10 Creative Productivity Tips for Online Learners
Creativity is often associated with finding your muse, but there is one problem - muse and productivity don’t mix well. But what if it’s not true? Do you really have to wait for inspiration to come? We are sure there are ways to keep up with loads of creative tasks while not burning out. And below, we have collected 10 of them!
However, before we dive into our guide, let us share a valuable tip. Sometimes we are busy completing boring routine tasks, while there’s something better waiting for us. And here’s how you can kill two birds with one stone - just outsource your school papers to experienced writers. Relying on research paper writing services, you save yourself from stressing over angry teachers and upcoming deadlines. And while talented specialists do the job for you, feel free to move on to what matters most at this very moment!
Work At Your Most Productive Hours
Some of us feel great in the morning, while others have lots of energy in the afternoon or late at night. So, observe yourself. When do you feel most productive? When do you get the most original ideas?
The time when you are at the peak of your mental and physical power is ideal for creativity. Organize your work schedule according to your biorhythms and stick to this routine.
Stay Disciplined
If you are serious about achieving brilliant results in your study, devote time to it every day. Set limits for yourself, such as drawing for an hour a day or writing two pages of future research every morning.
Even when there is absolutely no energy or time for the task, keep in touch with it. You can't write several pages? Write at least one paragraph a day or devote the task to the best paper writing services to manage everything on time. Lots of deadlines don’t allow you to finish a big drawing? Work on miniatures then. Are you facing writer’s block? Just save your insights and associations - later you will analyze them and perhaps find something worthy.
Develop Your Creative Thinking
It may sound obvious, but our brain truly needs regular exercise to work better! Try out some techniques and you will surely notice a boost in your creativity:
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Change the things you are used to. Find another way to the bus stop or nearest shop;
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Take a shower with your eyes closed;
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Prepare an extraordinary dish;
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Choose 7 words from the book and make sentences with them;
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Select a picture from Pinterest or Instagram and think about what might have happened before or after the picture was taken.
Train your brain as often as possible. Even 10 minutes of such activities will have an effect on your creativity. Such exercises greatly train the subconscious mind and that’s exactly what you need.
Collect Ideas
Basically, the more ideas you accumulate, the less likely it is that you will face a creative crisis. Thus, stay curious about everything around you! Notice everything that resonates with your imagination and feeds it. Absorb different content: movies, music, books, paintings, photographs, poetry as well as casual conversations, architecture and nature. Keep a folder dedicated for ideas and look into it every time you need inspiration.
Be In The Flow
According to psychologists, flow is a state of mind when creativity is combined with happiness. It occurs when we are deeply immersed in the process and feel at peace. Unfortunately, this state can’t be turned on like a light bulb. But you can create ideal conditions for it to appear:
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Choose topics that you feel passionate about. If the teacher offers you to choose a theme to work on, go ahead;
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Avoid multitasking. If you are doing more than one task at the same time, there will be chaos in your head, and this leads to stress;
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Get rid of distractions. Close the door to your room so that others can’t interrupt your work. Turn off email and app notifications. Focus on the present moment. Try to free yourself from extraneous thoughts, such as other projects or the show you watched the night before.
Get Enough Sleep
This is the most obvious yet time-tested piece of advice. Poor sleep increases anxiety and reduces cognitive abilities. To be more productive, doctors recommend going to bed before 11 p.m. and sleeping the same number of hours.
Change The Scenery
The home environment gets boring over time, right? Monotony puts pressure on the psyche and leads to burnout. According to statistics, remote work provoked an increase in demand for psychologists by 150%. To avoid losing inspiration, try working in a cafe or coworking space.
Meditate And Reflect
When you're depressed, stressed, or tired, it's hard to stay productive. So, take care of your mental health - keep a diary, visit a therapist or meditate. By the way, small meditations 2 times a day calm the nervous system and improve mood.
Get A Fresh Eye
When you force yourself to do something, the result often turns out to be unsatisfactory. That's why you need a fresh eye so much, and to have one, it's good to shift your attention.
Be sure to use the Pomodoro timer. Its concept is to divide the work into time intervals of 10-15 minutes. When one stage is over, you have 5 minutes to rest. This helps to reboot after a difficult task and not burn out.
Don’t Be Afraid Of Mistakes
Creative students are often stressed since they have to generate something new and then deal with edits and comments a million times over. But in fact, there is no single right idea and nothing is perfect. So, the best thing you can do is quiet the critic's voice in your head and just enjoy the process.
To Wrap It Up
We also cannot but take into account one important point. And this is building the right circle of friends. Even while studying online, we have many interactions with others. Be sure to communicate with classmates who always give you valuable tips, share feedback, offer amazing ideas, etc. Together you can survive many challenges and support each other in difficult times. No doubt, staying productive is easier with friends by your side!