffee before taking a walk. When I returned home, I was reading Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique". I have finalized the general character outlines for my novel and may soon share sketches of them. I am currently finishing up a chapter and will likely fall asleep listening to Lana Del Rey's "Blue Banisters" album through my headphones.

05.08.2023

Basic day, but productive. I woke up, ate a breakfast and go by bus to the gym. Next, my stepdad pick up me to home.

When I came back, I was reading (but my sister was very loud, and we're sharing our room, so it was hard to continue reading).

I ate a lunch, and next my parents went to the forest. I stayed at home, writing next chapter (I promise, tomorrow I will post it there, definitely), and in the evening I was just wandering around

And, my mum told me that we're going for a mountain trip to Slovakia, I'm soooo excited, 'cause I love mountains in this place. We'll be there for 4 days

Okay, that's all. I'm going to sleep, it's 1 AM actually

Byeee❤️

I really want to go to sleep right now, but i can't sleep without doing something productive and i tried to just post something but that didn't work so i guess i have to write a little more for my story and then just try to go to sleep finally.

[UPDATE]

I can now go to sleep happy because i have completed my goal :)

I did spend 30 mins looking for a name for both main characters but we don't need to talk about that.

Summary

Hi, hmm, so, I'm here to talk a little about my absent, or something like that.

My last uptade was 2 weeks ago, I was studying for my Physico-Chemical test (I still not knowing the name of this class) and I went well, can't say the same about the organic or physics, but thats okay.

I still in "final month", and it's getting really overwhelming for me. My mind is getting "sick" againg, and this time the beginning was a little worst than the others, but it's starting to get better.

Idk, I wanted to uptade and I didn't have anything to post bcs I didn't have the mood to do nothing pretty/good/productive.

See you next time :)))

25.08.2019

· { 1 / 30 days of productivity } ·

Today I had a biology and a chemistry test. My head was like exploding after spending all day at school. At least I was able to spend the last two classes in the schoolyard and clear my mind a little.

28.08.2019

· { 3 / 30 days of productivity } ·

Today I stayed at the school's library and made some exercises from organic. Tomorrow is my test and I feel like my whole life depends of my mark. Getting sad by anticipation.

At night I went to the museum to see a show about women and modernity. Cryed a lot.

02.09.2019

· { 8 / 30 days of productivity } ·

Today I spent all day at school. It wasn't one of the best days, I received a bunch of marks and I was a little sad with some of my results. Now I'm studying for my maths test of tomorrow.

Hope you all had a better day than mine :)

03.09.2019

· { 8 / 30 days of productivity } ·

Today I studiet to my Math test. At night I didn't do nothing, things are stressfull at home, so decided to clear the mind. Tomorrow I need to start to look at the others classes too. Didn't take any photo so decided to post old ones, this is where I keep my notes, I customized and I'm really proud of it. Maybe I'll post more pics someday.

Thursday 8th of August / Jeudi 8 août

I will try to describe my day in a more organized manner

Work/Focus: I focused for an hour today, did some sudokus, my focus isn't that bad, and the more I do sudokus, the better I become at it.

Since at the start of summer, I tried to slowly stop my scrolling consumption, I definitely did get better, mentally, physically, cognitively.

I literally feel like I got freed of my addiction to scrolling and short-form content, like I got back my control over myself and what I do and Im definitely happier like that.

Obviously, it's not perfect but the fact that I don't have urge to scroll anymore, the fact that I gained back my clarity of mind, the fact that I can focus half an hour without needing to be distracted or needing a shot of dopamine says a lot about how I improved just by cutting back from this destructive habit.

So I'm happier and proud because I actually did improve on my worst point.

(Because of this addiction I even failed this year's exams for my degree at uni, just so you know bad it was)

Health: ate pretty healthy, (apart from the burger and fries at 11pm), also walked a lot outside before and after that, 5000 steps

Main event: Tried to work on myself by doing actual work as said previously.

Then I visited some cousins with my family, I played Minecraft, it recalled me my childhood, I want to play that game again now.

Then, with my brother and the 2 cousins my age, we got outside at night, it was 11pm and we decided some fast-food would be good.

It was a short fun trip at night (it was so fun, I now have a good memory for life).

So we go out, it's dark, 11pm, we drive to a fast-food, buy burgers and fries and enjoy the meal over some talking. It was delicious.

Then we drove a bit more around the place where they live with loud music in the car.

And when we got home it was late.

My mother was waiting for me and my brother to come back so we could go home, we had to go by foot since we didn't have a car that would fit all my family.

It was a short walk; 15 minutes at most, they don't live far from us, it's one small neighborhood away and it's pretty safe (I live in a nice place in France so it's alright)

So we go home then, my small siblings are singing random things during the whole walk.

There's literally no one else around so we can run around, race, take poses on the road to take picture. We were just enjoying.

When we finally get home, it's 1 am.