Hej allihopa – hello everyone!

I hope you all had a good winter break. Share with us what you did? Maybe you went for a small holiday or maybe you had a really nice family and friends time? Or maybe where you live it was actually “summer” time?

One way or another, January can be pretty exciting and at the same time, rather slow. I personally can’t believe that we are still in this month! This time of the year, many struggle with finding motivation to continue where they left off in December, or to get started on some of the new tasks or resolutions. Today, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite ways to get back in the flow of things and crossing items off of the to-do list.

  1. Take It Slow!

January is slow. It moves slowly and it seems to last forever. So, unless you have anything urgent, try to ease into things, instead of jumping head first. After so many celebrations and days off, it can be hard to even remember where to begin. It usually helps me to just take a day or two to organize everything, make lists of upcoming deadlines, tasks, priorities, and go through each of them carefully. Easy way to begin this is by email(s). Check your personal and work/study related email accounts, see what is urgent, what needs a follow-up, what is just a shared information. I find that this makes me feel productive and gives me a little boost of motivation without overwhelming me completely.

  1. Find Ways to Organize Your Work

Do you know what is your go-to way of organizing? If you don’t, this might be the time to find out. January is a really fun time to

experiment with different calendars, applications, planners, and see what can work best for you. Maybe you are more creative and prefer to make your own DIY trackers, or maybe you prefer to find something simple like a digital application to help create lists and deadlines? I prefer a mix of both. My phone calendar is my most reliable resource, but when it comes to daily planning, I prefer a small planner to visualize everything. Whatever you do, make sure you are not committing to anything financially. Trust me, you do NOT need that fancy looking expensive daily planner that promises to hydrate you and make all your workout goals come true. It won’t. Start small, inexpensive and simple. It usually works the best.

  1. Create Your Comfort Space

Your space and surroundings make a world of difference on your productivity. Of course, this doesn’t mean changing everything about where you work, but small steps such as cleaning the area or lighting a cozy candle can set the mood. Changing up the location is also a great way to boost your motivation. If you have access to a library or a free co-working space, make sure you utilize it. Not only does it set you up for success, but it can also lead to helpful interactions with people and friends. Personally, I mostly prefer to study and work in LiU library. I find it productive; I have a sense of accomplishment when I go there, I know this space has specific designation, and most importantly, a lot of my close friends are also there. This means, I get to spend breaks with them, brainstorm if I am stuck on something, bounce ideas off of them, and just enjoy their company. On the other hand, if I stay home, I make sure that my working space is free of any big destructions and I am surrounded with only the papers and items that I need. This way, I don’t accidentally end up watching a movie and flipping through my phone.

  1. Move Your Body

Okay, hear me out. I am not a big workout person either. I like the feeling afterwards, but it’s always a struggle to get to the gym. Nonetheless, I find that doing a workout, or moving my body more than usual, feels very empowering and motivating. It increases my productivity and helps me focus better. It’s especially needed in northern winter, when most of our time is spent indoors and sitting. You don’t have to sign up for a fancy membership or work-out classes. Simply walking more than usual, or going for small strolls is enough to feel the difference.

Lastly, don’t forget that productivity fluctuates a lot. Listen to yourself and your body, and let it get the rest when needed. If you find good balance between working and resting, everything else will fall into its place naturally.

I hope this was helpful and I hope you have a productive start of the year!

Until next time – Gvantsa

 

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