Ever have fourteen things on your "to do list" and only three thirty minute increments throughout your day to do them? Welcome to adult life. As a college student I also run into these situations where I will be running from class to class to rehearsal, and have a plethora of things to accomplish before my head hits my pillow. I have found that I am far more fruitful when busy than when I have bulk free time. Within my crazed days I have discovered three tricks to be productive when under pressure.
Prioritizing
1. What is due/needs to be done the soonest?
2. What will take the longest to accomplish?
3. Can I work on these in increments?
Ranking your duties will help you find which one to do first, and give you better understanding for how much time should be spent on it.
Scheduling
Often this is people's downfall when trying to get things done. They do not evaluate how long things will take and then end up spending half the night trying to finish a task. If something can be worked on throughout the day or even week I highly suggest spreading out the labor, breaks are very beneficial so you are not be clawing your way to the finish line.
1. Look at the open times in your schedule
2. Revaluate your appointments: certain things can be done while you are on your bus or train commute
3. Plan highly prioritized items first
Focus
Now that you have prioritized and scheduled out time to do your work, do it. Put your phone on "Do Not Disturb", stop checking social media, email, etc. This moment is the valuable time you have set aside to accomplish what you need to get done. So, DO IT.
Those are my three tricks that I have mastered when getting things done in a short amount of time.
