You can measure your productivity by how much you accomplish within a given time frame. But productivity isn’t just a measure of quantity—it's also about quality.

College courses can be demanding, requiring time and effort. Online courses pose their own challenges, so staying productive is key. This article will share 12 productivity tips you can apply to your collegiate career.

The importance of productivity in college

But first, let's start with an example. If you write 1,000 words of a term paper in one evening, you’ve probably been pretty productive. Don’t forget about quality, though. If you didn’t research those 1,000 words or strayed off topic, you probably weren’t very productive.

Maintaining productivity in college offers several benefits, including:

  • Reduced stress
  • Improved well-being
  • A better sense of purpose
  • Deeper engagement with coursework

12 productivity tips

1. Build effective study habits

This is an overarching point that encompasses all study tips. By building healthy study habits, you learn what helps you be productive. You understand what to do and what not to do. If you embrace the right habits, you can optimize your productivity without consciously thinking about it.

2. Plan and set priorities

Planning your tasks before starting them gives structure to your day, week, month and semester. Rather than just doing the first task in front of you, prioritize what’s urgent, and try to break up hard tasks with more manageable ones.

Without knowing where to focus at a given time, you could feel like all your work is pulling you in multiple directions. This can lead to stress, missed deadlines and reduced productivity. Setting priorities can help you decide which task to complete first.

There are numerous prioritization techniques you can use to organize your time and boost your productivity. Factors to consider when prioritizing tasks include:

  • How important the task is
  • How much effort a task requires
  • If one or more tasks are dependent on other ones
  • If a task is flexible so you can move it around your schedule
  • If you currently have the resources to complete a task
  • How urgent a task is

3. Don’t multitask

As attractive as it may seem to do multiple assignments at once or switch between them rapidly, it’s not an effective strategy for most college students. Research suggests that when people attempt to multitask, they take longer to complete their work and make more errors.

If you’re feeling burned out by one subject or have writer’s block, there may be value in focusing on another assignment or subject for a while. However, rather than jump between tasks, it’s often beneficial to focus on one until you’re finished.

4. Take regular breaks

Multitasking is an inefficient study strategy, but working uninterrupted in a study session that lasts multiple hours isn’t helpful either. It’s smart to take regular, small breaks where you can stretch, rest your eyes or just recharge your mental battery.

You can set small, achievable goals and take a break after accomplishing them. Or, for more structure, incorporate timed breaks into your study schedule by following the Pomodoro technique. This technique involves working for 25-minute intervals and then taking a 5-minute break.

5. Create an environment conducive to studying

It’s important to limit distractions as much as you can. If you want to listen to music, pick a genre that won’t require your attention. Physical distractions, such as a cluttered desk, can also harm your productivity. If you can’t guarantee a distraction-free study space at home, consider studying or working in a library.

6. Start long-term assignments early

That end-of-semester assignment seems a lifetime away in September, but soon enough, time’s almost up. Starting academic tasks earlier than you think might be necessary gives you plenty of time to complete, review and refine them. This allows you to submit high-quality work with less stress.

7. Take advantage of free time

When you have some free time in your day, consider devoting it to your studies. For example, an online college student commuting to a job by public transportation may be able to complete some reading for class.

8. Get into a routine

Routines can foster productivity. You have classes at set times, and, if you work, your hours are probably on a fixed schedule. This allows you to find blocks of time throughout your week that you can devote to studying or writing assignments. If you block off every Tuesday and Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. for your study schedule, these could be your most productive hours.

9. Track progress

When you track your progress, you can appreciate all the work you’ve accomplished. You may also discover productivity patterns, such as times when you seem to get the most done. Use these findings to plan your schedule more effectively.

10. Embrace productivity tools

Using tools, such as a productivity app, can help you draw up to-do lists, track your time and schedule study blocks. Many of these apps use gamification techniques to provide motivation to complete work.

11. Connect with other students

When taking online courses, you may not be able to sit alongside fellow students in person, but there are still ways to network and strike up friendships. Introduce yourself to classmates via email, see if it's possible to meet up in person or attend virtual events. Learning from one another, sharing study tips and more all become easier when you've formed connections.

12. Find the right school-life balance

Education is important, but so are other parts of life. Finding the right balance between college and your other responsibilities and interests can be key to remaining productive.

Learn with Lynn University

To learn more about what you can expect from your college experience, check out our other resources. Explore Lynn University’s online undergraduate degree programs, and contact us for more information.