Productivity

Study Series: 10 Tips For Getting Started On Academic Tasks

Emma-Louise Productivity, Study Tips Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

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Hey Everyone and welcome to this weeks Study Series.

This week I will be sharing with you my top 10 tips for getting started on any academic task.

  1. Improve Your Study Environment. You do this by reducing noie, keeping the area tidy and if neccessary move location. (I often take myself out of the house to a cafe or somewhere as it improves my focus).
  2. Avoid Distractions. Keeping your phone on silent, disable email notifications and avoid busy places.
  3. Work In Short Bursts. Taking regular breaks can help keep your concentration at a maximum.
  4. Find A Way To Start. You could start with a small task, as long as you get started it will provide motivation to get started on that bigger task.
  5. Focus On The Positive. Are there aspects of doing the work you really enjoy such as research, experiements etc focus on those parts.
  6. Write Freely. Use bullet points, graphs, brain maps. Utilise word processing software and the ability to copy and paste to edit documents.
  7. Breakdown Tasks. Large tasks can often feel unmangable, breaking down tasks into smaller chunks can help.
  8. Work Alongside Others. Mutual encouragement can help motivate. Having others to discuss things can also help with understanding topic of problem areas.
  9. Ask For Help. Don’t be afraid to ask for any help if you need it.
  10. Try Not To Be A Perfectionist. Sometimes it is easy to get to caught up in how your work appears, whether or not it’s perfect to you. Trying your best is always a good thing but at times we push ourselves to a standard that is more than expected.

You can find the other posts in the series here.

Reading For A Purpose

Identifying and Extracting Information

Accurate and Clear Information

Thank you for reading.

The Stationery Geekette x

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Study Tips Series: Accurate and Clear Information

Emma-Louise Productivity, Study Tips 1 Comment

Hey Everyone and welcome to week 3 of the study series.
Previously we have looked at reading for a purpose and identifying and extracting information.

Today however we will look at how to Provide Written Information Accurately and Clearly.

  1. It is always best to keep your sentence fairly short, around approximately 20 words. The main principles of sentence building should be to focus on a main point and one related point.
  2. It is best to use plain English wherever possible so everyone can understand the reading and in many cases  it is better to use shorter rather than longer words.
  3. When writing it is advsed that using active words is preferable to using passive words unless you are trying to soften the sentence.
  4. Try to use ‘you’ or ‘we’ rather than I.
  5. Always use words the reader will understand, if you are discussing something which you know may be complex for some then always explain the meaning in the Glossery section.
  6. Using positive language is more preferable to your work than negative language unless the concept requires this.
  7. Don’t be afraid to write lists or use bullet points where necessary. Numbers and letters can be a distraction for the reader.

Thanks for reading

The Stationery Geekette x

Study Tips Series: Identifying and Extracting Information

Emma-Louise Productivity, Study Tips Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Hey Everyone and welcome to my study tips series.
Last week we discussed Reading For A Purpose and today we will look at Identifying And Extracting The Information You Need.

Once you have gathered all of your notes the next step is to go through them and extract and identify all the main points that you need.

Start by skim reading all of the information you have collected and list your findings in note form. Once this is complete you can check your lists against the original document/question to ensure all the important and relevant information is there.

Next you should start collating the information and bringing it together so that pieces all concerning the same topics are together, then re-list the information under common headings.

Now you can start drafting your first edit document from the notes collected.

Important things to check as you do this are;

  1. Accuracy – Always make a note of sources and reference where necessary
  2. Relevance – Does it have a point?
  3. Completeness – Has the aim been achieved? Have all points been covered?
  4. Grammatical correctness – Many schools, colleges and universities will know important marks off a piece of work if the grammar and spalling are incorret.
  5. Logical Order – Is the writing easy to follow?
  6. Length – Is the piece too long? too short? does more need adding? Most pieces will have a required word length to check against.

As we progress through this series you will find the posts become more in depth but for now I’m just running over some basics.

Thank you for reading and if there is anything you’d like me to include in this series please leave a comment below.

The Stationery Geekette x

Study Tips Series: Reading For A Purpose

Emma-Louise Productivity, Study Tips Tags: , , , , , 3 Comments

Hey Everyone and welcome to my new blog series. This series will focus on studying and offer some tips and tricks for those undergoing educational courses at any level. This series will cover things such as reading tips, note-making, source checking, referencing and everything inbetween.

To start with the first post will be tips on How To Read For A Purpose.

Reading for a purpose is an entirely different thing to reading for leisure. The information you need to absorb isn’t part of telling a story and quite often you will need to make notes and disengage from your reading as you write.

When reading for a purpose it is an important factor to write down exactly what it is you are wanting to know, the aim and purpose of the reading.

After that it is best to look into which sources you will want to use and to check all the relevant information is up to date.

When looking at these sources do not forget to check who wrote them and to ensure the source is credible , sources such as wikipedia are often frowned upon as the information can be changed and altered by anyone.

Make a note of any relevant chapters, sections or page numbers which are specific to your needs. Don’t forget to check the index or keywords sections.

Scan or skim read the sections which you have note and highlight any relevant information that may be of importance, also note the page number and book details for your bibliography.

Once this is done you can now assess the selected information.

Firstly check whether it answers your questions and helps to prepare your document.

Secondly photocopy and relevant sections and highlight the neccessary parts.

Every so often so and go through and review what you have got. Reviewing will help you maintain focus and direction and then you can disguard anything that you have noted off track or irrelevant to your purpose.

Doing the basic things that are listed above will help to set the foundations for your projects and essays and make going forward with them much smoother.

Next week we will take a look at Identifying and Extracting information when doing your research.

If there is anything you would like to ask or see discussed in a future post please don’t hesitate to drop a comment below or contact me via email at thestationerygeekett@yahoo.com or alternatively message me via my Facebook page.

Thanks for reading.

The Stationery Geekette x 

 

 

My Top 10 Productivity Blogs

Emma-Louise Getting Things Done, Planners, Productivity Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

If you’ve been following me for a while now you will know I’m really into productivity especially David Allen’s Getting Things Done.

There are a few blogs which I frequently visit and look to for advice as well as re-reading some of my own posts. 

My Top Ten Blogs are 

1) Getting Things Done

2) Marketing Your Creativity 

3) Strange and Charmed

4) How To GYST

5) Personal Development Self Help

6) Did I Get Things Done

7) D.I.Y Planner

8) Cranking Widgets

9) Life Hack

10) Dumb Little Man

Each one of these blogs offers advice and helpful tips and tricks to lead a more productive life.

Thanks for reading. 

The Stationery Geekette x

2017 Blog Schedule

Emma-Louise Book Reviews 2017, Getting Things Done, Inspiration, Planner Girls Collective, Planners, Productivity Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Everyone, 
A few months ago I posted my proposed blog schedule which was working really well.

As such there will be very little change with the new year.

Monday – Planner Girls Collective. This is the formally known as Confessions Of A Plannerholic. We decided a name change was in order given that our posts can vary even though they primarily focus on Stationery and Planners.

Tuesday – Stationery/Planner orientated post. This could be reviews, unboxings, set-ups etc.

Wednesday – Book Review. This one speaks for itself. I will review a book on this day.

Thursday – This will vary between TSG Shop updates and any other relevant information you need to know.

Friday – Productivity Friday. Where I will share hints, tips and sources for a more productive lifestyle.

Saturday – Book review, TBR lists and anything else book orientated.

Sunday – My weekly spread and DT package unboxing.

Blog Tours and Blitz’s will be posted on any day of the week however it won’t effect the normal schedule so there maybe 2 posts on some days. (Unless they fall on a Wednesday or Saturday). 

Thanks for reading. 

The Stationery Geekette x

Planner Productivity: Setting High Standards and Acknowledging Mistakes

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Previously we looked at setting realistic targets. This however doesn’t mean we should lower our standards of work.
Setting ourselves high standards should always be done. It is also just as important as acknowledging any mistakes we make.

You may be asking yourself why? Why is it important to set high standards? When really you should be asking yourself why is it not acceptable to have low standards.

For many people all that matters is completing the task at hand, to the bare minimum.  However, if you put that extra effort into your work the rewards are much bigger.

By showing attention to detail, having a critical eye and being persistent you are more likely to win that promotion at work,  be noticed by your employers, gain respect, repeat custom from your customers, you will be more valued and earn a good reputation.

Aside from these benefits you will also have more pride,be more confident, ooze professionalism, be more efficient and keep yourself challenged. 

Setting high standards is the only way your career will grow.

By accepting and acknowledging our mistakes will open us up to personal growth and choices, we may be forced into looking at more options and increasing our knowledge base. More importantly though it will show us our strengths and weaknesses.

No one person is perfect but we can all strive to be the best version of ourselves. 

This marks the last in the mini productivity series.

Thank you for reading and I hope these posts have provided some new tips and tricks to take with you into the new year.

The Stationery Geekette x

Previous posts in the series:

Prioritising Your Tasks

Benefits To Planning Your Work

Complex Task Management

Effective Working Methods

Setting Realistic Targets 

Planner Productivity: Setting Realistic Targets

Emma-Louise Productivity Tags: , , , , 6 Comments

Welcome to another instalment of the Planner productivity series. Last time we discussed the importance of effective working methods which can be read here for those who missed it.
Today the focus will be on the importance of setting realistic targets.

When undertaking tasks it is always necessary to set realistic and achievable targets.

Usually there is so much we would like to get done but this doesn’t always correlate to what ‘needs’ to be done and that often leads us to be our own worst enemies by settings goals which are unrealistic and cannot be achieved.

When this happens we feel like we are failing which is an unfair accusation which we put on ourselves.

I am going to show you some tips to remember when you are setting targets for yourself.

  1. Know what you are capable of and what skills you have. If the task ahead is not to your strength work out if it is something that you are realistically able to achieve and to what standard you think you can complete to.
  2. Before agreeing to and setting any task goals find out everything you can about what is expected of you, how complex it may be and what deadlines are being asked.
  3. If you need specific resources make sure you’ve checked their availability and set your target in accordance with this.
  4. If the deadline is flexible set mini deadlines for yourself to complete the work. It is easy to get distracted when you don’t have a specific time or date to work too. Setting your own deadline will help keep you accountable for the work that needs to be completed.
  5. If you need help, guidance or assistance then ask. There isn’t any shame in admitting at times you need a little help.

I hope you find all these little tips helpful.

Thank you for reading.

The Stationery Geekette x

Previous Posts:

Prioritising Your Tasks

Benefits To Planning Your Work

Complex Task Management

Effective Working Methods

Planner Productivity: Effective Working Methods

Emma-Louise Productivity Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Moving on from last week’s post regarding Complex Task Management I will today be sharing with you my checklist for effective working methods.

There are certain things which can be done to ensure that you will have maximum focus on your task ahead.

1) Set out any equipment or materials you may need at the start.

2) Always work from a clear space, this helps to declutter your mind to provide maximum thinking potential. 

3) Minimise distractions, such as silencing your phone and closing windows.

4) Work methodically. 

5) Always make sure you’ve discuss beforehand the expectations by others or yourself for what you want to achieve. 

6) Finish one job before starting another.

7) Leave your area tidy. This helps your brain move on from the project ready to apply focus elsewhere.

This post is very short and sweet (just like me) but hopefully there will be a few tips you can take on-board next time you’re working on something which requires focus.

Thanks for reading.

The Stationery Geekette x

Previous Posts:

Prioritising Your Tasks

Benefits To Planning Your Work

Complex Rask Management