Summer is here, but that doesn’t mean the grind ever stops. Jokes aside, it can be tough to manage a summer job or internship with classes — especially at the same time everyone else is home from school. I pretty much compiled my tips on how to balance your time, energy, and productivity to get the results you want from all areas of your schedule.
Whether through day planners, the Calendar app, or GCal, time management is, unfortunately, the key to getting anything done. Without it, important tasks will creep up on you and mess up those fun brunch plans you had — and probably more. Daily alerts and scheduling make sure you never miss critical events or deadlines, and know when you have free time to plan outings and have fun, which feels like a massive liberation. A huge workload feels much less overwhelming when you have a concrete, outlined plan on how to tackle it. I prefer to do my projects in small intervals across the days or weeks leading up to the due date, so that it feels manageable according to my time, energy and abilities.
The rumors are true — breaking up your work into multiple interludes really does work. When sitting down and doing hours and hours of work feels undoable, completing assignments in chunks works fantastically to help you stay consistent. Essentially, the method operates by having you finish projects in 25-minute bursts, before taking a 5 minute break. After 4 rounds of this, I take a longer, half an hour break, allowing myself to recharge before I work again. The trick to this method is prioritizing the hardest tasks first, while your energy is too high, saving the lower tasks for when your willpower is a bit more run-down. This way, you get anything you’re dreading the most out of the way first. Adjusting the length of the pomodoros helps — personally, I do work in 20-minute bursts when my focus is just hammered from weeks of exams.
Make sure to place yourself in a working environment that’s best for you. Some people prefer ambience, some people prefer fresh air, and some people prefer total and complete asylum-style quiet — which I do understand. Personally, I love switching up my study spots, which include scholarly reading rooms, adorable aesthetic cafes, and my very comfy sofa. Library crawls on campus are also super common. The older the shelves are, the better, and you get an atmosphere refresh every time. However, some people like a more consistent space to ensure maximum focus — especially if you prefer studying or writing at home. Whatever environment that stimulates you without distracting you is ideal, but don’t be afraid to try out new spaces to get yourself out of an energy rut.
These look different for everyone, naturally, but I typically do like to have my laptop, my chargers, my notebook, a few pens, a hairband, chapstick, a snack, a comfy sweatshirt, and my water bottle. This pink one is insulated for both warm and cold drinks alike. Headphones (like my absolute favorite) are also an enormous must for any student — regardless of the ambience — to play relaxing low-fi beats, re-listen to important lecture recordings, or watch the latest TikTok trends you’re supposed to be writing about. These affordable baby-blue gel pens look stylish and luxe while you take notes, while and pastel college-bound notebooks are a gorgeous academic add to any tote bag.
A tough one, I know, especially when wanting to have the best of both worlds. It’s hard to take classes, write articles, and have fun with my friends, all at the same time. But knocking my routine out of balance is almost never worth it. However, if you’re pushing yourself on three hours of sleep, a bat attitude, and no breakfast, that article you’re writing probably isn’t going to be that good. Originality and authenticity work for you the most when you’re at your very best, and to be at your very best, self-care is an absolute must. Even though it’s more hours out of your day, it’s an essential part of maximizing your productivity. Make sure you’re resting enough, and always set aside time to unwind, whether through face-masks or Netflix, in between hitting the books and the bed.
