Welcome to my productivity system as a teenager!
I’ve been wanting to write this blog for the past couple of months, but I didn’t really have a solid system that I would be able to fully describe in writing. So, I thought I would hold it off until I fully created a system I use for myself.
However, I realized that that is probably not going to happen…ever. Productivity systems are meant to change as life moves on. For example, what I do to be productive as a high-schooler is not the same as what I did in middle school. And, I’m 100% sure that when I’m in college, my productivity system is going to be different. Not only that, but even after college, my system for being productive is probably going to consist of a whole different list. Anyways, you get the point.
Basically, I still don’t have a solid productivity system that I follow each and every day, but I do have a couple of routines and tips that I follow that help me stay productive and get sh*t done!
Through the “system” I follow, I am able to stay motivated and disciplined to get all my work done and still put myself first.
Before I get started explaining what I do to stay productive, it’s helpful to understand me a bit better. Here are the habits/routine I try to follow:
- Spend less than 2 hours on my phone daily
- Don’t hit snooze on my alarm
- Sleep by 10:30 PM
- Exercise 5 times a week
- Drink 6 glasses of water daily
- Practice gratitude
Also, since I am a freshman in high school, a lot of my routine revolves around school. With my productivity system, I:
- Turn all my projects in on time
- Divide up notes to take for classes
- Finish homework the day it is assigned
- Study for tests/quizzes for a reasonable amount of time
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the habits I follow, so let’s get into how I am able to consistently follow my habits with the productivity system I created for myself!
I have two different routines on the weekdays vs. the weekends, so I’ll first start off with how I stay productive on the weekends.
Weekends:
Morning:
I usually wake up at around 8:00 AM in the mornings. People say that it is good to wake up at the same time each day, but the extra 1-2 hours on the weekends helps me refresh. After waking up, I immediately make my bed so that I don’t go back to bed and start off by getting a task done. I don’t check my phone until after fully getting ready because if I do check my phone, then I know I’ll be on it for the next 15 minutes.
After getting ready, I make breakfast. On a warm and sunny day, I would make a smoothie. However, if it’s cold, I’ll eat oatmeal with granola and fruits. What I eat for breakfast may seem irrelevant, but it actually helps me be productive throughout the day. By eating/drinking something healthy, it gives me the energy to work and get my tasks done during the day.
When I’m done with breakfast, I meditate for about half an hour. It is hard to focus most of the time, but I’m able to clear my mind and relax.
Afternoon:
After eating breakfast and meditating, it’s time to start working.
I always have a list of what I have to do from the night before, and I reorganize the list with the order of what I’m going to do first. Personally, I prefer completing the shortest task first, as I can cross off more tasks on my list early on. It also gives me the momentum to continue grinding and being productive.
Some of you may follow the Pomodoro technique, but I tried it out once and it didn’t really work out for me. Instead, I take a 5-10 minute break after each task I complete, even if the task lasted for only 2 minutes.
The weekends are the days when I write a blog post, so for example, I take a break after writing the introduction and another break after writing the conclusion. I then take another break after being 75% done.
Evening:
In the evening, I go for a walk with my family, work out, and then eat dinner. I am usually done with all my tasks by this time, but if I’m not, I do it really quickly in the night or leave it till the next day (depending on how urgent it is and how long it’ll take me).
Night:
After dinner, I have two choices: Either finish up my work or watch Netflix with my family.
75% of the time, I choose to watch TV. However, if I ever have any remaining work left that I don’t want to leave till tomorrow, I’ll head upstairs and work. It definitely is tempting to leave it till tomorrow, but I remind myself of how tomorrow is going to be so much easier if I finish this task by today.
By around 9:30, I am either finished with my work or come upstairs after watching Netflix. I spend 10 minutes writing a reflection about my day, as it gives me a chance to reflect on how my day was and what I can do better the next day. I also make a to-do list for the following day, so I’m ready to work the next day. Then, I check my phone for about 10 minutes to catch up on anything I missed. Usually, I am in bed by 10:00 PM, which I know is early, but is the perfect time for me to fall asleep.
Weekdays:
I’m not going to break up the weekdays into different parts of the day, as I’m in school from 8:30 to 3:30 five days a week. But, I will get into how I stay productive and complete all my homework.
During School:
I try to complete the majority of my work during school so that I don’t have that much left to do when I am back home. Here are some of the tricks that really help me:
- If a teacher gives the class extra something to work on an assignment, I take advantage of every minute. I don’t unlock my phone to go on social media or talk to other people for fun. I use every minute to get as much done as possible!
- During lunch, if I have extra time left after eating, my friends and I head to the library. If there’s a task that will take less than 10 minutes to complete, I get it done then!
- In my school, we have 3 access periods (free class periods to just get work done.) There is 1 access class on Wednesday, and 2 on Thursdays. Wednesdays and Thursdays are the days I have the least homework because I always get it done during access!
After School:
I’m home from school at around 4, and I spend about 15 minutes eating a snack and unwinding.
After setting up my desk to start homework, I open up my list of what I have to do (on Notion) and get started with the one that is going to take me the least amount of time.
I usually don’t have that much work to do since I finish a lot of homework at school, so I’ll be done with work by 5:30 at the latest.
On an easy day, I’ll then go on a walk, work out, and then eat dinner with my family. However, if I have to study, then I skip the walk and workout for that day. Stay tuned for a blog on my study strategies!
Another piece of advice I have for projects is to NEVER procrastinate till the last day. For me, I am almost always 80% done with the project the day it is assigned. I do all the brainstorming and planning the day it is assigned, as well as start executing what I have to do.
If there’s a project that is assigned, I spend a few hours working on it during the day and 1 hour during the night. This way, I have less on my plate for the following days!
Notion
Notion is a huge part of my productivity system. I have a lot set up on it, including a habit tracker, but the main reason I use it for is my to-do lists. It is super handy because I can access it from my school computer as well, and update it after each class with what I have to complete.
Habits:
Some of my habits are meditating, working out, going on a walk, and journaling. How do I stay consistent with these habits?
I think of how my future self will thank me for following through with the habit today. I want to be the best version of myself, and to do that, I have to look at the future in mind. If I don’t take action now, nothing will change in the future. However, if I take action today and continue my habits, I’ll be closer to the person I want to be in the future.
I also use a habit tracker that’s part of my journal to keep track of what I completed and didn’t complete. This way, I have a visual representation of how consistent I’ve been.
Mindset:
There’s no way to describe my mindset simply. Honestly, the best way to explain it would be to list some of the phrases I live by:
- Practice makes improvement, not perfection
- Stay positive and look at the bright side
- Enjoy every moment
- Get sh*t done
- No pain, no gain
The Takeaway
Well, this is all of my productivity system as of today. Who knows when it may change? But, as of now, this is what works for me.
Here is an overview of how my productivity system works:
- To complete my tasks, I split up big tasks into smaller steps.
- I take advantage of time in school to complete my homework so I have less work at home.
- I start school projects and am 80% done with them on day 1!
- For my daily to-do lists, I use Notion!
- To stay consistent with my habits, I look at my future self.
To be totally honest, the tips and routines I follow are just random tricks and advice from reading books and talking to other people. I’ve experimented with a bunch of different tricks for the past year to see what works well and what doesn’t. However, I am happy to say that this whole “system” I follow is what makes me the disciplined go-getter I am today!
If you’re interested in more productivity content, be sure to check out the following:
- Jacob’s Blog – Everything I’ve Learned About Productivity In My 18 Years Of Life
- Matt D’Avella (YouTube) – My Simple Productivity System
- Amazon Book – Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment down below! Also, be sure to comment on what your productivity system is below!
If you like any of the ideas or processes I mentioned above, try implementing them into your own routine and see how it works for you.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog, and have a great day ahead! Best of luck on your productivity system!