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r your pick, I’m confident your day will be much less chaotic!</p><h2 id="5d38">#3 Work in different environments</h2><p id="4e9a">Particularly now when most of us are working at home, a change of scenery or even sitting position is crucial! While the situation we are in makes it quite difficult to work in different places like cafes or libraries, I’ve found that I always feel rejuvenated when I move to a different spot… even if it's on the other side of the couch! I love sitting outside in the early morning (I live in Malaysia which gets hot pretty quickly) and looking up from my laptop screen to take in the nature around me and breathe in the fresh air. If you have the opportunity to work outside like me, I would highly recommend it because of how fresh and awake you will feel. If this isn’t possible, perhaps try moving to different parts of your house (your armchair to your kitchen table to your study table) every hour or two as I always feel that in a new location I have been ‘restarted’ which makes me work even harder and not tire out as quickly.</p><h2 id="e90d">#4 Work out</h2><p id="979b">Keep moving! This is not a step that should be missed. Ever. Investing 15–30 minutes of your day isn’t a lot, and believe me that the incredible feeling after is entirely worth it! Exercising doesn’t have to be expensive- there are lots of home workouts on YouTube, and I would recommend HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) for a short but effective session. You could also take a walk around your area, if allowed, and take in lots of fresh air. Working out not only gives you the satisfaction that you have conquered something challenging in the day, but it also strengthens you mentally which helps you work through other obstacles you face in the day with more determination and passion, knowing that you will succeed and finish in the end. I like to get in a 30-minute workout every evening and it is one of the highlights of my day- really! Give it a try, be it yoga, pilates, HIIT, a run or a walk, it’ll make your day brighter!</p><h2 id="d8a6">#5 Set out your goals</h2><p id="a35d">Every year or month, depending on what you feel like doing and what you are aiming to achieve, spend time writing your goals. Not the couple of minutes like when you make your bed- invest the time into creating SMART Goals. (SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound, the criteria for creating a good goal). Once you know specifically what you want to achieve and what you are working towards, set those goals out in a way that you can look at and visualise them every day. I’ve made Vision Boards a couple of years where I would print out pictures of my aspirations and glue them onto scrapbook paper and go all out decorating them with stickers and glitter. If you’re creative and enjoy spending time on things like this, this would be a great starting point as it’s fun to do, particularly if you’re feeling bored during the lockdown. But if you don’t have the time or supplies for something like that, I would suggest taking it digitally and creating a poster that you can then use to make your desktop screen so that every time you open your laptop, you are instantly reminded of your wider goals which will inspire you to keep pushing through. I love this method, and I usually like to go digital with my goals, simply because they’re more accessible to access. If you are looking to layout your goals digitally, I highly recom

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mend Canva which is easy and quick to use but will guarantee you an aesthetic board. The final part of this step would be to read these goals at least once in your day, which is why it is crucial that you put the board/poster up somewhere you always see like your phone lock screen or the wall across your bed. This is part of a principle known as the Law of Attraction which has been extremely effective for me. If you would like to learn more about this concept, read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne which is where I first read about this idea.</p><h2 id="65a7">#6 Tell others what you want to achieve</h2><p id="dd42">Tell your friends, your family, your neighbours, anyone who will listen really, about what you want to achieve overall. This materialises your goal and makes it become a commitment- something you cannot wiggle your way out since you know others are also waiting on the outcome. I’ve told my friends all sorts of things- I’ll get straight As in my IGCSE exams, I’ll run 3km in under 20 minutes, and knowing they know always drives me to strive harder so that I don’t let anyone down. The feeling that other people are counting on me always makes me try so much harder, so give it a shot and find out how much more committed and diligent you become towards achieving that aim.</p><h2 id="0fc8">#7 Don’t fool yourself that you don’t have the time</h2><p id="a4be">This is a big one. Spending 1-hour reading a textbook or staring mindlessly at the computer is not an efficient use of time, and don’t fool yourself into believing that you’ve been ‘working’ in that past hour. Get rid of things that you know, honestly, just don’t benefit you. This is all entirely personal to the individual but in my case, I used to spend lots of time carefully writing out my history notes which drawings that I would spend even more time colouring in. I’d end with having to cramp all the rest of my homework into about 20 minutes. So truly think about being effective and getting important things done. You don’t need to work long hours or spend the whole day studying. I like to work in 30–45 minute intervals with 10 or 15 minutes in between to get a snack or take a walk. I’m a lot more productive in shorter bursts of time than sitting at my desk for 3 hours straight, and I’m sure there are lots of people who still need to understand that working for long periods of time does not mean effective work and does not guarantee good results. Try playing around with working intervals and come up with what works for you.</p><h2 id="cec0">#8 Reward Yourself</h2><p id="d1fb">The last one is the best one- give yourself a treat at the end of a productive day because you deserve it! After a productive day where I’ve done everything on my list and am feeling really good about myself, I love rewarding myself with chocolate or a tasty home-baked brownie. I’m a big foodie! Or I relax while watching my favourite series on Netflix or having a long FaceTime with my friends. Whatever you love to do, this is your moment. Use it to motivate you to get through all your tasks to reach the stage where you get to totally enjoy whatever it is you want, and this will also give a good balance to your life.</p><p id="83f7">So these are my 8 steps to success. Of course, everybody is different and people work in different ways, but I hope this will give you ideas on how to make your days more productive, especially because most of us are now working from home. Good luck!</p></article></body>

I’m A 16-year-old Who Is More Productive Than You

Here’s exactly how I do it!

I, like everybody else, have had ups and downs in my life. Although my down might be a bad test grade or procrastinating on an assignment, significantly less impactful things that others face I’m sure, I’ve managed to transform my days from mindless hours into a productive and flexible structure. Especially in critical exam years, I have finally found ways that work for me and truly help make me the most effective in the day. And my results show it: I’m a straight-A student and this is exactly how I do it!

#1 Start your day with making your bed

I don’t mean throw the covers over and somewhat straighten it. I mean really make your bed: tuck the corners in, fluff the pillows and arrange the blankets. I’m embarrassed to say this, especially knowing that it’ll be on the internet probably forever, but here goes: I never used to make my bed, even though I definitely had the time (you really only need 2–3 minutes to get it done!). Making your bed starts your day with the satisfaction that you have already completed one task, no matter how small. It makes you feel independent and proud of yourself for being able to do such a good job of making the bed look neat and tidy. I’ve found that this energy often fuels me to get even more things done, striving for that same level of satisfaction. Once you start ticking off the first item of the list, I am confident that you will be much more motivated to tackle the rest. I know that I was much more stimulated to keep working through my integration questions after getting something done right at 7 in the morning! So do it- it’s only going to take a couple of minutes, but it will make you feel much more inspired to take on the day!

#2 Create a to-do list

Speaking off ticking off items on the list, to get that great rewarding sense of achievement you first have to make the list! Personally speaking, I absolutely love making lists. Be it a pro-con list of where I should continue my studies or a list about summer holiday activities, I’ve made it! To-do lists are great because they clearly let you know what you need to get done in the day. They organise things out so that you don’t need to worry about forgetting anything because of your busy schedule. Most importantly I find that they give a focus to my day so I don’t waste time thinking about what needs to be done, or usually in my case what sort of studying I need to do. There are lots of apps you can use to do this or even just put pen to paper. Most of the time, I get my list done on paper or on Reminders, but a great app I’ve been meaning to try out is Wunderlist. You could also create a proper schedule that includes time allotments at different times of the day for tasks to get done. I’ve tried this out many times but I often find creating a timetable too rigid for my liking. I’m someone who likes to keep things flexible and have room to make changes so that I can work on things according to my mood, so if you’re like me, a daily checklist will probably work better than a schedule/timetable, but I’ve found both to be effective organising tools, so whichever your pick, I’m confident your day will be much less chaotic!

#3 Work in different environments

Particularly now when most of us are working at home, a change of scenery or even sitting position is crucial! While the situation we are in makes it quite difficult to work in different places like cafes or libraries, I’ve found that I always feel rejuvenated when I move to a different spot… even if it's on the other side of the couch! I love sitting outside in the early morning (I live in Malaysia which gets hot pretty quickly) and looking up from my laptop screen to take in the nature around me and breathe in the fresh air. If you have the opportunity to work outside like me, I would highly recommend it because of how fresh and awake you will feel. If this isn’t possible, perhaps try moving to different parts of your house (your armchair to your kitchen table to your study table) every hour or two as I always feel that in a new location I have been ‘restarted’ which makes me work even harder and not tire out as quickly.

#4 Work out

Keep moving! This is not a step that should be missed. Ever. Investing 15–30 minutes of your day isn’t a lot, and believe me that the incredible feeling after is entirely worth it! Exercising doesn’t have to be expensive- there are lots of home workouts on YouTube, and I would recommend HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) for a short but effective session. You could also take a walk around your area, if allowed, and take in lots of fresh air. Working out not only gives you the satisfaction that you have conquered something challenging in the day, but it also strengthens you mentally which helps you work through other obstacles you face in the day with more determination and passion, knowing that you will succeed and finish in the end. I like to get in a 30-minute workout every evening and it is one of the highlights of my day- really! Give it a try, be it yoga, pilates, HIIT, a run or a walk, it’ll make your day brighter!

#5 Set out your goals

Every year or month, depending on what you feel like doing and what you are aiming to achieve, spend time writing your goals. Not the couple of minutes like when you make your bed- invest the time into creating SMART Goals. (SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound, the criteria for creating a good goal). Once you know specifically what you want to achieve and what you are working towards, set those goals out in a way that you can look at and visualise them every day. I’ve made Vision Boards a couple of years where I would print out pictures of my aspirations and glue them onto scrapbook paper and go all out decorating them with stickers and glitter. If you’re creative and enjoy spending time on things like this, this would be a great starting point as it’s fun to do, particularly if you’re feeling bored during the lockdown. But if you don’t have the time or supplies for something like that, I would suggest taking it digitally and creating a poster that you can then use to make your desktop screen so that every time you open your laptop, you are instantly reminded of your wider goals which will inspire you to keep pushing through. I love this method, and I usually like to go digital with my goals, simply because they’re more accessible to access. If you are looking to layout your goals digitally, I highly recommend Canva which is easy and quick to use but will guarantee you an aesthetic board. The final part of this step would be to read these goals at least once in your day, which is why it is crucial that you put the board/poster up somewhere you always see like your phone lock screen or the wall across your bed. This is part of a principle known as the Law of Attraction which has been extremely effective for me. If you would like to learn more about this concept, read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne which is where I first read about this idea.

#6 Tell others what you want to achieve

Tell your friends, your family, your neighbours, anyone who will listen really, about what you want to achieve overall. This materialises your goal and makes it become a commitment- something you cannot wiggle your way out since you know others are also waiting on the outcome. I’ve told my friends all sorts of things- I’ll get straight As in my IGCSE exams, I’ll run 3km in under 20 minutes, and knowing they know always drives me to strive harder so that I don’t let anyone down. The feeling that other people are counting on me always makes me try so much harder, so give it a shot and find out how much more committed and diligent you become towards achieving that aim.

#7 Don’t fool yourself that you don’t have the time

This is a big one. Spending 1-hour reading a textbook or staring mindlessly at the computer is not an efficient use of time, and don’t fool yourself into believing that you’ve been ‘working’ in that past hour. Get rid of things that you know, honestly, just don’t benefit you. This is all entirely personal to the individual but in my case, I used to spend lots of time carefully writing out my history notes which drawings that I would spend even more time colouring in. I’d end with having to cramp all the rest of my homework into about 20 minutes. So truly think about being effective and getting important things done. You don’t need to work long hours or spend the whole day studying. I like to work in 30–45 minute intervals with 10 or 15 minutes in between to get a snack or take a walk. I’m a lot more productive in shorter bursts of time than sitting at my desk for 3 hours straight, and I’m sure there are lots of people who still need to understand that working for long periods of time does not mean effective work and does not guarantee good results. Try playing around with working intervals and come up with what works for you.

#8 Reward Yourself

The last one is the best one- give yourself a treat at the end of a productive day because you deserve it! After a productive day where I’ve done everything on my list and am feeling really good about myself, I love rewarding myself with chocolate or a tasty home-baked brownie. I’m a big foodie! Or I relax while watching my favourite series on Netflix or having a long FaceTime with my friends. Whatever you love to do, this is your moment. Use it to motivate you to get through all your tasks to reach the stage where you get to totally enjoy whatever it is you want, and this will also give a good balance to your life.

So these are my 8 steps to success. Of course, everybody is different and people work in different ways, but I hope this will give you ideas on how to make your days more productive, especially because most of us are now working from home. Good luck!