hufflepuffwannabe:

Sometimes advice to be more productive asks a lot of you, perhaps too much. It’s okay if you’re not ready to throw away your TV. It’s okay if you don’t want to get up at 4AM to work out. Through extensive reading of self-help books and trying these myself, I found these little tips yield big results.

1. Get Out of Bed Earlier. Most people naturally have more energy in the morning. But not all of us are morning people. It helps to:

• Let in natural light. Open the blinds to wake yourself up.
  
• Drink a glass of water. After sleeping, you are usually dehydrated, and often dehydration is confused with tiredness.
  

2. Get Ready to Face the Day. It usually helps to be dressed when facing the day, even if you have nowhere to be.

• Get dressed. Nothing fancy, just something comfortable, something you might wear to school.
  
• Wash your face + brush your teeth.
• Eat a substantial breakfast.

3. Start With the Hardest Thing. If you haven’t already made your to do list for the day, make one, and then begin with the hardest task on the list. Since the morning is when you have the most drive and energy, putting it off might mean that you may not have the energy to accomplish it later.

4. Unplug Yourself. Untether yourself from your phone while you work. Attempting to multitask just divides your attention and makes you less efficient. Get an app that keeps you away from your phone. I find Forest works well for me. If you’re really struggling with the internet, put your computer away and go analog: do your work long hand.

5. Take Breaks and Stay Hydrated. As I mentioned before, sometimes when we feel tired, we’re really just thirsty. Also, some people find they work best in 90 minute sprints, while others work best with shorter periods of focus broken up with short breaks (See: Pomodoros).

I hope this helps. Good luck out there!