Productivity is something we’ve discussed a lot here on Diary of the Mind. From how to finish your homework faster, time management apps, time blocking planners, and so much more, we have covered nearly everything you need to know productivity and proper study. Today, we’re going to look into some productive things you can do as a teen and highschooler.
The thing with productivity is that it doesn’t just need to be conventionally “productive” things. It doesn’t just need to be doing work, work, and more work. Being productive is doing things that genuinely accomplish something, either short-term or long-term, and are helping you grow and develop something. This could be from learning and growing your knowledge to just cleaning your room for tomorrow. So without further ado, here are 10 productive things you can do with your time as a teen.
What Makes a Productive Activity?
This might be a bit a silly question, but it’s a question nonetheless. And it’s a question you might not have an answer to. A productive activity is an activity that achieves something. It has to achieve something, just anything. It can be somehtign that you can grasp, like studying for a test or completing a project, but it doesn’t need to be. It can be something that clears your mind, develops your imagination, and promotes healthy habits, both mentally and physically. So, let’s get into those productive activities.
#1 – Your Homework
Hey, this is a number one thing for a reason. Your homework is incredibly important. It helps you understand the subjects that you have, and plays a part in your grades as well. Your academic success can definitely be dependent on your homework. That’s why it’s important to finish your homework, and at many times, it should be the top priority in your mind.
However, homework does tend to be time-taking, especially whe you are in harder classes. Trust me, I understand. There have been times when it takes an entire day to finish homework. And even then it’s not fully done. It’s truly a tragedy that homeowrk takes so much of our time. But it doesn’t have to. You can prioritize homework and use my homework tips on how to finish homework faster to reduce that unnecessary time. It’ll make your homework sessions all the more productive, and homework is an important activity in the many productive things you can do as a teen.
#2 – Physical Activity
Physical activity is very important, and more important than it might seem. Your school gym class does nothing for that, and you know it. What you need is true and proper physical activity, not only for your physical health, but your mental health as well.
In this study, it was found that physical activity had a greatly positive affect on mental health improving sleep and also improving mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and drug-addiction. When you do physical exercise, you are improving yourself greatly in terms of overall health, making it one of the best productive things for you to do.
#3 – Creative Hobby
Hobbies are always great things to practice. They help you grow your own identity, developing skills that make you purely you. But why specifically creative hobbies? Well, creativity is another level of developing yourself. As research has proven, experiencing and analyzing art had students performing better in school. Art and creativity improves your brain function because it helps you understand different perspectives and use that critical thinking in you day to day life. Here are some hobbies you might want to try out:
- Sketching and/or painting
- Writing prose and/or poems
- Crocheting and/or knitting
- Singing, dancing, and/or acting
- Cermanics
- Scrapbooking
These are hust a few creative art forms that you can take upon as hobbies. The main thing to remember is to make sure you are usign your ceratvitiy, so try your best to stay off of electronic devices. Unfortunately, the majority of the stuff we do on our phones isn’t stimulating your brain, just for small bursts of dopamine. If you stay creative, it’ll be incredibly productive in developing your brain.
#4 – Journaling
This might seem similar to the “creative hobby”, but it isn’t really. Journaling is mainly documenting your experiences in your daily life. It helps you regulate your emotions, understand your feelings, and grow from there. Do you want to learn more about journaling? Check out our article that tells you everything about journaling as therapy!
So what exactly can you journal about? If you don’t want to just journal about your daily life, lieka diary, you cna even just write out stories or describe your feelings. Anything is helpful to get it out of your system. Here’s a list of journaling topicsthat you can try out for yourself:
- Specifically school life
- Sports
- Friends and family
- Your imagination
- Thoughts on current events
- Story ideas
These are justa few ideas that might help you get some thighs off your mind and into the apper, just to help declutter your brian a bit.
#5 – Your Laundry
You know it needs to get done. You really do. Your pile of laundry is just sitting in your room, taking up xspace for age and ages. It seems like such a tiring and unwanted task, but a necessary one nonetheless. But doing your laundry doesn’t only hellp you stay out of trouble with your mom. It does, in fact, help your mental health.
In this study, data was collected from numerous countries connecting hygiene to mental health issues. Those who had poorer hygiene also had poorer mental health. Laundary migt not be the direct hygiene you think of, like brushing your teeth or taking a shower, but it definitely helps clean up your living space. Keeping up with hygiene and doing your laundry will most definitely help you be healthier and happier as a person.
#6 – Training for Sport
I think this is another obvious, but one many of us need to be reminded of. When you are invetsed and passionate about a sport, you need to keep training. It doesn’t matter if your season is months and months away, keeping up with your training is the only way you will get better. Not only do you get better, but you learn to discipline yourself. Everyday, regardless of how low energy you feel, you cna get out there practice, and you’ll learn how to fight regardless of the odds.
This does not only apply to sports, but pretty much everything. If you are a dancer, this more than applies to you, because as a dancer, you can only get better from where you are now. Same with singing, theatre, art, writing, and all the other disciplines you may practice. Training yourself in them is the only way you’ll get better, and the satisfaction you feel from improcving is incomparable to the dopamine hits from your phone once you give into the laziness.
#7 – Yoga & Meditation
This might be an activity you’d roll your eyes at, but it’s truly an incredible one. No one gives yoga and meditation the credit it deserves, because it can be one of the best and most productive activities you can do all day in terms of your mental and physcial health. For example, this study on Sahaja yoga found that it seemed to reduce symptoms of deppression and anxiety. Overall, there is no doubt that yoga and meditation are some of the best activities you can include in your day for better mental health.
Well, how do you start? You could try to find classes online or nearby, but the ones that might be available to you will most probably not be authentic. Also, it might not fit your schedule to go to classes every week. Find a yoga or meditation tutorial on YouTube to guide you through the process fully. And make sure it’s not another white lady doing it. To make the most out of every session, you want true, authentic yoga, so you need people who have studied it and know what they’re talking about.
#8 – Sleep
Sleep is such an important part of our luves, and we often don’t get enough of it. With busy lives and a little too much to finish, we overlook the necessity of slepe. It’s a well known fact that teenagers need at least 8 hours of sleep a day, and one of the productive things to do with your day would be to keep up with your sleep.
You can take short 30 minute naps once you start getting tired, or set your bedtime and your early. But just remember, oversleepign isn’t good either. If you sleep for too long, you might feel lazy and tired. You won’t be productive for the rest of the day. It’s up to my you to understand when you need sleep and when you don’t, so you can be the healthiest you can for a more productive day.
#9 – Going Outside
Nature is really underestimated for how much it can do for you and your mental health. Just being outside can boost your mental wellbeing greatly. In fact, studies have proven that exposure to green space improves cognitive abilities, attention spans, and reduces stress. It’s most definitely a productive use of your time. So, how can you spend time outside? Here are some simple ways you can incorporate nature into your everyday life:
- Take a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood
- Play outside with your pet (if you have one)
- Play a sport (soccer, basketball, badminton, etc.) outside with friends or family
- Try gardening
- Go flower-picking
- Do your work outside
These are just some ways you can incorporate nature into your lives, but I’m sure there are many more. Being outside will always be an important thing for you to do in your daily life. It’s definitely a productive thing to do to add to your list.
#10 – Being With Family & Friends
Finally, be around your loved ones. As humans, we are social creatures. No matter who introverted and asocial you may be, you still need human connection. Trust me, I’m more than qualified to say this as someone who has a hard time being around people for too long. Regardless, family and friends are an essential part of my life, and they should be for you as well.
Numerous studies have proven that social connectedness greatly improves mental well being and overall apiness. Being around friends and family is most definitely a productive use of your time, and something to keep in your schedule every day of the week.
Conclusion
Productivity can be so subjective, yet so universal. Many of what I have listed might be things you enver thought could be productive because you have only known productivity to be “gettign work done”. However, that’s not always the case. Productivity can be anything that is helping you grow, develop, and achieve something. It can be as small as cleaning your room to as big as training for a national competition. Just remember, feeling satisfied with your achievements at the end of every day is the only productivity to strive for. You don’t need to brun yourself out, you just need to feel like you’ve done everything you can to keep yourself healthy and happy.
So, what are you waiting for? Start adding these productive things to do into your daily schedule!
