*Attendance
Ideal workspace and productivity "lecture"
What helps you be productive? Think about your senses.
*Do you need it quiet in order to concentrate? Or do you prefer music or white noise in the background?
*Do you like to be seated at a desk or table and chair? or something more comfortable like the couch or recliner or your bed?
*Do you work better alone or with others working near you (think your kitchen table vs campus library)?
*Do you prefer working on a computer or with paper and pen/pencil? Do you prefer pen or pencil?
*Is there a certain time of day that you are more productive? Do you like to stay up late and work, so you can sleep in, or would your rather go to bed early and get up to work on things in the morning?
I struggled with this in college. If I went home from campus without doing any of my homework, there was no chance anything school related was getting done once I walked in the door. My roommate and I were best friends and nothing productive happened if we were both home at the same time. We didn't have a table and chairs or any place to actually sit and do any homework. My grades suffered as a result.
I learned that spreading out on a table in the library was the best place for me to get things accomplished. It was quiet, but there were still people around, so I didn't feel isolated.
Even as a teacher I have to figure out what helps me be productive when doing school business at home.
I can't work on school stuff if my home is messy. I procrastinate homework by cleaning. It's time to grade papers? Wait! The ceiling fan in my dining room is dirty!
I don't like writing with pencils--they are too noisy for me. I like writing on paper better than typing because technology has failed me one too many times. I have fears of losing my work and writing. If I am working at home, I prefer to have the television off, but the radio on, and spread out all of my work on the dining room table. Before I start, I try to write a rough list of things that I need to accomplish, followed by a list of things that I'd like to accomplish--there's a difference.
Then I set my kitchen timer for 30 minutes and work to accomplish as much as I can in that time. When the timer goes off, I take a 10 minute break to get a drink and do something non-school related. After the 10 minutes I consider how I'm feeling. Can I stand another 30 minutes? If so, I reset my timer and work again. If not, can I do 15 minutes? Or do I just need to put things away for an hour or two and come back later?
It is MUCH harder for me to be productive at home. If I can work at a coffee shop or library I can work for longer without feeling like I'm bored or tired of what I'm working on.
Knowing these little things will help your productivity. This will save you lots of time and frustration in the long run.
Make some notes, lists, diagrams, draw pictures about what you think might help you be productive? What have you tried in the past? What do you know keeps you from doing work? (Bring these with you on Wednesday)
No homework for Wednesday.
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