Was it just me or did recess week come and go in a blink of an eye? I managed to incorporate the tips I shared on Instagram, but wanted to slow down further. I will share more about this in the next section. Still, I managed to find a few ways to stay productive and I hope they will be helpful for you as well.

Struggles and Revelations

Unfortunately, given the amount of assignments, quizzes and projects I had it was almost impossible for me to take such a long break.

Do you also feel this way? Do you wonder when you will actually have the chance to rest? Would it be after your final exams? What if something else comes up during that time and your holiday is cut short? Wouldn’t you not have a proper break anymore?

The thing is, you don’t need to wait for the next holiday to rest. It will probably be a never-ending cycle of work to do. Instead, you can choose to create your own breaks now.

You might be thinking that going on holiday means neglecting your work. However, can you honestly say that you are conscious and would probably be working efficiently when you’re not resting? Examine and track your time. What exactly do you spend your hours on? How long do you take to complete activities? Are you able to rearrange, tweak or re-schedule to include clean-rest time?

When I didn’t follow through with my breaks, I noticed that I wasn’t as productive as I thought I would be. Something in me still felt unsettled and continued to long for that ‘clean rest’.

Rest and work go hand-in-hand.

When I had clean rest, my mind becomes clearer and focused on doing the task. Rest is just as productive as working. We often expect some magic solution but we already know the solution.

The next time you encounter this situation (at a crossroad), decide whether you want to go back to your old ways (i.e. being lazy, whiny or wishing the pain away), or choose to remember the good feeling you’ll have afterwards, and go through the discomfort lovingly.

October Favourite Tool

I’ve been having weekly ‘focus’ calls with my accountability buddy via Zoom for the past month. Before we begin our focus sessions, we would tell each other what we will be working on for the next hour. I treat each session as my ‘power hour’ and spend only an hour on working on the task – no more and no less.

These sessions have been really great in helping me to get things done, especially on things that are not as urgent, but important to me, such as writing posts for this blog.

If you don’t currently have a suitable accountability partner, you can use Focusmate to schedule up to 3 free focus sessions every week with others around the world. I highly recommend you select important tasks which you have been procrastinating on!

What I’m Working On In November 2020

As my final exams are taking place at the end of November, I really want to manage my energy well throughout each day.

I also want to focus on my responses and actions after doing something that I didn’t plan to. This would be especially relevant in instances where I don’t follow through with my plans.

For example, after finding myself going through a social media blackhole, I want to be curious about why I did it. Was it because I was procrastinating? Was I clear about my goals? Once I am aware of my thoughts, I want to update my decisions on whether I would choose to continue with it or not.

If you also have tests or exams coming up, be sure to check out my post on 5 Myths About Studying For Your Exams. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work you have to do, remember this.

Let’s gear up for the last leg of the school term. I’d love to know what you’re looking forward to doing during the holidays!