Time Goes Fast (3 Keys to a Productive Spring Break)
Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash
Today, I will be returning to classes after a relaxing spring break. I am refreshed and ready to return to the daily routine, but I am amazed once again at how fast time passes.
At the beginning of last week, it seemed as if there was an endless amount of time. It is the same story every break. Monday through Wednesday is spent sleeping. Thursday and Friday is for worrying about all the work you did not do Monday through Wednesday. And the entire weekend is spent cramming a week's worth of work into two days.
So, how are we supposed to change this story? These three key decisions helped me to succeed this week, and I am sure that they can help you too.
Schedule plans
Set a morning alarm
Focus energy
Schedule Plans
Scheduling events in advance makes it easier to accomplish more during your break. By scheduling in advance, you create blocks of time in your calendar where you know you will be productive. It becomes easy to multiply this production by adding miscellaneous tasks onto existing events. It is harder to complete everything you want to complete when each task is a standalone event that you must make time for during the week. That is how a to-do list gets out of hand.
I employed this strategy during spring break. A few weeks before this break I began contacting people to set up times to get together. I also began scheduling times to run specific errands. My wide open week began to fill up with one and two hour chunks of time where I knew I was going to be busy.
Having these anchors in my day allowed me to attach unplanned to-dos and activities to these events. Friday, I knew I was going to be getting a haircut around lunch time. I had realized earlier in the week I was going to need to wash my car. Since I had scheduled time to get my haircut, I was already going to be out, and it would only take slightly longer to wash my car in addition to getting my haircut.
This addition to my existing schedule knocked an item off of my to-do list and cost me very little time and energy.
Set A Morning Alarm
Yes, I am a college student, and yes, I set an alarm on my break. However, the alarm was set for 9:45 a.m.
Setting an alarm and waking up with energy for the day is vital to having a productive break. It does not need to be a particularly early alarm. Its purpose is to help you get a reasonable amount of rest while not allowing yourself to over-indulge.
9:45 a.m. was the best of both worlds for me. I was able to get much-needed rest while maintaining a routine. Forcing myself to get out of bed helped me to start my days with intentionality. Instead of rolling out of bed still half-asleep a couple hours later, I woke up with initiative. "If I am going to wake up, I should at least do something worth waking up for," I reasoned.
Additionally, every task I was able to complete before lunch, was a task I would not have to worry about later. To-dos checked off in the morning always feel like a bonus to me. My most productive time is in the evening, so, if I can get things done in the morning, I have more time to focus on what is most important later when I am at full capacity. If you are a night-owl like me, this will be particularly helpful to you.
Focus Energy
Instead of wasting time trying to figure out how you are going to spend your time, focus your energy on one big goal. This will help you to efficiently use your time.
My big goal for the past week was to launch this blog. To learn about why I started it and what you can expect, read my first post.
In order to start this blog, I had to create a content strategy, write posts, design the site, secure the domain, configure the plugins, and promote it to you. The only way I was able to accomplish this in one week was by making it the primary focus of my energy.
Every day when I woke up, I thought about what needed to be done that day for the blog. As I fell asleep, ideas raced through my head that I would implement the next day.
The planning and the alarm I set were aimed toward creating time to achieve my goal of launching this blog. All my decisions were influenced by their impact on this goal.
Focusing my energy did not mean that I did not do anything else this past week. It only meant that I had no doubts about how I was going to use the unscheduled time in my day.
Final Thoughts
Time really does go fast. One of the great things about being productive and using time efficiently is that you have more time to do what you most enjoy.
By using these three ideas this spring break, I was able to launch this blog, reconnect with family and friends, and have some fun.
So, be intentional on your next break/vacation. Schedule your time, set an alarm, and focus your energy!