Since working and attending classes from home are our new norm, I thought I’d share a few tips to help maximise your working time so you enjoy Animal Crossing without feeling the guilt of Gen-Ed assignments due. If you are wanting to find ways to stay on track here are a few tips:

1. Sleep and starting with Intention

Since we’ve been locked inside for the last three weeks and more to come, there is no excuse for lack of sleep; you’re on your own clock. Whilst naps through the day are a bonus and may suffice, nothing beats a solid 8 hours and it sets you up for a day of being more attentive–but you have heard that a thousand times before.

The more important point is intention. After researching and reading from productivity masters, intention is a recurring point that helps structure what you do in your day, helping to break it down into achievable parts. I have found that listing around 3 intentions per day not only helps you decide what is most important to complete, but it also helps to mentally delegate assignments and tasks which can limit random anxiety bursts throughout the day about the amount of tasks you have to do this weekend.

2. Yer Phone

We’ve all tried to write that essay and paragraph, a message, notification or friend is hollering causing you to lose your flow and throwing you off task. The remedy is simple: silent your phone. Better yet, don’t have it on or around you. The internet and your friends shouldn’t need you for 45 minutes and within that time you’d be amazed at the work you can complete distraction free.

We’re in a digital age and one of the biggest developments is the amount of attention your phone saps from you. Your attention is valuable. If you have to have your phone nearby, I suggest leaving it on silent and turning it upside down. Sometimes you just have to commit to get results and disregarding your phone is a worthy sacrifice for productivity.

3. Mini-Breaks

It is fairly self explanatory, yet the power of small intervals between working boosts the overall effectiveness of the work that you do. Quality > Quantity, as they say. If you want to eliminate the desire to continually look at the clock and count down the minutes to your next break, I’d suggest placing a 45 minute timer on when you begin your work session, thus it is out of your hands, you won’t have to look at the clock. It now won’t be your conscious responsibility to give yourself a break.

Once the timer is up, you can step away from your work–grab a drink, snack, and/or Facetime your mate–then go back to work in a similarly effective manner.

4. Cuppa Tea

The final piece of advice comes in the form of a nurturing pomegranate green tea–well, it doesn’t have to be that flavor (although Trader Joes sells a delectable herbal variety), but the principle is to satisfy your desire to snack. Snack equals distract. While hydrating you and keeping you full between brakes, it will keep you focused and on topic. In addition to the above, it’s delicious and relaxing–there’s no downside to a cuppa.

Ultimately, these quarantine days are yours and it is on you to the amount of work and output you have. While you may have your own perfected method to churning out assignments and working from afar, mixing up your work days and the way you approach them are another form of keeping potentially boring and tedious work exciting and achievable.

So go out there (into your living room) and write that essay!