How To Be Productive This Summer

*makes shameful entrance*

It's been a while hasn't it, readers? Now, I know I've been very MIA as of recently and I'm not gonna front. It had a lot to do with just being uninspired and struggling with myself creatively to churn out content I'm proud of. But, I had to remind myself real quick that I'm still learning and that's okay. More than that, I had to keep in mind no kind of number can ever measure my worth. Not a paycheck. Not the amount of likes. Not the amount of comments. If you treat yourself like you are priceless, everyone else will have to do the same. And for that reason, this week I want to talk to you guys about how to stay on top of your productivity game this summer and stay focused on what you need to do.

But before we get into that, while we're on the topic of likes and comments, don't you for a second think I don't value that stuff. It pulls me out of slumps more often that you'd think and encourages me to work harder and harder every day. So, if you're new here, welcome! Don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you can get notified every time I drop a new post. And if you're not so new here, welcome back! You already know what's up, at the end of this post tap that little heart button to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! Alright, enough with the formalities. This is: How To Be Productive During Summer.

This post will be catered for both academic and creative ventures. So whether you need to be doing some summer reading or you want to start that new book, these tips should help guide you. Got it? Got it!

1. Set Realistic Goals

Like every other good thing in life, your productivity will not manifest itself if you don't plan for it. In summer it's especially easy to lose sight of whatever you're doing and fall back onto something that will give you more immediate gratification like binging Stranger Things on Netflix (yes, I just called you out). That's why if you're deciding to be productive in summer you have to give yourself goals. That way, you'll always know what you're working for and it will be a lot harder to simply, turn on Netflix.

I recommend handwriting each goal in a journal or book just because that way it almost helps to make it a real physical thing and not necessarily something vaguely floating in the cloud somewhere or in you hear. Also, don't be afraid to cross them out and start afresh. Setting goals isn't always as simple as just 1, 2,3 a lot of times you have to think and ensure that you're not giving yourself too much or too little. By the end of your list, all your goals should be achievable.

P.S. Feel free to make your goals into daily checkboxes. Just the action of checking things off can help and make you physically feel like you're getting more done!

2. Wake Up Early

I can already hear the hearts shattering. Trust me, I get it. By no means am I a morning person either. In fact I, and I cannot stress this enough, am a literal zombie when I wake up. So, if this tip is coming from me, you know it's legit. Whether we want to accept it or not, there are only so many hours in the day and the earlier you wake up, the more hours you can seize. That's the hard truth.

If you're a morning person then I suppose you're already ahead of the curve on this one. Lucky you. However, for those of us that are struggling to keep our eyes open when the sun rises, like myself, I would suggest waking up the earliest at 9 a.m. and the latest at 12 a.m. Try your best to not wake up after 12 because at that point not only is half the day gone, but you're more likely to feel out of control and overwhelmed rather than if you just gave yourself a few earlier hours to get into the right headspace. It sucks, I know. But that's one of the contributors that help to make our capitalism a well-oiled machine! It's proven to work!

3. Stay Inspired

You know what they say, all work and no play makes Matthew end up just sleeping. That's the saying, right? Either way, if you're working all day long you're bound to just run out sooner or later. You'll get bored, exhausted and dull. Sooner or later you'll just want to stop working completely or your time spent being productive will decrease slowly but surely. That's why it's important to feed your inspiration daily!

If you're a writer, use some time to read amazing books to help you on that high. I just finished The Art of White Roses, if you need any recommendations (its amazing)! And for my students, if I've said it once, I've said it a million times, watch study youtubers (or read my study posts on here)! My favourites are: waystostudy and studytee! They make studying a lot more appealing than it really is and use creative ways to make it just a little more exciting.

4. Try Your Luck At New Things

In between doing what you had initially set out to do (re: step one) I think it's also very valuable to try new things that you've never done before but expressed an interest in. That can prevent your summer days from being monotonous and also just take your mind off of your 'goals' so it doesn't begin to feel like too much of a burden.

Think of it as a break, but a productive one because you're still doing something worthwhile and learning a new skill. This is important because if you shape your entire day around just these single goals, in two weeks, you'll get tired of it. Sometimes, it's more important to just let our mind wander and pick up new things. You never know what can happen and it's a good stress reliever! So go ahead! Draw, paint, build a desk you bought from Ikea, do origami, try photography, do a handstand, literally anything out of the norm for you. Who knows? You might just find a new talent. Even if you don't though, it'll still be fun.

5. Leave Your House/Go Out

!f you're a house hermit, raise your hands! *frantically waves* So many times, I lock myself in my house and just, write or study and like it's appealing to my introvert nature but also... it's not healthy. Ugh! I know! This one is a bittersweet one just like Tip #2, but it's true (unfortunately). Leave your house, guys. You can't stay locked in there all day.

It doesn't have to be anything extreme, though. Go to a coffee shop, go to a library, even just the front porch. See the sun. You'll be surprised how rejuvenated you'll feel when you do it and that's kinda when inspiration is more likely to hit. Also, the change of location and atmosphere helps break that monotonous structure you might have built that I was talking about earlier. Thank me later!

Conclusion

This summer do what you gotta do to make sure you don't look back at the end of August and go..."damn".

Ah, it feels good to be back! Don't forget to follow me on Wattpad to read all my works and Twitter and Instagram where I occasionally rant, share music and discuss the pains of being a creator. Oh, also, I share sneak peeks of my novel and new blog posts at times too, if you're interested in that. Have a great weekend, readers!