Managing Many Pieces With Minimal Stress

 Dear Real Academics,

It's only January 3rd, but I'm already a bit daunted by the many things I have to accomplish at the start of a new semester. Are you perhaps feeling the same way? If so, you are not alone.

Managing the many pieces is important so that things get done and that they get done with minimal stress. But, how to manage?

Think of the many things you need to accomplish like pieces of a puzzle. There are many different pieces, but all the pieces need to come together to accomplish the big picture of "The Spring Semester". So, to get things done, strategy and focus are needed. 


Strategize by:

  • Writing down your goals. I encourage you to write down semester goals first. Then, at the beginning of each week, write weekly goals. Then, at the beginning of each day, write your daily goals.
  • Making a plan of how you will get them done a little at a time. This is best done with helpful tools such as The Productivity Planner.

Focus by:

  • Turning off social media and smart phones. If you want extra motivation to do this, read Cal Newport's Deep Work.

(paid link)
  • Using a timer to help you focus on tasks during given moments of time. Timers are super motivating tools for me. I like to set my timer to 10 minutes for a task I REALLY don't want to do. Then, once I get started, I usually have momentum to keep going. But, be careful...don't overdue tasks. If you go for too long, you may have a hard time getting back to the task the next day.
Then, DO it. Sit down (or stand), focus, and start putting those pieces together a little at a time. Again, I highly recommend some sort of productivity planner like the one I mentioned above. Also, for a deeper take on the importance of breaking down big tasks into small pieces, read my previous post: "I'm Overwhelmed! How to Eat an Elephant and Other Ideas".

With that said, I'm going to take my own advice now and set my timer to 10 minutes. I have a revision I have been dreading to get to, but it needs to get done. What do you need to get started, Real Academics? Let us know by reaching out to us. You can easily contact us any time at www.therealacademics.com.

Until next time, happy writing!
Maggie and Tiberio

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