My Productive Summer Study Routine

As summer and quarantine is allowing us all to take sometime to stay home longer and spend time with friends and family. I realized it can sometimes feel challenging to make time to stay focused on our goals and academic pursuits so I wanted to give you guys some helpful tips I've been incorporating to push through these challenging moments.

My mornings would usually start off by ensuring I get at least 7-8 hrs of sleep minimum because during the regular months I would find myself getting a lot less during regular school or work hours so it's important to take this time to recharge to give you the mental energy to tackle your biggest tasks for the day.

My biggest keystone move after waking up is already having planned out what my biggest task for the day will be and how I plan on tackling that. I make this my first move after taking care of usual maintenance activities such as hygiene, skin care, and hydration. All of these will ensure you immediately hit the ground running from the comfort of your own home. Don't forget to take breaks in between to meditate; breaks are absolutely essential to continue working on your most difficult task throughout your morning.

Next, I usually have meals prepped over the weekend to remove decision fatigue when it comes to deciding what to eat for lunch or dinner. This can be as simple as storing rice and chicken in the fridge. It doesn't take a lot of willpower and you can listen to a podcast or audiobook while doing it.

Finally, the afternoon rolls around and you feel your energy and productivity levels begin to slump. This time period is the most important to have a set game plan for maintenance activities, in other words, activities that aren't too mentally or physically tasking but are important and worth your effort despite not being your main goal for the day (a task that is usually important but not urgent). 

If you want to return to tackling your big morning tasks in the late afternoon, you may find yourself working less efficiently as you did in the beginning of the day which is expected with all of the small fires we have to put out throughout the day including being social with family and friends. I found that studying and listening to a podcast really helps me get out of my head and focused on my work. When I start asking myself the right questions, and turning to my online resources for answers such as Google or other medical databases; these help me ensure that I'm clarifying discrepancies in my knowledge and increasing my understanding of new and difficult topics on a daily basis.

It is now close to the evening and everyone is done being social, you may have plans with friends for dinner, but you just feel so drained after the morning and afternoon to get ready. Here is the best time to schedule a quick workout routine. It can be as simple as going for a jog, doing jumping jacks, or dropping and giving me 50 push ups or less. I can be a bit extreme but it just shows how ready I am to refill those energy reserves I spent throughout the day. Our bodies are like our phones that need time to recharge every now and then. Movement, is one of the biggest players in recharging because we can't always stay home and remain seated all day. That's flat out unhealthy and has been shown through studies to increase mortality (death).

Night time is the best time: here is when you can truly unwind and be present with those around you to be social or post a quick picture for your social media platforms. I personally don't use social media until late in the evening and I do my best not to get caught up in likes or posting too often because it removes my work clarity. Having an undefined schedule and posting when you feel comfortable seems to work best for me. Remember you run your social media so use it to express your authentic self!

Unwinding before bed can be challenging because it can feel tempting not to choose the right path of journaling our day, reading a book, scheduling tomorrows calendar, or taking care of our hygiene to begin getting cozy in bed. It feels much easier to literally binge watch shows or play video games. However, these activities will lead to more problems for your life in the long run. We can't always choose the easy route if we want to build good and productive habits. 

Personally, I see this summer as a growth point. It's my first summer away from family back home so I plan on using it to develop strong habits that will benefit my life in the long run. I'm also using this time to acquire new skills such as cooking to help me progress as I transition more into my pharmacy school program. I hope you found this article helpful! Stay productive everyone!