By Lucas A.
As the clock hit 00:00 to herald the new year on that cold, bone-chilling morning of 1st January 2020, no one could predict what was in store for humanity. To say that the Year 2020 was unprecedented would be understating an obvious fact in so many ways.
The Covid-19 virus touched, disrupted or destroyed many aspects of the human existence as we’ve come to know it. It really showed how fickle life is – a mist that appears for a little time and vanishes (James 4:14). Businesses, governance, politics, families, livelihoods were changed, some never to recover. One sector that was impacted as such was the education sector. This article will try to explore how universities, colleges and schools were affected and how to make the most of the ‘new normal’.
I heard the term ‘blended teaching’ this semester was used more often than was probably necessary. It’s a fancy word to describe a cross between face-to-face teaching and online learning. With government restrictions on how many people were allowed in a room and for how long, the whole school system had to undergo a semi-overhaul.
Class sizes were cut into small chunks, students and lecturers wore some sort of facial covering, hand sanitizing stands sprung up all over campus, university buildings and lecture halls employed a one-way system of movement, while library usage went into a pre-booking format. All with the intention to adhere to social distancing and safety guidelines. As students, there was the need to adapt to the new times we live in just as much as schools, businesses, workplaces across the world has had to.
To ensure a high level of productivity each day, it’s important that we maintain a good standard of efficiency. The tips discussed below will help you get the most out of each day.
1. Distinct Workspace
As a student, it is very likely you’d have to spend more time holed up in your flat/hostel than you probably used to. It is helpful to create a space clearly set apart for studying and any school-related activities. This could easily be in your room, a comfortable chair and desk away from your bed where you can easily get work done.
You should ensure the created space is used only for school/work stuff. Not to rest, watch movies or youtube videos. As someone that struggles to study or work outside of the library, having a workspace, separate from other parts of the room/flat essentially becomes some sort of a ‘library zone’ where you know when you step into it, you can get work done.
2. Work/Time Schedule
As tedious as it may seem to create and stick to a work schedule, it’s one of the must-dos of productivity. It’s the reason workplaces have opening and closing time, schools run a timetable of sorts, or church meetings go through a pre-set outline of activities. I could go on.
The point is having a clear schedule, outside of school can help to make efficient use of the limited time you have each day. Before the end of each day, make a list of everything you want to accomplish the following day. Use a system to ascribe some level of priority to each activity, then create a time schedule around it. Hit your targets, then cross it off your list.
It is possible you won’t meet all your targets, as life does happen. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Just strive to hit 70-80% of your daily targets and be consistent and intentional about it. Then repeat the process every day.
3. Pomodoro Technique
Pomodoro is Italian for tomato, but why is the technique named after tomatoes?… That’s an assignment for you ?.
A cursory internet search for ‘Pomodoro technique’ touts it as one of the most efficient time management method, invented by the Italian Francesco Cirillo in the 1980s.
It is essentially a system that prevents you from burn out while studying. The way it works is, for every 25 minutes of work you do, you take 5 minutes off as a break. You do something totally different from what you’ve been engaged in for the previous 25 minutes. After you’ve done 4 work-break cycles, you then take a longer break, say 15-30 minutes break. These aren’t set in stone; you can decide what parameters work best for you.
Just ensure you have a work/break schedule and stick to it. Studying can be overwhelming but taking breaks in between can help take the drab off it.
4. Exercise, Healthy Eating And Sleep
Keeping your body at a peak performance state is key to efficiency. It is essentially what you use to accomplish your goals. The physical, spiritual and mental health of your body determines how much it can do for you.
Eating healthy, getting enough sleep and some sort of exercise regimen will help keep you physically and mentally in shape. For adults, an average sleep time of seven hours sleep is enough for the human body to recuperate for the daily stress placed on it.
As tempting and seemingly convenient as it is to exist on junk food, it will eventually take its toll on your body. Weekly meal prep can save you time and money, while it ensures you feed your body what is right.
For exercise, aim to do an activity that raises your heart rate significantly, 2 to 3 times a week. This could be some form of active sports, a run or a proper workout session. You only have one body, -the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), it is your duty to take care of it.
Conclusion
The eventual mass vaccination will inevitably bring back a level of normalcy. But before that happens, we must live with the reality of a changed world, one we now live in. The productivity tips discussed will help with time and stress management. While this was written for a covid-19 impacted world, it can equally be adapted for use in whatever form of new normal we end up in. We still have the same number of hours in a day as we did pre-Covid, it is the adjustments we make in the use of our time that would help us get the most out of every single day.
With the mindset that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us (Philippians 4:13), adapting to seemingly new challenges should be something we look forward to, as Christians. It might take a while to get adjusted to a new way of doing things but with the mindset that you can do it, you will.