The time thief: procrastination (and how to make the most of your summer)

Hiya ?? Welcome to our latest edition of The Grad Gap -- an exclusive newsletter for our LinkedIn audience. That's students, graduates and anyone in between who wants to learn more about the latest insights, trends and research on building equity for graduates and early careers.

For this edition, we handed the reins over to our marketing intern, Rahma D. who has been managing our social media since February. She's written a piece on procrastination which anyone, not just students and grads, will find helpful. In this edition you'll also find: updates on our Employability Quiz , links to more useful resources and how you can be featured in our next newsletter! Let's get into it ??

Did you put off opening this newsletter? Procrastination IS the time thief.

We’ve all suffered from procrastination, and why does it always seem to be at the worst times?! Whether you have an essay due, or you have to get to work, or just going to meet your friends, procrastination can affect your day-to-day life.? We’re going to provide tips and tricks to overcome procrastination. But before that, what is procrastination and is it another word for laziness?

Procrastination is delaying or postponing something, and it isn’t the same thing as laziness. Procrastination is delaying something unnecessarily, whereas laziness is being reluctant to complete the task. Knowing the difference between these two concepts is vital when it comes to combating procrastination.

Write a list ??

Yes it can be a cliche to write a list, but writing down all the tasks you need to complete and ranking them from a scale of 1-10 on priority helps you get your priorities straight and figure out what needs to be completed, and how much time you need.?

Would you be interested in a list template to combat procrastination? Let us know in the comments ??

The 15-minute rule ?

If you can do it in 15 minutes or less, DO IT! That’s one less task to complete and it took barely any time. This way, you can focus on tasks that would take up more time. And, once you get in the rhythm of completing your tasks, who knows, maybe you won’t stop and you will complete more than you anticipated.

Minimise your distractions ??

A few distractions you won't even realise are distracting you are your phone, noise, social media, friends and much more. The list below can provide a few apps to help combat distractions when it comes to your phone:

• Forest - Forest works by planting a virtual tree on the user's behalf, and it usually takes 25 minutes for the tree to grow. It's crucial that the user doesn't use their phone during this time because doing so could cause the planted tree to die.
• Freedom - Block distracting apps and websites and start blocking-sessions automatically for when you know you need to focus
• Pocket - you've finished your break but just come across an interesting article you don't want to lose...Pocket helps you save it for later, so you can crack on with the task at hand

Use different time-management techniques ??

·? ? ? ? Pomodoro technique – completing work in 25-minute intervals.

This technique is very beneficial as it makes learning more manageable and easier. It prevents you from burning out which benefits you in the long run.

·? ? ? ? Eisenhower Matrix – prioritise tasks on a scale of urgency.

By identifying your tasks based on urgency, you can dedicate more time to each task. It can also improve your decision-making as you become more critical when deciding what tasks need to be completed first.

·? ? ? ? Time blocking – Divide your day into time blocks: one hour chunks, 30 minute chunks etc. Dedicate each time block for the completion of a certain task.

Making or using a planner can help you pick when to focus on each task. This makes it easier for you to plan and it can prevent overthinking about other tasks as you know when everything will be completed.

Location, location, LOCATION ??

Location is a very important factor when it comes to completing tasks. You won’t be able to complete tasks if you’re lying in bed. So, we recommend sitting at a desk, or going out to your local library or café to complete work. Sometimes things can feel a bit stagnant working from the same space day in, day out. Don’t be alarmed if your desk suddenly feels uninspiring! Change it up, whether it’s sitting in different parts of the house throughout the day or spending every other day at the library.?

Don't multitask ??

Contrary to popular belief, multitasking isn’t as successful as you think, with multi-taskers feeling more distracted than those who focus on one task at a time (Very well mind, 2023 ). It’s easier to complete tasks when you focus on them one at a time.? Your future self will thank you!?

It is important to focus on your wellbeing. Don’t push yourself too far -- it's better to do incremental changes rather than one huge change you aren’t used to. Mental health is an important factor too when it comes to procrastination, so be kind to yourself and don’t push yourself too hard.

Let me know your top tips to beat procrastination by commenting on this newsletter! ??

Make the most of your summer ??

Now the good weather has finally arrived, it's got us feeling excited for what's to come at GotDis HQ. We have lots of exciting things happening behind the scenes, but before we update you on that, let's see how we can make the most of our summers as students and graduates ??

• Learn a new skill (check if you can use your university login to access LinkedIn Learning , which has SO many online courses you can add directly to your LinkedIn profile) and take our Employability Quiz to discover your existing skills
• Get your CV ready - even if you're not job-hunting straight away, update your CV now whilst everything you've achieved at university is fresh in your head. Check out Jalisa Ogundelu 's blog for 3 ways to sharpen your CV
• Build your network - connect with others whose work you find meaningful and interesting. You're more likely to foster meaningful connections this way (connect with the GotDis team too - Hannah Bailey Sorrel Knott Lara Plaxton )
• Most importantly, take time to rest! Enjoy the summer so you can feel rested, refreshed and ready to channel your energy into job applications when the time is right ??

Other resources:

• Dealing with uncertainty as a graduate by Jessica Flora
• Balancing job-hunting with self-care by Samreen Tariq
• How skills mapping can help students on their job hunt by Hannah Bailey

??GotDis Quiz update??

We've taken onboard all of the feedback that we've received for the GotDis Employability Quiz so far. As a result, we're in the process of developing GotDis Employability Quiz 1.1, which includes an updated skills assessment, as well as a new aspiration type. This updated version will be available in VERY SOON - keep an eye on our socials for more updates! ??

What is the GotDis Employability Quiz?

The GotDis Employability Quiz is here to help university students and graduates maximise their career potential by giving them a greater understanding of their skills, networking capability, employability, workplace values, and career aspirations.?

After taking the quiz, you'll receive a free tailored report, including graphs and tips on how to develop these five key areas.

You can use your report to:

• Build your confidence by seeing how you compare to your individual demographic benchmarks

• Compare your skills strengths against job requirements to better understand what roles you may be suitable for?
• Understand the types of workplace environments that you are motivated by when searching for employers
• Identify areas for development, specifically skills, networking capabilities, and employability
• Build awareness of your career aspirations

Spotlight a grad! (or student ??)

At GotDis, we're all about championing students and graduates from all walks of life. Whether you're the first in your family to attend university, an international student or any other kind of student, we know you have an interesting story to tell!

Get in touch if you'd like to appear in our new feature, The grad spotlight, launching in our next newsletter. Nominate yourself or someone you know so we can help highlight to our audience how unique and amazing every single graduate coming out of university is!

Tell us:

?? your name, university, degree and year graduated

?? why you chose this degree

?? most valuable skills you learned from it

?? a brief summary of what you've done since graduating OR what you're up to now?

?? biggest lesson you've learned since finishing uni?

If you haven't finished uni yet, that's ok -- we'd still love to hear from you! Get in touch DM Hannah on LinkedIn or Email Hannah @ [email protected]

Thank you for making it to the end of our newsletter! We appreciate your support??

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