Tutopiya’s Guide On How to Increase Productivity in Students
What is Productivity?
Productivity essentially means Efficiency.
How efficient are you?
How well can you do something in the given amount of time, successfully?
These are some of the questions that will help students understand productivity.
On a more economical tone, productivity means the amount of positive beneficial outcomes a student can produce with the different kinds of input from his/her environment
In a student’s life, there are a lot of inputs like tasks, events, exams, assignments, and activities.
How students respond to these inputs and if the resulting outcome or output is favourable for them defines how productive they are.
As students meet the demands and challenges of the inputs, students are required to be their productive best.
The interaction between the inputs and the student’s ability to respond to them effectively, in order to achieve the desired, beneficial, and rewarding outcomes, shows how productive they are.
The more productive you are, the larger the number of positive desired outcomes.
As the number of desired successful outcomes increases, the student gets closer to achieving his/her task or any ‘goal’ they want to achieve.
This goal could be anything.
A goal could be getting an A+ in IGCSE mathematics this semester or becoming a top athlete at school/college.
The outcomes/outputs can be anything that will help you achieve your goals successfully.
‘Being productive’ or ‘being efficient’ is a vital aspect of a student’s being.
It means that students have to be the most efficient if they wish to reach their goals.
If students are productive then they are efficient enough to meet the challenges and tasks that are needed to achieve their goals and aspirations.
How to Increase Productivity In Students?
We now know what productivity is and why it is important.
Next, it is necessary to understand that some times student productivity decreases.
It decreases due to external factors like deadlines, stress, reduced confidence, poor health, exam pressure and peer pressure.
Internal aspects like physical and mental tiredness, demotivation and a lack of support can get students feeling less productive.
The purpose of this article is to show how productivity can be increased in students.
Increasing the student’s productivity will help them achieve their goals better.
Making them all-rounders in their academic, social and extracurricular activities.
As students begin to apply these simple yet effective tips given below to their lifestyle, they will notice an increase in their productivity levels.
This increase in productivity will help them achieve the desired successful outcomes/outputs.
Consequently, being able to achieve their own desired short or long term goals.
Readers and students going through this article will find easy tips and ways to increase student productivity.
With some small tweaks in a student’s lifestyle together with planning ahead and organization, students will find themselves to be more productive in no time!
What are the Tips to Increase Productivity In Students?
1. SET REALISTIC GOALS
The first and foremost thing to do when you are trying to increase your productivity is to set realistic goals.
Realistic goals will allow students to have a focus and make clear plans.
Not having realistic goals set out will confuse students.
They will not be able to decide what it is they are aiming for.
Students without realistic goals will set unachievable goals that they assume they can achieve.
But in reality, they have no real idea if those goals are attainable within the given amount of time
For example-
When students are revising last minute for exams, they will be able to increase their productivity if they have a clear realistic goal of what urgent and important chapters need to be revised.
Instead of diving right into the textbook for last-minute revision while being confused on which chapters should be covered first.
Confusion and misdirection will cause a loss of valuable time, effort and energy.
As a result, this lowers student productivity since students are misguided, tired and are running out of time.
On the other hand, moving forward by setting goals with a clear idea of what chapters need to be covered will make students more focused.
2. PLAN AHEAD
Planning is just the next step towards increasing productivity.
When students set goals they decide to follow a particular road map.
Planning is what makes the student decide which roads will take them to their destination.
Once the goals are set, to increase student efficiency and hence, student productivity students must plan how to achieve those goals.
A plan must include all things that will facilitate their journey to achieving their goal.
This means organizing resources, making schedules and keeping a note of important dates and times.
How will this increase student productivity?
When a student makes a proper plan the plan must include all the details that will help guide the student.
It should also facilitate focus and give them a direction to start putting their plan to action.
Planning saves time and is an excellent time management tool.
It is one of the most effective ways to increase productivity and allows students to manage time appropriately.
Plan what you have to do, which chapter you have to study and for how long.
As a result, when you sit to study all you have to do, is follow the plan!
Tutopiya has abundant study and lesson planners in their repository.
3. STICK TO ROUTINE
Once the goals are set and the plans are made the routine should be decided and followed religiously.
Routines make life easier and make students do the tasks that they would otherwise not do willingly.
Following routines will increase productivity because students will have a system to follow.
This system will allow them to complete tasks that they may not like but have to produce the desired positive outcomes.
4. CREATE POSITIVE WORKSPACES
An organized, positive, and a neat workspace is vital.
A neat and organized workspace or desk is an asset to increasing productivity in students.
The more organized and well-arranged workspace, the less time spent looking for things and resources.
This gives more time to the students to use for studying, researching, and maybe even resting making them more productive
Productivity will increase if students spend time in things that will propel them to reach their set goals, rather than wasting time in petty activities like looking for missing worksheets!
Time wastage can be prevented by having an organized and arranged workspace with all the required materials and resources.
Positivity is connected to motivation.
Having a positive mindset, attitude, outlook and even a positive thought will keep students away from negative thoughts like failure, embarrassment, panic and sadness.
Likewise, a positive workspace will only motivate and encourage students to do better.
Negative thoughts often push students to worry about factors that can decrease their productivity significantly.
Things to look for when creating positive, motivating and organized workspaces.
- Pick a corner in your home or school library that has ample sunshine.
- Put a motivational quote or picture that can remind you of positive thoughts.
- A picture of your family or the goal you are trying to achieve.
- If you study late in the nights make sure to install a bright table lamp.
- Personalize your workspace so that you feel welcomed and comfortable.
- Allocate space on the desk for your resources, notes, binders and textbooks.
- Your stationery must be placed in the right spot for quick access.
5. TIME MANAGEMENT
Time management is a form of mental planning to make sure students are using their precious time, mindfully.
Knowing how to manage the amount of time in one’s hand usefully is a tool to increase productivity.
It is through time management that students can decide what can be achieved with the amount of time in hand.
Students must decide if they will be able to efficiently complete all their tasks, revisions, and eventually achieve their goals in the given amount of time.
Managing where and how students wish to spend time is important.
Time is of the essence, especially during exams and last-minute study revision.
It is in these periods that the student must learn to prioritize and allocate time blocks for those priorities.
After this, students must track what has been completed and set aside time for what needs to be done.
6. LIMIT THE TIME SPENT ONLINE UNNECESSARILY
Facebook, Instagram and all social media sites are like black holes.
Students need to have a very strong will power to resist the pull of these distracting time wasters.
It is reported that students spend roughly 6 to 8 hours on social media websites a day.
In other words, a chunk load of valuable time is wasted.
The time that could be spent on learning a new sport, doing revision, helping out with school activities, and engaging in a creative hobby.
This is a big NO if you are looking to increase your productivity.
No one is asking students to abandon their social media websites.
Students can always become active on social media sites after their exams.
On the other hand, being productive means to have a healthy balance.
It brings about a healthy balance for students to be active on social media and yet ace the school year.
Far more time is spent on entertainment websites like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
This leads to students binge-watching shows and poor sleep during the night.
All these factors decrease student’s productivity hence making students less efficient.
In fact, these factors tire the students, make them lazy and lethargic further damaging productivity and performance.
The best way to deal with these distractions is to use them as rewards during the weekends.
Watching your favourite shows as a rewarding mechanism for all the productivity during the week is a good way to keep distractions at bay.
7. QUIT PROCRASTINATING
Procrastination kills productivity!
This is a universal truth.
Whether you are an A grade student or struggling to keep up your grades, procrastination affects all.
A simple mantra to fight procrastination is to do things on time.
In fact, the very opposite of procrastination is productivity.
Productivity is to perform tasks on time according to a schedule so that you meet the deadlines you have set or the target you wish to achieve.
By procrastinating you are delaying the process of efficiently performing your tasks, homework, revision and being punctual at school or a game.
Try these two tricks to fight off the temptation to procrastinate:
‘Do It On Time’
Whatever the task may be, be it studying a chapter, finishing an assignment or going to practice a sport, students must complete it then and there.
The more a task gets put off for later, the more procrastination takes place.
‘This Time Won’t Come Back’
Another trick that will help you fight procrastination while studying, especially last-minute studying is this:
Whenever you feel like procrastinating always remember that you will always find more time to do everything else.
But, once you lose this time allocated for revision or study then you won’t get it back.
Adapting these two techniques in the face of procrastination will increase productivity in students substantially.
8. EAT HEALTHILY AND STAY HYDRATED
You are what you eat.
That is to say, that increasing your productivity depends on what you eat.
Productivity is directly connected to your energy levels.
Energy is what drives students all day through school, sports, and other activities.
In other words, if you want to increase your productivity, then you will have to increase your energy levels too.
Hence, it is paramount that students get the right nutrition that will help increase their energy levels.
Or at least provide the optimum amount of energy to stay productive throughout the day.
Consequently, this will show a rise in the levels of productivity.
Having three balanced meals in the day is a very basic way of making sure you are taking in nutrients.
Apart from that having these superfoods will definitely boost your metabolism and productivity:
- Berries
- Bananas
- Brown Rice
- Salmon
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Avocados
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Oats
Water is the most essential element of existence.
Likewise, it is vital to revitalize the body and increase productivity.
Drinking sufficient water to keep your body going is necessary to maintain high productivity.
Apart from just water, students can take healthy and medically certified health drinks/supplements.
These supplements and nutritional drinks can be a replacement for conventional coffee/tea and make for a perfect snack or hot beverage while studying late at night.
9. TAKE EFFECTIVE BREAKS AFTER TASKS
Taking study breaks or breaks from other work or commitments is a big factor that will increase student productivity.
What is important is the quality of the breaks and the duration.
Quality of the break defines what you do in the break and how fun, relaxing or rejuvenating it is.
Firstly, meaningful breaks with your family and friends over some coffee or snacks where you sit and talk to them is a perfect way to relax.
Secondly, listening to motivating music or watching a motivational video or talk will boost productivity too.
In addition, sleeping is another way of refreshing your body and makes for a superb study break.
Sleep rests brain cells and increases productivity in students as they wake up fresh.
Taking a break will increase your productivity only until it does not become a distraction.
Therefore, the duration of a break is important.
10. GET SUPPORT
Support is very important for students.
Students who get tired and lose hope experience a decline in productivity.
As a result, they become less efficient and vulnerable to stress.
Stress, demotivation and fear of failure are all mental blocks that hamper the student’s productivity.
The best way to deal with these negative thoughts is to find support and help.
Talk to Family: They have been through this phase.
Speaking to your parents can help you release the tension.
Ask your older siblings, cousins, or peers for some advice on time management or on anything else.
Firstly, their experiences will help you gain motivation and increase your productivity.
Secondly, they might be able to share some tips with you on how to study better or cope better.
Thus, Increasing your productivity double fold.
Get Support from the School, Teachers, Student Counsellor, Medical Personnel.
The school that you go to is filled with resources.
Some students don’t look for help when they need it most and suffer quietly.
Students must seek out their teachers and school counsellors to help them manage the stress of exams, a difficult subject or peer pressure.
Medical personnel can be consulted if students are experiencing medical problems.
Due to stress or other illnesses, students and parents may need advice from medical doctors.
Consulting medical personnel will help students and parents to consider medications, a better diet or counselling with an educational psychologist.
Academic Support: Online Tuition: Tutopiya
Tutopiya is an international online tuition agency that offers one to one home tuition to students around the globe.
It has a team of expert researchers, educators and experienced tutors for every international and local curriculum.
Tutopiya is your Ultimate Online Tuition portal.
This online tuition platform offers live tutoring as well as a FREE LIFETIME ACCESS to course preparation resources, past papers, lesson plans, assessment guides and a repository of recorded lessons made by expert tutors.
11. THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER WAY!
Always keep an open mind.
What may work for one student, may not work for you.
Without running behind one method or one study tool try other things that will work for you.
Tailoring your plan and routine to fit your needs and requirements is the best way to increase your productivity.
Failures and downfalls will dampen your spirits.
As a result, It is important to not get overwhelmed by them and rather focus on what can help you become better.
For instance, stay open to different learning techniques, study tools and planning ideas that can help you.
As a result, this will help increase productivity rather than decreasing it.
12. GET SOME AIR
Studying or working round the clock will lead to burnout.
No matter how productive you are, there will be times where your productivity will fall.
External factors like stress and deadlines will get the best of you.
To increase your productivity levels in such situations it is a good idea to get some air, for instance.
Going outdoors to do some brisk walking, to play with friends or exercise will always help you relax and stay fit.
Getting some fresh air after long periods of work and study has proven to boost productivity.
Exercising has many benefits.
It releases happy hormones into the bloodstream and helps strengthen the body.
Similarly, outdoor yoga or meditation calms and soothes the mind after a hectic day.
