Student Blog: Tools that Help Me in Life & Art - Redefining “Productivity”

Even though I would like to think there is a method to my madness, as they say, if I am being honest, I don’t think there is. It’s definitely more chaos than controlled madness. That, however, is a self-improvement project I am perpetually working on. I have to kick that work into high-gear though. Despite my disorganization, there are tools that, when I actually use them, really help me manage and balance different facets of my life. 

As a reminder from my previous article (I really hope you like it!), I am in my last semester of my master’s degree program in foreign and second language education at a Florida university. As a full-time graduate student, I can wholeheartedly say I could not survive without my planner. There is SO much reading and SO much writing I cannot even explain it. As such, my planner is my most-often used tool in the academic realm of my life and even in my personal and aspirational “lives”. Being able to keep track of assignments in my agenda is my way of taking things out of my wacky mind and making them more tangible and organized. Doing this can seem like an added chore but always proves way more helpful than it does time-consuming in the grand scheme of things. If I may say - which will reveal how much of a nerd I am, there is nothing more satisfying than checking a completed assignment off my planner lists! I use my pink pen and highlighter for writing these and crossing them off afterwards. 

My planner has also proven to be my Best Friend in helping me pursue my artistic goals. While I have no theater experience as of yet (hopefully!), aside from elementary school plays, I am working on discovering and developing this art within myself. I take vocal lessons from a local instructor in person once a week. I also take online lessons from a performer I discovered through social media that I have admired for a long time. Those are also once a week. I practice at least 30 minutes a day in order to try to build my skills, especially since I am just discovering if they even exist to begin with. For my acting side, every few weeks that I can, I also pick a movie I’ve recently watched that spoke to me. I pick my favorite character from the work and do a character study, as much as I know how to. After practicing one of their monologues or lines that speak to me, I record myself acting those selections out and try to give myself feedback on the “performance”. All of these things get put into my agenda as well. I use my green highlighter and green pen for writing these and crossing them off. 

No matter how big or small, that sense of completion the action of crossing these off grants me is super motivating. That motivation and sense of pride does wonders for making me feel proud of myself. That, in turn, helps me become even more motivated. It is hard to see one’s progress from one’s own perspective sometimes. This is a way for me to see what I have done and to revel in that. Aside from my academic duties or “dream duties” as I call them, I also write down extracurricular activities or events I am looking forward to. Whether these be friend dates, media releases I am excited about, upcoming trips, or really anything outside of those that bring me joy in other ways. 

Another tool I try to incorporate into my life when I can is self-care. It is something that those who can should make time for. Even though a spa day sounds amazing, self-care does not have to be that grandiose. It can be anything that makes you feel connected to yourself and allows you to take a breath in between all the action of the day. From making sure to get enough sleep or time in the sunshine, to engaging in something you love doing or finding ways to celebrate yourself or your life - self care is a way to maintain physical and emotional wellbeing. I have different self-care things that help me personally as opposed to academically or artistically. Personally, I go for a daily walk in my neighborhood every sunny day we get. Enjoying the sun, even if just for 10 minutes, does wonders for my mind and spirit, which help me do better in all other parts of my life. Also personally, when I wake up, I try to set an intention for the day. Writing that down in a journal helps me cement that in my mind for the day which takes my intention from a plan to reality. At the end of the day, right before going to sleep, I quickly write a specific thing I was grateful for from the day, whether personally and in any other realm of my life. 

Remembering my needs as a human being comes in handy professionally and artistically. Despite how busy I am or how overwhelmed I feel, this care is key to keeping me connected to myself. Getting enough sleep, trying to eat in a balanced way (at least sometimes), taking breaks when I need them, and doing unscheduled things that I enjoy when I can help me stay present. By being more present and actively looking for joy in that, I can function and think through all other things better. Though some people can view this negatively, prioritizing oneself in this way proves vital for ourselves and for us to give our best selves in everything we do and to everyone we encounter. 

In order to be fully transparent though, all of the above happens on good days. Bad days happen to all of us. I am not productive in the same way on bad days. On bad days, productivity looks really different. It looks like resting. It looks like being with people that make me feel lighter, even if it’s doing nothing together. It looks like listening to comfort music on loop immersing myself in my comfort show or movie. It may mean looking back or looking forward. If I do not get any of what I wrote done on any given day that is just not going that well, self-care looks like fighting negativity, even when it comes from within. On those types of days, my plan is no plan or is to go where the day takes me as long as I leave the house for a bit. Productivity that does not involve checking things off lists or that does not involve being able to do more than get out of your head counts just as much as does the briefcase view we all associate with getting things done. I guess productivity, in the end, can look however you want it to and however you need it to, if you can even recognize that at the time. 

So, today and everyday, remember who you are and what you need aside from what you do. Organize your duties but leave time open for unexpected fun and joy. Remember why you love what you love and what it adds to your life. Live with intention. Plan but also act on those plans. Maybe sooner rather than later, some of those plans turned into action will lead to goals being achieved and dreams coming true in ways you never expected at all.