Written by Ananya Panchal. Graphic by Ananya Panchal.
I don’t think anyone is inherently a bad learner. The key to learning is knowing yourself and the optimum environment for your productivity. Ask yourself: what usually keeps me working and motivated? And don’t worry about the answer being unconventional. This article outlines some of the strange, hyper-specific things I do to keep myself on track with my tasks. I won’t recommend any of these to anyone because they are specifically tailored to me. While these habits may not benefit everyone, the underlying core of why I do them can have interesting takeaways for anyone aiming to create their own work system.
- Wake up at 4 am and go back to sleep after completing a task:
In my opinion, there is no greater joy in the world than waking up and realizing that you can allow yourself the indulgence of sleeping for an extra hour or two. By coming to this realization, I formulated a strategy. At the beginning of the quarter, I worked hard to develop the habit of waking up at 4, completing a task, and going back to sleep.
4 am is the optimum time because it gives you plenty of hours to finish a task of moderate difficulty and still have enough time to take a good-sized nap. I can take up to 4 hours to complete something, sleep at 8 am, and wake up reasonably at 10 am. For example, if you have some work pending for an 11 am class tomorrow, but are too tired to complete the task in the evening, you could just sleep early, wake up energized to finish your work, go back to sleep, and still wake up in time to make it to your class. When you wake up, you will feel: energized, satisfied, and stress-free.
After a session of intense focus and strain, you can allow yourself to pop right back into bed, as if you had simply proactively finished all your classwork the night before. It’s almost like the time you took to wake up early and work on something doesn’t even “count.”
- Take lots of showers:
This is a strange one. I have a compulsive habit of taking multiple hot showers in the middle of working sessions as breaks. The reason I love taking shower breaks is that it physiologically resets me, it wakes me up. It soothes any anxiety I have about what I’m working on and it feels rewarding for the task I’ve already finished. I feel ready to tackle the rest of my endeavour.
I also take many walks between work just to take the pressure off. This allows me to let my mind wander after a session of focusing specifically on one task. It allows me to strike a balance of discipline and time for myself. An idle mind is very beneficial to anyone working creatively. It is in these moments of relaxed carelessness that ideas worth exploring strike you.
- Never work on a desk:
I hate working on chairs and desks. My working environment of choice is often the floor, my bed, or the sofa– preferably with a blanket around me.
This just comes down to preference, but the reason I don’t like working on desks is that the work, to me, feels official. I like to trick myself into believing that the work I’m doing is chill, even if it’s not. If I’m mentally challenging myself to do something, I will not physically make myself uncomfortable by sitting somewhere I don’t want to. I love sitting with my legs crossed. I almost feel like there’s some mysterious nerve in my body that connects my legs to my brain that only allows productivity when my legs are crossed. Think about those micro choices that help you work better. Is there a particular posture that you find more comfortable? A chair that fits you just right? These changes are worth making.
A lot of people avoid working on the bed because they want clear distinctions between work and relaxation – and that’s fine too. How can you work in an environment that keeps you going? Do you like working at cafes, because the public setting energises you? Do you prefer working near the window, so you can look at the beautiful scenery outside in the middle of your study sessions? How can you make yourself enjoy doing something stressful or mentally straining?
While this article seems like it’s an essay on productivity, it really is an essay on how you can make yourself happy doing the work that is assigned to you. The best part about being at SCAD is that everyone here is studying their particular majors because they love them. Creative jobs are jobs born out of passion – this is what we must remember above all else. Apart from creating systems that allow me to flourish most effectively, I like to remind myself that I lovewhat I do. I am privileged to have this opportunity.
