Proactivity is the act of getting ahead. Although this may sound like a simple task, accomplishing it can be quite hard for some people. Instead of rushing to complete an assignment the night before it is due, planning your work out can help organize your schedule and to become a more proactive individual. By doing these few simple things, it allows you to see how much time you have to accomplish certain tasks, plan ahead for other events, or find the time for leisure or not do anything.
Being proactive is not just a one-time thing. It is an everyday commitment that you must make to yourself and to your education. Allowing yourself to slack off and get behind is the last thing you want. Procrastinating on assignments and projects make it that much harder to complete anything on time. Taking small steps is the best thing to do in order to achieve your goals.
Productivity does not always have to mean accomplishing grand duties. Small victories matter, too. Some days your biggest win might just be getting out of bed and that is okay. Do not dwell on the things that are out of your control.
Having a planner is a great way to start putting things together. Getting one with a cute print can help motivate you to use it more often. A physical planner is always a good resource to have but, there are many available to download on any smartphone or you can simply just use the calendar app that is already provided. The main purpose of this planner is obviously to plan! So, look through the class syllabus and write down important dates in the calendar; color-code your classes with different pens or fonts to make it easier to distinguish what assignments you have due for specific classes.
Keeping up with your planner may seem difficult at first, especially if you are not used to having one. The more you utilize your planner routinely, the easier it will be to plan accordingly. Checking it on a daily basis and using it for things outside of just school will also help you to put it to more use. Writing your grocery list or putting your professor’s contact information in it will make it even handier. Proactive efforts begin as soon as you start setting goals and planning for them. It is the first step to achieving what you truly want.
Planners can also be used to manage personal affairs and keep track of your social life. Create a personal symbol key so that you can easily identify what events you have planned. A small present box or simple balloon drawing can be used to identify birthdays in the monthly overview section of the planner. Weekly symbols can consist of open circles or squares and once the task is completed you can fill it in or mark an X on the inside. Due dates are extremely important to remember so highlight whatever is due on a specific day just so you know that it is the top priority.
Your study or workspace should be a sacred area. Keeping it neat and orderly is key to your focus because the mess may distract you from completing the tasks at hand. Find a regular place where you can study early on in the semester. It can be anywhere you feel comfortable yet productive like a specific corner in your room or a small coffee shop near campus. Any place that maximizes your productivity is welcome. Working on your bed is not recommended. Your focus can be easily shifted as disturbances are plentiful.
Studying and working with friends always sounds like a good idea at first. Who wouldn’t love to get things done and work towards their futures with some of their best pals? However, before you do any of that, you have to ask yourself if any work is actually going to get done during one of those study sessions? Being with friends can be very distracting for some, especially when the task at hand is particularly boring or difficult. It is easy to get sidetracked and forget the purpose of this group study session in the first place. Combining school work and a social life can be tricky so as long as the people you are with are just as committed to their work and you are, there should not be any issues.
Becoming a more proactive person can be heavily influenced by those around you. Surrounding yourself with people who motivate you and push you to achieve your goals is pivotal. Support systems are extremely important. Having people to fall back on feels good especially when you feel like everything is falling off track.
Before class, take notes over the assigned chapter and what you have read or studied so that when you get to class, you are not struggling to keep up with the professor’s pace. Once you are in class, you can just add on to what they are saying in the margins by using different colored pens. Some chapters might even have diagrams or definitions and one way you can study them is by creating notecards for those specific terms. Knowing the content ahead of time will allow you to contribute to class discussions more effective and result in better conversations.
Actually taking the time to go over the chapter or the assigned readings sounds boring and is dreaded by most. However, it is incredibly important that this gets done because many professors assign quizzes or base test questions over those reading assignments.
It does not have to be done all at once. In fact, by reading all of the assigned work in one sitting won’t help you at all. Taking a five-minute break after reading a substantial amount can help you retain the information better.
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