by Carolina | Feb 11, 2025 | Productivity
Have you noticed that all tasks seem to lead to your phone in some way or another? Whether to do the task itself, or to do side tasks related to the main one simply because you end up wondering something else on it.
The ease and accessibility of a multi-purpose device is undeniable but it has been collectively also destroying our ability to focus and get any single task done before switching to something else. As a result, many people seem to be resorting to paper in an attempt to gain clarity and focus doing several tasks.
In this article we will examine several ways to use paper to increase productivity.
Planning and Task Management on Paper
As a chronic planner and to-do lister, one of the first things I noticed was how less satisfying was to cross tasks off a digital list than something on paper. As practical and eco-friendly as the digital medium is, it somehow feels less involved and immersive, which is in my experience detrimental especially when laying down your daily tasks.
Notice that if listing out your to-dos is one of the first things you do, tying that activity to your mobile device is a way to ensure you get distracted and start the day in a rut of dispersed energy without the separation and friction needed to make you disconnect and get on doing your tasks. For this reason, I have started growing fond of paper again for to-do lists or broad monthly planning/targets (planner style), despite still planning my commitments and calendar-blocking using Google Calendar on my devices.
The only real con is the amount of paper wasted and the fact sticky notes and random pieces of paper may be lost or forgotten for you to carry.
I have found a solution though. The best compromise between the immersiveness of paper and the eco-friendliness and accessibility of digital lists is reusable notebooks and paper with the ability to scan pages if you need it (as an example you can check out the Infinity Book solutions or other brands with similar offerings).
Reading Physical Books
The consumption of e-books has been increasing in the last few years. Although I am a big proponent of e-books as a way to take advantage of short bursts of time and more accessibility to read more books, it is no lie that physical books can offer a bit more immersion to the reading experience which may make you retain and remember more information.
Reading physical experiences offers a sensory experience that digital books cannot replicate and it offers less distraction since a book is a one-purpose object with little to nothing but your mind to make your attention drift away (unlike your phone or tablet).
Brainstorming.
As much as I love my Apple Notes, it is a completely different experience being able to carry a small notebook to jot down ideas. Not only does it feel like a more personal and private experience, you have little to worry about since you can write and draw everything with a pen.
by Carolina | Feb 3, 2025 | Productivity
Are you tired of hopelessly planning goals that you are almost certain you will end up failing to accomplish, New Year’s Resolutions that you rarely complete and getting to the end of the year feeling underwhelmed about what you actually did?
It is usually the case that, for most people, the majority of goals do not go beyond paper and planning and never materialise. There are various reasons for this, but all of them have effective solutions that can help you achieve more.
Create a Motivating yet Feasible Plan
It is tempting to get lost and start planning everything that you may feel you want to accomplish in the year, even to an unrealistic degree. Do not fall for this trap. As much as idealisation is important to make you dream and get inspired, you have to outline what is possible and achievable to make you truly motivated and committed instead of dispersing your focus and getting nothing done. A good plan will give you a focus target, save you time long term and reduce hardships and mistakes by anticipating concerns.
Defining appropriate, concrete and measurable goals
You must pick a goal that is attainable and you may need to break it down into several mini-goals if it is something somewhat challenging. The key is to make it concrete and measurable whenever possible.
If you are one of those people who wants to get fit and never actually get around to doing it just by saying it and thinking about it like that, it might be helpful to break it down in small chunks that address the reason why you always end up postponing it (e.g. perhaps defining a concrete metric on specific gym equipment of your liking).
Like many people, I also wanted to become fitter and improve my health but the idea of going to a gym doing robotic motions day in and day out did not seem sustainable for someone working a corporate job with long hours like me or remotely fun at all after a long day so I addressed that. Instead, I chose a specific sport that I always wanted to try with a feasible one-week schedule and the “Get fit” goal turned into “Get to an Intermediate Level of Aerial Hoop in the next 5 months with weekly practice”.
Outline something realistic that is still exciting and take into consideration the mental hurdles and plan around them from the very beginning.
All my life I wanted to be somebody. Now I see I shoud have been more specific.” Lily Tomlin
Plan for shorter periods of time: ditch annualized plans and adopt periodization
If you really want to achieve more and better you should never plan around the entire year. Giving yourself a year for a single goal is a dangerous trap that convinces you that you have plenty of time and makes you never get around to what you want to do.
Have you ever noticed that most times you complete a task in however long you are given to complete it? The idea here is that the same reason that makes you push and complete a 15-page paper in 2 days when you had four whole weeks to do is the same reason why you should also think in short deep bursts of focus and activity. The book “The 12 Week Year” by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington explains this idea perfectly and explains the reason why we should rely more on periodization than annualized thinking:
“One of the things that gets in the way of individuals and organizations achieving their best is the annual planning process. As strange as this is going to sound, annual goals and plans are often a barrier to high performance. […] There is no question you will do better with annual goals and plans than without goals or plans; however, we have found that this annual process inherently limits performance. […] The fact is every week counts! Every day counts! Every moment counts! […] Discard annualized thinking and watch what happens.”
For that reason, it might be wise to plan your goals in quarters, trimesters, and months and if they are small enough, you may only need a few weeks. It may also be helpful to work seasonally when it comes to certain hobby-related goals. Periodization not only can give you a stronger push to complete them due to your timeline but also allows you to re-evaluate and adjust your goals as you go.
Remain Consistent
Prioritize your goals
In order to achieve your goals you actually have to sometimes to make decisions on what to do with limited time. In those times you have to make your most important targets a priority. Otherwise, they will end up in the backburner and every time you chose something else over them, the easier will be to continue to disregard executing them.
Calendar-blocking
One of the many ways to prioritize goals is to make time for them and schedule them alongside your other obligations.
An effective way to plan is to calendar-block and allocate that time in advance for your different activities.
There are several tools that you can use for this (e.g. Google Calendar or iCalendar are free options that absolutely do the sob) and you can even set reminders and alarms a few minutes before you have to move on to another Task.
It is also key to calendar-block in a realistic way, with some empty slots in case a task takes longer than usual. It is not necessary and for most people, it is not productive at all to input every single to do on a calendar.
Use a calendar for commitments, not for an ideal day on your to-do list with a lot of administrative tasks and non-essentials competing and sabotaging your main pursuits.
This way you will have a clean and motivating schedule that will motivate you instead of making you feel overwhelmed.
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Seek Accountability
If you are someone that struggles a lot with following through plans, all of the above might still not be enough to push you forward.
Because of that we have to get more creative and play into excitement, guilt and need for connection. Even if some of your goals are Personal or you do not want to reveal them, it might be incredibly helpful to have a few friends that you can share your progress and excitement with.
The idea is that the positive reinforcement of excitement from you and others alongside the potential embarrassment of then not doing what you say are going to do will push you to stick to your commitments.
For me, this has been incredibly effective for the few goals that are more challenging and for which inner motivation and commitment is not quite enough to ensure I show up.
Evaluate and Measure your Progress
After all the effort of planning and sticking to habits long term, it is also necessary to be able to look back at the progress.
This is a chance to readjust your goals if necessary or simply to reap the benefits of accomplishing them
Don’t be afraid of the date and time and celebrate your accomplishments properly!
by Carolina | Aug 21, 2022 | Productivity, Studying & Learning
After a long year of work in school with exams, studying or a heavy workload, you deserve a break. Although you should take some time to do nothing and rest (as we also recommend) you might get to a point (possibly July or August) when you are ready to use the long holidays productively and use them to start new things that maybe you never get around to do for yourself during the rest of the year.
The question then becomes: how will you use this free time to accomplish things for yourself and also keep a feel of productivity? This list will help you give ideas on what to do to use this perfect time opportunity.
Either you run the day, or the day runs you
Jim Rohn
Progress your current hobbies or get a new one
Having hobbies alongside a career or a school curriculum is extremely important. Not only can they be used for proper “me time”, but they can also be transformed into skills you are proud of and that help you in your career (even if they seemingly have no correlation with it whatsover), and they can also be used as a resource to monetise other passions of yours if you decide to switch careers or take a break.
If often times you already think about doing new things or projects but always end up not feeling free enough to do those during your normal schedule, the holidays are the perfect time to take action.
1. Exercise
General advice to practice sports is common. Even if you are a very non-sporty person and prefer the comfort of your own home, I would still highly recommend for you to take up a sport as there is a big range of options to choose from to suit your personality, lifestyle and goals and it is an excellent way to channel your energy and even release stress later on. Besides that, if you are someone that spends a lot of time indoors or at least behaving in a very sedentary manner, this is the perfect way to get back in shape or to better your physical condition.
If you do not know exactly what sparks your interest and would be beneficial for your goals I give you the very specific and random recommendation to go look at the catalogue of sports usually available at the Olympics and you are likely to find something that sparks your interest and seems suitable for your lifestyle and goals. For example, you might find that you naturally seem more interested in team sports (or have indicators of such like enjoying team work in your daily life) or the opposite, might be more keen on sports depending on whether they engage with strength, resistance, strategy or agility
By doing this I was able to filter sports I was genuinely curious about but usually would not be on the top of my head and that actually suited my inclination to like doing things individually, being focused and not being well built or interested in very strength-focused exercise and found archery, table tennis, badminton, fencing or equestrian that I could see myself enjoying.
You may also want to consider how this sport will tie when you are not on break anymore and pick somethings that is relatively accessible to you in terms of pricing and proximity to your house, school or workplace.
2. Get artsy and crafty
Some of us are more artsy than others, that is for sure. However, we can all get to some sort of artsy endeavour by selecting things that are suitable to us. You may enjoy classic drawing and painting, but if that is too intimidating to you, you could simply invest in a great adult colouring book to practice colouring while you relax. Knitting and pottery can be very satisfying and even easier to give a little profit if you would like.
3. Improve your cooking skills
Cooking is a pretty fundamental skill to learn. However, many of us, especially those who are younger fail to even grasp the basics or be able to cook things that we actually enjoy eating and that are healthy. Health and good food is often neglected in college, school and even when we start working and settle for fast food and easy take out.
I would suggest investing a good deal of time learning about cooking, especially cooking based on nutritional needs and meal preparation to make your life easier even though you put more effort into your feeding when you start cooking. You can nail down a great routine and meal preparation plan to then have to worry less during classes or work.
4. Develop your music skills
If you absolutely love music maybe it is time to start learning an instrument or taking singing or dancing classes. Learning an instrument and dedicating enough time to it every day or at least 2-3 practice sessions a week can improve your level of discipline and give you a good way to channel your creativity and release stress when classes or work start again. Just select one instrument that you are naturally drawn to and listen already to motivate you to learn songs you love and keep learning it and check out accessible resources online for it.
Additionally, if you are both musical and tech savy you could learn about music production in a specific software (Garageband, Logic Pro, Avid Pro Tools, Ableton) and maybe create some beats or melodies to study to or sounds to sell online.
5. Unleash the writer within you
If you are the wordy type or simply want to improve your writing skills this can be a total winning choice regardless of what you usually do since we all have to gain by mastering writing in our communication skills.
This means that if you always wanted to write a novel, you can write the exciting story you always wanted to tell and you only may need to write a couple of hundred of words per day to complete it or less. You could take a creative writing course for example but you could also just use the plethora of online resources that are available.
If you are not the novel type and just like writing about doing things you could also invest in writing articles and you could even experiment writing for Medium on topics you like or creating your own personal blog.
6. Sharpen your logic
For those of us who like to keep our mind sharp, logic riddles and related games are absolutely perfect to have fun at the same time you are stimulating your brain. A good way to do it is of course through games like chess for example or even just classic games like Cluedo.
Catch up on reading
Reading is probably one of the most productive things we can do for self growth, wether we are reading a fictional book for pleasure or more informational content. As it is also a time consuming consuming one, summer gives us decent amount of time to get to it.
You can do several types of reading during the holidays:
- Leasure reading: pick your favourite genre – that could be a nice fluffly contemporary or an exciting fantasy or sci-fi book
- Self improvement reading, which can be specially done with non fiction, or self help books if that is your taste
- Syllabus reading in advance if you want ot have a head start in the content of next classes
Learn a new language
Learning a new language can be incredibly valuable. You can easily complete the A0 and A1 level in some languages through apps and free resources like Duolingo and specific language centric websites and then move onto higher levels to retain that knowledge. Just make sure to be consistent and pick the right language and most useful for you.
Take up a new project
This new project could be something unrelated to your occupation as a student or professional that you always wanted to try or something that you can tailor to suit your academic or professional path as creating a project can also enhance your reputation as an initatior or entrepreneur near employers.
- Here is a list of ideas of projects you can start:
- Do some DYs and create something unique or refresh your room decor
- Create a business and develop your entrepreneurial side (setting up an Etsy shop and selling handmade products or digital ones, if you are a bright student this could also be tutoring a subject of language, profit off your hobbies as suggested above)
- Start a blog about something you are very interested about and have some expertise (this could be related to one of your hobbies or skills)
Sell or dontate things that are not useful to you
Something as simple as cleaning your closet and getting rid of items tha you no longer need or care about, or getting rid of decor items and then selling them on a platform (Vinte, Poshmark) can be very helpful to get some cash or give to someone that needs it, at the same time that it clears out more space and you filter the things that you to create more clean, pleasing and inspiring surroundings.
Volunteer for a cause you care about
.A lot of us spend the entire year just focusing on our path , carreer or education, but sometimes you should give back and not wait until never. Pick a cause you are passionate about and you will be incredibly fulfilled as well as being of help to others.
Get an internship or summer job
If you are looking to make some money or build up your cv, getting an internship and even a recommendation letter resulting from it might be really positive for you. Even a summer job in an unrelated area might be incredibly wise to gain some money to fund your projects.
Plan your extracurriculars for the school year or extra formation for your work
To finish the holidays big, nothing more motivational than planning the exact extracurriculars you want and carefully selecting time schedules for your classes to achieve your goals. this task can also save a lot of headaches and indecision later so it is great to have it sorted
