College Success By Students, For Students

The Golden Ticket for Success in College and Beyond

If you’re a quote person, you’ll love these… 

“You may delay, but time will not, and lost time is never found again”

– Benjamin Franklin

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”

– my dad… many times

Hello! I am currently a junior studying Sport Industry at THE Ohio State University. If you’re a Michigan fan, please escort yourself out (kidding).  This blog post is going to be about a book that I’ve read called “The Productivity Project” by Chris Bailey.  This self-help book outlines the topic of being more productive in every part of your life.  For me, I choose to apply the things that Chris Bailey talked about, into the school work aspect of my life.  Down below, I will be highlighting the walls I had to climb when applying the knowledge, I learned from this book.

My goals for the project

  • Before reading this book, I thought that waiting till the last second was a common thing among people in college.  I didn’t realize how bad it was affecting me and the way that it altered how I went about other things in life.  I wanted to better align myself with an organized lifestyle, in and out of school.  I aimed to create good habits everywhere I saw fit.  I wanted to be able to feel as if I was on top of my work instead of feeling like I was drowning in assignments.  I learned that productivity is a MUST when searching for success.  I turned to “The Productivity Project” to learn about ways to better myself.

Theory behind productivity

  • Three aspects of productivity:
  1. Time –  Time management towards specific things.  Having an organized time structure can allow you to complete a week’s worth of stuff in a shorter amount of time.
  2. Energy –  Buckle down and give 110% towards your work.  Get some coffee and give your undivided attention.
  3. Listing – Write out an organized list of things you have to do for the day/week/month/year.  Having a visual representation of objectives will help you connect some of your short terms goals with distant goals. 

Hand writing out a list for the week was something valuable that I learned from this book.  It allows me to check-off things that I’ve done, as well as highlight some key components in completing them.  In our lives, we like to have a free and open schedule; using time as an asset, focus your energy and attention towards things early on, so that you do not feel as if you have a full week’s worth of work. The first step in creating a more productive lifestyle is realizing your bad habits and creating new and better ones.

Main causes of procrastination and how I overcame

  • The first step in change is pinpointing exactly what about yourself you want to 

change.  It’s impossible to flip a switch and just become more productive.  You need to cross out the bad habits and mindfully create new and improved ones.  Kill two birds with one stone by making a list of things that you want to change.  Below are some things that I realized were holding me back from my full potential.

  • Sleep schedule – For some of you, this may be the hardest change.
  • Relying on the weekend to finish everything that I needed  Learn to love Mondays! It’s the start of the week and the perfect time to get ahead.  Make a calendar for a specific time gap.  (below is my calendar for April.  I only added the weekdays for my work submissions for my in-person classes.)
A word document table titled "April 2019"
Image of word document table titled “April 2019 To Do List” with columns and rows containing to-do items for classes of specific dates in April.
  • Not dealing with my mental health the best way I could  Being in a positive state of mind with help from doctors and loved ones can make all the difference.
  • Not having a neurologist in Columbus to help me with medication  trips home to talk to my doctor/ finding a doctor in the Columbus area.
  • Habits towards waiting till the last minute to do something  realizing my habits are hurting me and trying to break the bad ones and make new ones.
  • Taking notes that are bland and not engaging  Highlighting key words and topics to stimulate my brain towards understanding and remembering what I’m learning.  (Example below from a Rec Sports class) 
Image of document with class notes highlighted in various colors and items bolded in red text
  • Making a list of weekly things that do not necessarily have a submission date. (Below is a to-do list from the week of March 29th, 2019)
A notebook paper with handwritten notes.
Image of notebook paper with handwritten notes.
  • Taking notes can change the way that you go about studying.  Instead of searching through a gauntlet of messy and poorly written notes, I choose to use my computer to take notes. I focused on highlighting key words and dates in order to make studying easier.  Being able to read notes can increase your drive level and make you more focused and interesting in studying.   Having neat and clean notes increased my productivity while studying.
  • Having two different written out schedules may cause some confusion, but for me, it was easier to focus on things that had submission dates vs. things I needed to get done.
  • Some obstacles that I faced when implementing a new note taking method, was that some teachers do not allow laptops or electronics in their classes.  A way that I overcame this was to handwrite and paraphrase some key content.  After having a general idea written down, I would then access the online lecture and complete the notes.

Major takeaways and recommendations:

Starting off, I’m glad that I choose this book to read.  “The Productivity Project” helped me self-reflect and find the things that were causing me issues.  Being able to read something and then think afterwards about how it pertains to you, is always something that can help you feel engaged and responsive.  College is a growing experience, those who are currently in college know what I’m talking about, and those of you who are not quite there yet, relax and breathe.  Life is about learning new things that can hopefully create a better situation for yourself.  Learning how to be more productive through this book helped me and is currently helping me achieve success that I did not know about.  Before this book, I never had that feeling of being on top of things; and now, I feel as if I am conquering my classes, as well as dealing with things outside of the classroom in a more efficient manner.  I recommend this book to current college students, incoming college students as well as any working professional that is seeking to increase their productivity.  This book changed my life, and it can change yours.