My top 4 tips for staying motivated & productive!

Even though you definitely do not need to be (hustle culture is a whole other blog post but it’s kind of toxic??), being productive is a topic that has been all over the internet lately, and given that I’m quite academic and need to always be doing something – I thought I’d share some of my tips for how I stay motivated and productive (when I want to be)!

1. Law of attraction

I’ve never really believed in the whole ‘law of attraction’ phase that’s been floating around YouTube, but one thing I have been doing is I have a Law of Attraction mood board on Pinterest! You all know how much I love Pinterest and it’s honestly perfect for motivation! Fill your mood board with anything that inspires you and that you associate with your dream life (e.g. house, travel, studying etc) and then look at it regularly to get that boost of motivation to work towards those goals!

* images from Pinterest

2. YouTube

This may sound counterproductive, but honestly the biggest way I get myself motivated is by watching other people be productive! By watching other people’s (aesthetic) Study With Me and Get Productive vlogs before I study (and honestly sometimes during if I really can’t be bothered), it gives me that push to be productive.
Some of my faves for motivation include:

• Nayna Florence
• Laura Medley (vlogs / main channel)
• Loona
• Lydia Violeta
• Revisgn
• Hannah Elise
• All Things Lilly Ann

The quote “comparison is the thief of joy” is a super common one but honestly I use comparison to motivate and for me it works! You definitely need to make sure you keep those boundaries though of a healthy level of comparison and a level that’s just damaging to your mental health.

3. Plan your day

*images from pinterest

If you do not own a planner or if you don’t write to-do lists. You need to!
How are you supposed to be productive during the day if you don’t know what you’re doing?
With my to-do lists, I use the 2020 Doodle Planner by Amanda Rach Lee (which was priceyyy because of UK shipping fees & an unexpected customs charge) and I do love it! It’s very bullet journal style which really works for me. But honestly find what works for you! If that’s just jotting down some bullet points on a scrap piece of paper, do that! Or it could be a diary, app on your phone, desk planner, bullet journal, calendar etc.

I tend to put two to three main tasks on my list depending on how long each of them will take, and then any smaller tasks I’d like to get done if I get the chance. & I also put really mundane tasks on there that I know I’ll do (like do a yoga, go for a walk etc) so then I can cross them off, which makes me feel productive and motivates me to get even more done. Almost a placebo effect?

4. Power Hour

Sometimes, when I need to complete a task for school or any other projects, I just need to start. And for this I recommend a power hour! Basically just get ready, prepare everything you need (e.g. if it’s for school work: notebook, pen, laptop, textbooks etc), set a 1 hour timer and GO. Work solidly for that hour and then get it done, or make some progress. As soon as that hour is done you can stop (or carry on if you want to!).

If you’re struggling with distractions, I love the app Forest for stopping me going on my phone – you basically set a timer and your tree grows in that time, and if you go on another app then the tree dies. Which you obviously don’t want 😉 & You can also plant real trees with your coins earned through studying/being productive! It is £1.99 though (I think) on the App Store so Flipd is a free alternative!

And that’s my four key tips for productivity!!
I hope you found this post useful and maybe gained something from it?

I did want to say though that it’s 110% okay!! if you’re not feeling super productive or if you have days where you just feel like sitting in your bed and watching Netflix. We all have those days and the world is in a proper weird place right now so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Don’t let anyone dictate how productive you should be, or what you should be doing (You don’t need to learn a language, or do a quiz or bake banana bread if you don’t want to!!) and also remember that self-care is productive!! If you’re not in the mood and would rather just chill, do a yoga and read a book with a face mask on then do it because it’s ultimately more productive to look after yourself?? Alternatively if the way you cope is by keeping your mind busy and doing different projects (like me) then that’s okay too!!

Everyone has a different response and there is literally!! nothing!! wrong!! with!! that!!

But anyway, that’s my Ted Talk finished :))
Thanks so much for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it!

Let me know in the comments if you’d like more lifestyle posts from me & what are your productivity tips? Do you do any of the things I mentioned?