How to Increase Productivity as a Student

College students and working adults are slammed with commitments and to-do’s that can make day to day obligations stressful. Increasing productivity can be key to a healthy work-life balance to ensure you’re honoring your commitments while still taking care of yourself!

Samantha Bryant is a UT Austin senior who has mastered juggling coursework, an internship, and three jobs! Samantha has learned how to maximize her time and efficiently run her schedule.

1. Lists, Lists, Lists!

Samantha tackles her days through lists, saying it helps structure her day to have a priorities list of things she wants to accomplish with the time she has from the moment she wakes up to when she winds down.

“At the end of the day, I can feel satisfied and I accomplished things, and I was proud of what I was able to produce,” Samantha said of using lists to organize her to-dos. Samantha recommends lists to understand what are absolute priorities.

2. Reframe

Samantha’s days sometimes run from 8 am-8 pm, and while many students and those in the workforce are no strangers to 12 + hour days, Samantha says a great way to avoid burnout is to fill your days with things that you enjoy doing that makes the time spent much more enjoyable.

She acknowledges that while filling your agenda with only things you love isn’t always feasible, she loves reframing some obligations to make them more rewarding.

“You may be taking a calculus class and you're not a big fan of math, but you can see it as learning great problem solving and critical thinking skills in whatever career you want,” Samantha said of reframing.

3. Know Yourself to Know Your Schedule

While lists are the blueprint for Samantha’s day, the UT Austin senior takes full agency over when she does some of her to-dos. Samantha makes it a point to get the things she doesn’t look forward to done and checked off earlier in the day. By tackling the hard part first, the thing you may be dreading is no longer hanging over your head.

Samantha acknowledges that while she functions best as a morning person, her biological clock can differ from others, and that night owls might find their motivation to crank out work during the late hours instead.

4. Use Organization Tools!

Just like your schedule, knowing the tools that work for you are key! There are plenty of resources available that help make sense of all the things that swarm us such as paper planners, reminders, and GCal. While Samantha opts for Gcal and uses it as a way to organize her schedule and collaborate with others, she says different tools work for different people.

“Some people really benefit from writing things down,” Samantha said. “So they’ll probably opt for a paper planner instead.”

5. Know When You Can Do Both

Knowing when you can balance your to-dos with family time or self-care can help prevent burnout. Samantha said that sometimes she’ll make it a point to call her mom while she folds laundry, so she can connect with family while also doing some housekeeping. Some people might like to listen to a podcast of their choice while washing the dishes or making their bed. Finding the times when you can tackle things without compromising one or the other is a great way to maximize your time!