It's senior year. And I've just now found my productivity groove in my busiest semester yet. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I'm older, wiser and more experienced, though more likely because necessity drives innovation.
I often do work in the dining room or on campus, but sometimes I like to hole up in my room light a candle, put on some George Winston and get down to business. Below are a few of the most important things to habit my desk and study area. Some of these are incredibly obvious, I know, but they're so darn important to me I thought I might as well include them. Let me know in the comments if you have any necessities as well!
It's unlikely you'll be blessed with a desktop whilst in college. And honestly a laptop is much more valuable because you can work with it from the couch, was Netflix with it in bed, and take it to class and home for the breaks. But it's an incredibly small screen. Anytime you're writing a research paper or attempting to multitask you're stuck with a million different screens you have to flip through. This year I had the opportunity to purchase a used computer monitor for my desk and it has become a wonderful addition. You don't even need an extra keyboard or mouse, but just that extra screen to pull up papers and email accounts, and even Spotify has made me so much more efficient, and just happier when I'm doing work.
Desk lamp
Prior to college, my desk back home housed a lamp -- one complete with pink and white floral shade that cast the perfectly warm glow on my work. The past three years in school I've used a desk light. And it's great for pointing directly at the work I'm doing, but this year I switched back to the warm glow of a lamp and I've fallen in love with my ambience and calmness of workspace again. If you don't have a lamp, try pointing your light at the wall to give the room a brighter feeling without the harsh direct light.
Pen & pencil container
Besides my monitor, laptop, framed photo, lamp, and the occasional cup of tea or food, the only other thing that sits on top of my desk is my pen and pencil container. I have a pencil case I carry with me to classes and work, but it often never leaves my backpack so I don't forget it. Instead, I have a container with an extra set of everything on my desk (pens, pencils, highlighters and scissors). Now I always know where to find a writing utensil in my room and they're easily accessible.
Printed calendar
To the left of my desk, I've filled the space with a calendar, some of my favorite photos, letters, tickets and trinkets to remind me of happy times and beautiful people. But probably the most relevant thing in terms of productivity is my personal monthly printout calendars. Every month, I print out all the big due dates, events and meetings I have into one calendar that I pin up. Microsoft Word has some great templates, and the printout just provides a concise overview of my month and which weeks will be busier than others.
For me, less is more. If there are piles of papers on my desk, my first reaction is to organize and put them away before beginning work. Now this probably doesn't lead to the most productivity all the time, but I think it makes me the most productive person I can be. I think in this world of constant movement, we view every moment where we're not concretely moving forward as a wasted moment. But I think "putting your best foot forward" includes those moments of non-productivity. Those moments of rest, relaxation, rejuvenation, in order to make the other times as best as they can be. As a human being, you are most productive when you don't work all the time (often to the point of non-productivity).
So take some time off! Enjoy your weekend, and Happy Thanksgiving!
