"Understanding" with Aisha

Productivity part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of the Productivity series. In today's article, we will be exploring 'Time Management' and Motivation and how the relate to productivity in the classroom. If you didn't catch the first part, you can read it here

TIME MANAGEMENT

Time management refers to the process of planning, organizing, and controlling how much time to spend on specific activities. When it comes to low productivity, ineffective time management can be a significant cause. Here's how poor time management contributes to low productivity:

• Procrastination: This is the act of delaying tasks until last minute, leading to rush, low quality of work, and burnouts. It can even cause missing deadlines for important projects or assignments.

• Lack of prioritization: Prioritization means attending to tasks in order of their importance. They can be ordered in ascending order of dates, urgency, size etc. Failure to prioritize tasks lead to spending so much time on less time-demanding tasks while neglecting the rest.

• Poor planning: This has a lot of impact. Without planning, tasks pile up, things don’t go according to schedule. You even tend to overcommit to several tasks at a time causing stress and reduced productivity as individuals struggle to keep up with their workload.

• Multitasking and burnouts: Attempting to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously can decrease overall efficiency and quality, as the brain switches focus repeatedly causing overworking and as a result can lead to fatigue and decreased motivation, ultimately reducing productivity.

TIME MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

• Prioritization: Using productivity software apps like Calendars, to-do lists, Notes, Asana, Trello, Notion and so on.

• Time blocking: Allocating time for each and every specific task is important. It helps you stick to a particular activity, creating a balanced schedule. A post-graduate student actually say that she benefits mostly by listing out her daily tasks before hand.

• Setting SMART goals: Set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound goals to provide clarity and direction.

• Break management: Taking regular breaks helps to recharge and prevent burnouts. At intervals, it is preferrable and a good gesture to reward yourself or provide incentives at the climax of your activities.

By improving time management skills, you are bound to enhance your productivity, achieve goals effectively and maintain a work-life balance.

MOTIVATION

Motivation refers to the inner drive, incentive or desire that propels individuals to take action and achieve their goals. It could be caused by yourself, your environment, or disinterest in tasks. Lack of motivation poses as a significant factor that causes low productivity. In all honesty, no one can provide you with every much-needed motivation as it is deep rooted in yourself. It’s a mindset. Here’s how motivation impacts productivity and how its absence can lead to decrease performance:

• Lack of direction and goals

• Disinterest in tasks: When tasks are perceived as uninteresting, motivation is lost, and productivity is at stake.

• Absence of reward and incentives: Occasionally, it is nice to recognize your efforts to foster a sense of achievement, making you feel valued and increase your motivation and overall productivity.

• Fear of failure: Agitating or dreading the idea of making errors in tasks, activities, work or anything else can inhibit motivation, causing individual to avoid tasks altogether.

STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE MOTIVATION

• Set SMART goals

• Find personal interests: Engage in activities that align with your own personal values or long term aspiration. This fosters a sense of belonging and deep rooted connection with the task, increasing the eagerness toward such task.

• Reward and Recognize efforts: Implement a system of rewards and recognition to acknowledge accomplishments and motivate continued effort. It could be a short walk, a few minutes of screen time, a power nap etc. Define your own personal reward system.

• Create a positive environment: A positive environment can differ for different individuals. For example, some students say that they get their motivations boosted by keeping their environments organized, some say they thrive in a silent environment. In essence, the choice and preference differ for each person.

That's all for this week! Look out for our last entry in the productivity series next week! If you have a story you would like to share or you're interested in joining the Media Hub, you can find out more here