STUDENTS TOOLBOX

ST CHALLENGE
ST CHALLENGE

DEVELOP YOUR
PRODUCTIVITY
SYSTEM IN A
WEEK

WORKBOOK
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IN T RO D U CTI O N
Productivity is something that many students struggle with. We all hope to
be more productive and efficient in studying and working.

When you search on Wikipedia, it says that productivity is about the ratio
of output to inputs used in a production process. What is that about?

That means if you are being productive, you should get the greatest
amount of output with the least input.

Input here refers to not only time, but also effort.

A lot of people tend to think that enhancing productivity is equivalent to

removing distractions as many of us are tempted to other trivial things
then to focus on the main task.

That said, productivity definitely isn’t about just one aspect or technique.
Even though the pomodoro technique is super awesome for removing
distractions and helping you to focus, it isn’t a one quick solution to
productivity.

That is why we need this week’s challenge.

Instead of looking into one specific technique that we usually do, this
week we are focusing on the big picture. We will look at everything that
relates to productivity, and choose the techniques and strategies that best

THIS WEEK’S TUTORIAL:

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PRODUCTIVITY FOR STUDENTS

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WH AT YO U H AV E TO D O
Before you go through this workbook, please read the tutorial on Students
Toolbox first. It will give you an idea of the productivity system I talked
about on Students Toolbox, so that you can better formulate your own
using this workbook.

This workbook aims at helping you to put together your thoughts and
ideas and to write down everything you know about yourself regarding
your productivity. It also encourages you to adopt a good mindset and to
enhance your productivity in various ways.

Now let’s get into the actionable steps of the week.

STEP 0 Read the tutorial + go through this workbook

STEP 1 Fill in the section “Mindset”

STEP 2 Complete the section “Set Your Goals”

STEP 3 Complete the section “Organize”

STEP 4 Read “Plan and Prioritize Your Tasks”

STEP 5 Fill in “The Perfect Work Environment”

STEP 6 Read “Focus”

STEP 7 Fill in “Routines and Habits”

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T HE PR ODU C T IV IT Y S YS TEM
The productivity system is constituted of eight steps. These eight steps
aim at helping you to develop a good mindset, get organized, work
effectively, and ultimately to improve your future work processes.

The pages below will go through each step in detail. You will also see
sections for you to fill in your notes and your thoughts, as well as
questions to guide you to think about your own productivity system.

Write down your notes here when reading the tutorial!

THIS WEEK’S TUTORIAL:
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PRODUCTIVITY FOR STUDENTS

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M IN DS E T
Mindset is what determines your success and how much effort you will put
into your work. It relates to your determination to be productive in your
tasks, hence it closely links with productivity.

1. What are your goals when it comes to studying?

By defining your goals, you can bear your aims in mind when you are studying. This
helps to motivate you to stay on track and to effectively pursue your goals.

2. What are some negative thoughts that discourage you?

Your mindset may be the major source of procrastination. Identify the thoughts and
mindsets that discourage you from working can help you better understand yourself.

3. Write down some positive affirmations here.

Now it’s time for us to remove the negative thoughts! Write down some positive
affirmations and encouragement for yourself, and take that as a motivation!

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3. Understand the reasons why you need to work.

If you want to motivate yourself to work on your tasks (even if you don’t like them),
you can start by telling yourself the reason why you have to do them in the first place,
and how working on these tasks will contribute to your goals. Let yourself understand
the importance of the tasks.

THINGS I NEED TO DO WHY I NEED TO DO IT

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SE T YO UR GOA LS
Setting concrete and specific goals can make the task less difficult than it
seems to be. Setting goals can also give you more motivation to work on
the task. The key is to make your goals S.M.A.R.T.

GOAL-SETTING PRINCIPLES DETAILS

Does your goal indicate clearly what you have

SPECIFIC
to do?

Does your goal include a measurable standard

MEASURABLE that allows you to assess your level of
completion?

Are you confident that your goal is within

ATTAINABLE
your competency and capabilities?

Is your goal realistic having considered the

REALISTIC
objective conditions?

Have you set a time frame for the completion

TIME-BASED
of your goal?

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1. Now set your goals according to the S.M.A.R.T. principle.

REALIS
SPECIFIC GOAL TIME MEASURABLE? ATTAINABLE?
TIC?

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OR G A N I ZE
Organization is a key factor in productivity. Without an organized area and
an organized mind, it's very difficult to be be efficient since you will be
wasting time on searching for things you need.

1. Organize your study area.

READ: HOW TO CREATE AND ORGANIZE YOUR STUDY SPACE

Remove or store any files and documents you don’t need

Place only materials you will use constantly on your desk
Group your materials into different categories/subjects

2. Organize your digital files.

READ: CREATE THE PERFECT SCHOOL ORGANIZATION SYSTEM WITH GOOGLE DRIVE

Transfer anything you don't currently need to your hard disk

Organize your folders in hierarchies
Categorize your files and move them to where they belong

3. Organize your schedule.

What is your system of planning your schedule? Are you using a planner, Google
Calendar or any other apps?

4. Organize your tasks

Understand what you need to study and put together a list of your study tasks or
things you need to study according to your syllabus.

READ: HOW TO MAKE AN EXAM STUDY SCHEDULE YOU’LL ACTUALLY STICK TO

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PL AN AN D PR I O R ITI Z E YO UR TA S KS
Planning and prioritizing your tasks can help you identify  the most
important and urgent tasks.

1. Prioritizing what you need to study

Consider the following questions when prioritizing your study tasks.
• How familiar are you with that topic? (If you don’t know much about it, give it a
higher priority)
• Is that topic likely to appear in the exam, or are you going to choose that topic when
answering an essay exam? (If yes, give it a higher priority)
• How much is that final going to count to your grades? (If it has a huge weighting,
give it a higher priority)
• What’s your current grade in that class?
• How much do you see studying can improve your grade?

2. Use the Urgent/Important Matrix to help you plan your tasks.

IMPORTANT NOT IMPORTANT

URGENT

NOT
URGENT

READ: BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY WITH THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE

3. Plan the night before.

Planning the night before helps you to start the next day knowing what you need to
do. The night before, you can:
• Identify the appointments you have the next day;
• Decide on the top 3 priorities you will need to work on; and
• Schedule your tasks in your free time.

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T HE PE R FE C T WO RK ENV IR O NMENT
Everyone works differently, and we all have our own preferences on the
conditions/environment that we can work best in. Find out which
environment suits you the best here.

I prefer…

SILENCE BACKGROUND NOISE

MUSIC SOUNDS

STRESSFUL RELAXED

MORNING NIGHT

ALONE WITH OTHERS

I work best when…

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F OC U S
You have gone through ten pages of this workbook! I am so proud of you.
Now, we can move on to the part where we actually start working -
focusing and removing distractions.

1. What distracts me the most?

If you want to remove distractions and stop procrastinating, you will have to first find
out what distracts you the most. Is it your phone? Or the television?

2. How can I remove the distractions?

What’s your strategy to remove the distractions? Do you want to turn on the airplane
mode for your phone, or simply place it out of your room?

3. Use the Pomodoro Technique!

Using a timer when you study helps you to focus better since you will have a specific
time limit and you will know how long you will need to focus 100%. The Pomodoro
technique is perfect for this.

READ: BOOST YOUR PRODUCTIVITY WITH THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE

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R O U TI N E S A N D HA B ITS
After you get to know how you can work effectively, it's time to make this
a habit. Our goal is to develop productive routines and habits so that you
can get used to being productive, and enjoy being so.

1. Develop a morning routine

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITY DETAILS

MEDITATION Spend some time in silence

AFFIRMATIONS Remind yourself of your potential

VISUALIZATION Think about how you can reach your goals

Write down your thoughts, ideas, and things you

SCRIBING
are grateful for

READING Learn something new

EXERCISE Move your body to increase your ability to focus

What’s your morning routine?

TIME ACTIVITIY

READ: HOW TO HAVE A BRIGHT AND PRODUCTIVE MORNING

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BO NUS : E VA LUATIO N
Taking notes of what helps you and what doesn’t, as well as tracking your
time and measuring your how efficient you are each day can help you
evaluate your productivity and hence make further adjustments and
improvements.

1. How did I spend my time?

Tracking your time can help you find out the time when you are most productive, your
distractions, and the time management tactics that work for you.

TIME ACTIVITIY

2. In what conditions or ways can you focus the best?

What productivity tips work for you? How can you work best? What is your attention
span? Write them here to remind yourself of the things that enhance your productivity!

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T HAT ’S E V E RY THING!
Congratulations, you have completed this week’s challenge on developing
your productivity system!

You can always go back to this workbook to refer to different productivity

tips, skills and tactics that you find helpful.

This workbook will also have some great information regarding your
working habits, which is crucial if you want to enhance your productivity!

If you like this workbook, make sure to let others know about it!
If you find this workbook helpful, I would love it if you let your friends
know about it!

You can do that by recommending them to check out Students Toolbox, or

you can share the workbook on your social media platforms by sharing our
sign up link: http://studentstoolbox.com/signup/!

I have prepared a tweet for you, so you can click here and tweet about the
workbook!

TWEET ABOUT THIS WORKBOOK

I would love to know what you think about this workbook!

Whether you like this workbook or not, you can let me know by sending
me an email! I would love to know your thoughts on it, and whether it has
helped you!

SEND ME AN EMAIL TO LET ME KNOW

See you in the next ST challenge!

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