The Case for Doing the Bare Minimum

When I’m feeling guilty or restless about not being productive, my absolute favorite thing to do is, of course, something pseudo-productive: something that makes me feel like I’m getting things done, without actually having to do them. This can include creating unrealistically ambitious to-do lists or goals for the entire month ahead, adding groceries to my Amazon shopping cart (but not actually buying them, just preparing the cart), watching YouTube videos of other people cleaning, saving TikToks of people’s efficient morning routines, or most recently, listening to podcasts on self-improvement. 

Unfortunately, almost all of the advice that I’ve come across on kicking bad habits, finally sticking to goals, or boosting productivity has involved adding or incorporating something new into my routine. Eat breakfast everyday so you have more energy! Set out your clothes the night before to save yourself time in the morning! My issue is that I can’t even bring myself to do these basic things that are apparently supposed to help me accomplish every other future goal I have. That’s why when I heard Christine Carter’s TED Talk, I was shocked that I might actually be able to follow her approach. 

Carter suggests that the key to actually accomplishing things is stripping your expectations to the bare minimum. Since the amount of motivation a person needs to complete a task or reach a goal largely correlates to how ambitious the task is, and motivation inevitably dwindles, the best strategy is to shrink your goals to be as small as possible so you have the highest chance of achieving them. In my experience, when I’m feeling unmotivated to go to the gym for an hour, for example, I am much more likely to skip it than I am to go thinking it will be very mediocre and not worth it. But if I make mediocrity my goal, then the thought of going to the gym becomes more appealing because I know I can succeed at that.

This is what Carter’s approach is all about– setting goals that are as unimpressive as possible without being nothing. In her words, “the goal is repetition, not high achievement.” Repeated mediocrity is better than doing nothing because it starts to form the habit of doing something at all. After you form the habit it’s your choice how much more ambitious you want to get, as long as you still only require the bare minimum from yourself. Cheers to that, Ms. Carter. Here are some of her recommendations for mediocre goals, as well as some of my own:

  1. If you’re trying to run more: run for just one minute everyday. You can do more if you want, but only hold yourself accountable for one minute, and then you’re done. 

  2. If you’re trying to be healthier: eat one piece of lettuce on your sandwich everyday.

  3. If you’re trying to get more sleep: go to bed (or wake up) 5 minutes earlier than usual. It could be the difference between 2:55am and 3am.

  4. If you’re trying to start an assignment: do one minute’s worth of work, and then break, and repeat.

  5. If your goal is to read more: read one sentence everyday. 


In 2021, we could all use a little stability. People, places, and life will let you down, but if you stick to these kinds of goals, at least you know you can count on yourself to be consistent.

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New Year, New Habits: Productivity Tips for 2020

The new year and the start of a new quarter presents an opportunity to bring about changes in our daily routines. If you are like me and have the attention span of a golden retriever, one of your resolutions is likely improving your productivity and becoming more efficient in getting things done. For those of us whose New Years resolutions are often empty promises, here are 6 ways to turn those verbal commitments into actionable changes. 

1. Write it down. Lists are a fantastic way of visualizing all that you have to do. Whether you’re put together and like to handwrite checklists in a bullet journal in multicolored pens or you’re more of an on-the-go notes app kind of person, find a way of listing tasks that works for you and keep up with it. Often times people make to do lists only when they are overwhelmed, but at that point it is usually too late. Making a habit of writing down tasks will keep you several steps ahead of the things you need to do, making you plan ahead for the entire week, month, or quarter, rather than for those 11th hour manic Reg sessions. 

2. Figure out your study habits. Identify what makes you most efficient at completing your work. Maybe you enjoy the chaos of the Reg first floor, maybe you cannot stand to see or hear another human being while you are hard at work. Whichever setting is best for you, note when something works and does not work and use it to your advantage.

3. Turn your phone screen to black and white while you’re working. If you can’t turn your phone off entirely while you are working, consider temporarily changing your settings to have your phone’s display be in black and white. This is a weird suggestion but, trust me, the sadness of grayscale will be a pretty effective way of stopping your endless scrolling through social media. This setting can usually be found under Settings - Accessibility - Display - Color Filters - Grayscale.

4. Don’t multitask. No, you cannot do your assignment and watch Netflix with your friends at the same time. No one can. Multitasking seems like it should help with completing tasks, but rather than getting to everything, it usually just drags out the process of completing things that could easily be done in a fraction of the time. Focus on one thing at a time. Work smarter not harder. 

5. Compartmentalize and reflect. This school is especially cruel when it comes to assuming that students are nothing more than machines that churn out papers and psets. All of us are multidimensional human beings with our own stresses, conflicts, and personal lives. Sometimes you really try to be productive but nothing happens because your mind is distracted by any number of other things in your life. I find it helpful to keep a journal to clear my mind of all the other things going on in my life before I sit down to any time consuming task. Being able to completely exhaust your brain of distractors is a valuable tool for compartmentalizing and separating work from real life.

6. Loop playlists. If you work with music in the background, limit distractions caused by that by looping the same playlist again and again. Yes, you may never want to listen to those several songs ever again, but looping your playlist will also cut out distractions from paying attention to the music or lyrics. I’ll be the first to admit that I only listen to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack repeatedly while essay writing. No shame. 

3 Ways to Counter Free-Time Paranoia

When I can’t think of any more responsibilities I need to take care of, I become paranoid that I’m missing something. This drives me not to check my planner, because experience has shown that I probably am forgetting something. I want to extend the fantasy for just a little longer by spending a few more minutes knitting, which inevitably turns into an hour. Guilt and pleasure sit uncomfortably alongside each other.

Why do so many students and young people feel paranoid or guilty about not working? Time taken for pleasure and/or leisure feels like time taken away from productivity. Everything must be planned or it somehow becomes unnecessary or self-indulgent.

Even if it’s true that free time takes away from time spent working, there is something wrong with the fact that we cannot rest without feelings of uneasiness creeping in. Free time no longer feels free; it feels like it comes at a cost that we cannot afford to pay.

To counter this guilt and paranoia, here are five things you can do to manage your time better and more realistically.

1. Put forethought into your work time.

Not every moment of “working” has to be the meat of what makes it “work.” Take 15 minutes at the beginning of each work session to plan your goals for the rest of the session. What can you complete this time? What will you save for next time? You’ll feel more accomplished by achieving smaller, manageable goals, and after you’ve finished the tasks at hand, it’ll make it easier for you to relax.

2. Schedule your free time.

Have a set amount of time in which you’re not allowed to do any work. Let people know you will be unavailable for an hour or two, and then avoid checking messages. If you do, ignore everything except what you want to do. If you happen to see an important message, jot it down or set a reminder for later. Forget everything and enjoy yourself!

3. Join a community.

Join a community that matters enough to you that you’re willing to dedicate time to them and only them. Communities that do immersive things together are a good candidate: consider traditional activities like sports, or nontraditional ones like bell-ringing clubs or tabletop RPG groups. After you leave, allow yourself to take half an hour or so of downtime to reflect on what you enjoyed. This gives you an excuse to relax, but also offers the opportunity to meet people and try something new!

Bonus: understand that it is normal and good to “waste” time.

There are limits to our attention span. Concentrating too long is tiring for our brains. Besides, what’s the point of living life if all of it feels terrible? Sometimes you have to let go of what you should do and realize what you can or want to do.

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I'm a Certified KonMari Consultant, Here's How to Spark Joy in Your Life

College Break Day, what a luxury. If you’re wondering what to do with your glorious three day weekend, I’ve got the answer. KonMari. For those of you who aren’t aware, KonMari is an organizational method made viral by the lovely fairy-woman Marie Kondo. She has three books, a Netflix series, and a veritable army of Kon-verts preaching the remarkable effects of tidying up and sparking joy.

I am one such KonMari evangelist. I may have taken it a bit too far when I went to her seminar and completed 50 hours of consulting to become the youngest certified KonMari consultant, but my obsessive behavior is your gain. A college-student customized KonMari guide written by one of your own.

Below I take you through the basic KonMari process and provide some more detailed tips and tricks I’ve found especially helpful.

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The Process

1.     Imagine your ideal lifestyle in detail

This is a key step so don’t skip it! It will help you to have a vision in your head to strive for as you discard and store. Go deep! Find a picture to encapsulate your ideal aesthetic, think about your routine, diet, study habits, everything! This is your fantasy sesh.

2.     Acquire a large number of trash bags

You will probably be surprised at the amount of stuff you find to discard, so be prepared.

3.     Tidy by category not by location

This means that you search your room until you have found every pen in your possession, rather than tidying your pencil case pens, backpack pens, closet pens, bookshelf pens, and desk pens separately.  

4.     Gather all items in one place before discarding

This means taking out everything in one category and piling it onto your bed or floor before starting to discard. Yes, even books, papers, and off-season clothing have to be taken off shelves and out of drawers to be tidied.

5.     Does it spark joy?

Hold each item in your hands and ask yourself if it sparks joy. Sometimes it helps to start with something obvious. Pick out an item that you know sparks joy or that you know you want to get rid of.

Some questions you can ask yourself when you’re still unsure are:

  • Does this give me more guilt than pleasure?

  • Why do I feel an attachment to this item?

  • How does this item fit into my ideal lifestyle?

  • Is this something I want to take into my future?

  • Would I pick this out if I saw it in a store today?

6.     Storage

Finish discarding before thinking about permanent storage. The KonMari method advises against overly complicated storage systems, and instead advocates the use of small boxes to store your things. Shoeboxes are an excellent candidate as are the packaging for apple products. Try to store things upright as much as possible. There are plenty of examples online. Keep similar items together and focus on how easy something will be to put away rather than how easy it is to get out.

7.     Getting rid of the stuff

I have found this part particularly difficult as a college student. At home I know how to donate, recycle, or sell the things I discard. Without a car and familiar surroundings this gets more difficult. The University of Chicago has a recycling program directory that tells you where to drop off unwanted items. The tech department collects e-waste and there’s a second-hand store called Encore on 53rd that takes clothing. Alternatively you can list items on the Facebook page “Chicago Free and for Sale”, give items to friends who will appreciate them, or organize a clothing/stuff swap with your friends.

The Categories:

Clothing:

Pile all of your clothing onto your bed in a mountain, including outerwear and out of season clothes. If all your clothes don’t fit on the bed you can subdivide into smaller categories like blouses, jewelry, outerwear, shoes, etc. Fold everything that can be folded and watch this video on the KonMari folding method:

Books:

A particularly challenging category for university students. Books are not there to make you look smart, they are there to convey information to you. If you have read the book, you have absorbed the information. You can get rid of it. Sometimes means never. Get rid of books you haven’t read. Make room for ones you will cherish.

Papers:

The basic idea here is to throw everything away (except stuff you are currently using for class). You probably won’t look over old class materials. If you want to be able to pass them on, take pictures of the most important materials and put them in a Google Drive folder so you can share easily. Put everything you’ve kept that you aren’t using for class in a clear folder and store upright on your bookshelf or in a magazine holder.

Komono (aka everything else):

Split up into categories (food, crafting, electronics, bath products, etc). Think about what you find useful and enriches your life. Take an especially close look at all those things you were told you needed to buy for college: a coffeemaker, microwave, first aid kit, mini vacuum, etc. These things are bulky and difficult to store. Chances are you can borrow any of it from your neighbor or RA when you truly need it. Post it on “Free and for Sale.”

Sentimentals:

Do this category last so it doesn’t slow you down. If you find sentimental items while tidying, set them aside to save for last. The best way to store these items is to display them in some way. Paste pictures or display tchotchkes inside your closet, or on your bookshelf. If you’d prefer them to be tucked away you can create a memory box and store the items altogether here. Try to find a box that you really enjoy.

If you want some more guidance on the method I highly recommend binge-watching the Netflix series or checking out this folding video for guidance on your underwear drawer.  

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