Hi Reader! I’m excited to introduce Dream Life Insight’s first guest speaker, Celia Lee!

Celia is a Taiwanese graduate student working towards her doctorate in Human Development and Family Science at Florida State University. She has worked incredibly hard to develop the talent of staying ahead of schedule in every aspect of her life, and I can honestly say I’ve never known another student who blocks off their weekends, doesn’t work after 6 pm, and still meets all of their deadlines 1-2 weeks early!

Even more important than Celia’s productivity is her kindness and love for her friends and family. This article is not about how Celia treats people, but I want to be clear that she is more than just a productivity expert. I’m confident it means a lot to her for you to hear what she has to share! Thanks for reading! The rest is all Celia!

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The Art of Getting Things Done

Hello Reader! Celia here! I’m grateful for the opportunity to share some things that have helped me be more productive, and answer the age-old question, “How does Celia get so many things done?” Hahaha. Just kidding, this is not an age-old question.

I want to preface this with two comments. First, this is my best attempt at explaining my productivity habits right now, but there are many other great resources that cover these concepts in greater depth. And second—what works for me might not work for you, but I hope my insights inspire you to find what works best in your situation!

So, without further ado, here are 5 principles for getting things done!

1. Incentivize
2. Break down tasks
3. Plan like there’s no tomorrow
4. Make every moment count
5. Avoid burnout

1. Four different ways to incentivize, incentivize, incentivize!

In behavioral psychology, there is a concept called operant conditioning that explains how we can learn through rewards and punishments. There are 4 types of consequences for behavior: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. Here, reinforcement and punishment mean exactly the same as in conversational English.

However, “positive” in this case refers to adding something. So positive reinforcement means rewarding by giving something to the learner (e.g., a treat), and positive punishment involves punishing the learner with the addition of something (e.g., extra chores).

“Negative”, on the other hand, refers to removing something, so negative reinforcement means rewarding by taking away something (e.g., a curfew), and negative punishment means punishing the learner by taking something away from them (e.g., a favorite toy).

When we are rewarded and/or punished, our desire to finish a task increases.

Helpful tip: Studies have found that rewards are more effective than punishment, so if you want to try using incentives, I recommend starting with rewards.

2. Break down tasks into manageable pieces

Just like anyone else, there are tasks I can be overwhelmed by—whether it is due to the size of the task or the nature of the task. On occasions like these, I like to break tasks into smaller, bite-sized pieces.

For example, let’s consider the task of coming up with a life vision or mission statement since it aligns with other topics in Dream Life Insight. When I think about tackling this task, the first thing I ask myself is “How do I make this as simple as possible?”

Coming up with a life vision seems like just one task since it only has one verb in the phrase, but it can be broken down into several components, such as (1) finding examples of life visions, (2) reading those examples, (3) coming up with a general outline for my life vision, (4) reflecting on my experiences, (5) filling in the blanks on the outline.

Looking at this list, it may seem like I only made the task more complicated, but if you look at these closely, only one task is required at each step, whereas “coming up with a life vision” involves many steps. To me, the process of breaking tasks into smaller and simpler pieces also breaks down the barriers to accomplishing them. It also makes it much easier to apply the next concept!

3. Plan like there’s no tomorrow (but really though)

There’s hardly a day that I go without planning first. Here are some of the tools that have helped me (these are free and accessible on both desktop and mobile devices).

I use my Apple Calendar (which is linked to my personal and college email accounts) to track personal and grad school-related events that will take place in the future. I also installed the calendar widget on my phone to make it easier to keep track of what events are coming up.

I also use Notion for weekly and daily planning. A paper planner or an Apple/Google calendar works just fine too since setting up a Notion workflow involves a bit of a learning curve.

Doing a simple planning session at the start of every week helps me see the big picture and how all my broken-down tasks can fit into the week in a balanced way. It’s also much easier to determine how long tasks will take when they are broken down into smaller steps. Then I do more specific planning each morning to outline the day hour by hour. Life is unpredictable, so I usually leave enough wiggle room between tasks so that I can take breaks or do something else if needed.

For tracking my assignments, I use MyStudyLife. The platform lets me set up tasks with due dates, and has a feature I can use to indicate what percentage of the broken-down task I’ve completed, which is also a great reward for my brain.

Habitica is a website and app that uses gamification to make it more fun to build habits and keep commitments to yourself. I mainly use Habitica to track habits and tasks related to my daily routine.

By using these calendars and apps and enabling the reminder features of each planner, I’m able to ensure nothing catches me off-guard.

4. Make the most of your time

I always look for opportunities to optimize every minute of the day. For example, if I anticipated a meeting to last an hour, but it actually lasted 35 minutes, then I would use that extra time to do a smaller task. It can be something that I planned to do later in the day, something I missed earlier in the day, or something that wasn’t planned at all. Normally, I use that time to text a friend, plan the next day, or do some housekeeping tasks.

Another method I use to make the most out of my time is to plan my day by my level of energy/alertness. Since I’m the most alert and productive in the morning, I usually plan to do more energy-consuming tasks in the morning (e.g., writing a research paper). I’m typically less motivated right after lunch, so I would schedule an easier task after lunch to reward my brain and get back in the zone for the afternoon.

5. Breaking the burnout cycle

No matter how unmotivated I am to do something, I always maintain the mantra “bitter before sweet” or 「先苦後甘」in Chinese, which basically means “do the hard work first, then you can have fun.” However, some people take this to the extreme level that they just work, work, and work, and never get to have fun. Here are some things I do to help me avoid burnout.

My main method for avoiding burnout is taking breaks using the Pomodoro method. This approach involves working in segments of time called pomodoros (the Italian word for “tomato” if you’re curious). Pomodoros are around 25 minutes long and separated by regular 5-minute breaks—with a longer break after 4 pomodoros. If you use a Chrome web browser, you can try this extension.​

It seems counterintuitive for so many breaks to increase your productivity, but these breaks can be very helpful to stay focused and work at your best. There is another Chinese proverb I love that says 「休息是為了走更長遠的路」, which translates to “rest is for walking further along the journey”.

During pomodoro breaks, I usually do things I know can help me reduce stress and avoid burnout, especially during the longer breaks. Examples of this for me include stretching, walking around the room, walking in nature, and socializing. I try to be aware of how I’m feeling psychologically when I am doing something during my break—if I feel like something I do during a break is adding more stress, then I will leave it until later.

And the last way I avoid burnout is by blocking off my evenings and weekends. That’s right, I almost never do school tasks on Saturdays or Sundays. This is the benefit of staying productive throughout the week, but also an important part of why I’m able to throw myself into my work on weekdays and get a lot done!

Relax and find what works for you!

I hope you find these things helpful in some shape or form, and don’t give yourself a hard time if something doesn’t work for you. Finding what works and what doesn’t work is definitely a process. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment! Sometimes what you least expect to work turns out to be the most effective and efficient method for you.

You are amazing! Keep shining like the light that you are!

-Celia