tips on staying productive with multiple CS courses

Many of us are facing large workloads (taking multiple Computer Science courses, working, taking care of things at home, etc.) So how can we stay efficient and organized when times get busy?

First, a quick disclaimer: These simple tips may be something that only relate to my specific working style, but I’m hoping that since they have worked for me, they might help you, too. 🙂

Over the last three years (since I started college classes), I’ve been working towards the best ways to handle large to do lists while minimizing stress and maximizing productivity, with varying success. Here are just a few different tips and tricks I’ve found to be helpful for staying on track while taking multiple (has been tested for up to 4) CS courses per term.

Routine

I’ve always known that I’ve liked having planning ahead and routines, but I’ve only recently come to this simple conclusion to help me stay on track:

             Structure and consistency are best for efficiency

Being able to create a sense of structure in your schedule can reduce stress by being able to feel more in control. Of course, there are always times where things happen and you have to change things around, but having an already dictated plan for each day can minimize the time taken to decide what to work on first. Even planning routines outside of work can help bring the focus back to a problem you’d like to spend more mental energy on. For example, being able to spend less time deciding what to have for breakfast or what outfit to wear in the morning when in the middle of debugging code, to more quickly come up with solutions. Also, I’ve found that having a routine for a long time can eventually become automatic, which can enable further productivity benefits.

Have a System – For Everything

By Class

For each of my classes, I set up a system and plan ahead by determining certain things:

• What is the general pattern of the assignments for each week and generally how long will they take to complete?
• Are there large programming projects in this class and if so, how much time between due dates is there for each? (ex. 1 or 2 weeks each) In addition, break these assignments down into smaller, manageable chunks.
• What days of the weeks are assignments usually due? (ex. Tuesdays)
• Is there any group work in the course (ex. the Senior Capstone course) and if so, how much?

Finding out each of these points as early I can in a term has helped me gain predictability in my schedule, which has greatly reduced stress. In addition, it has helped increase productivity because I’m spending less time deciding what needs to be worked on when.

In General

I try to centralize tools and scheduling for all classwork to keep things simple. This is the system I’ve been using so far:

• Microsoft OneNote for note-taking with different sections for each course and pages for each week/large project.
• Google Keep for daily to do lists. I almost always write these out the night before.
• A written planner for each day’s tasks/appointments. This is often the same content I have in Google Keep, but I’ve found that I like to have a physical copy and to be able to plan farther ahead.

If Something Goes Wrong

I also created an informal (and somewhat fluid) system in case of certain events:

• Working on a writing assignment and can’t seem to get focused/motivated?
  • Switch to something else if you can first.
  • Think about what you want to write while away from the computer for a bit.
• Working on a programming assignment and are stuck on something?
  • Take a quick break if you can.
  • Write down on paper what the program is supposed to do.
  • If all else fails, plan to draft a question to TA or attend office hours.
  • Try your best not to stare at the screen with no plan of action.
• Feeling unproductive/unmotivated in general?
  • Work on an easy task that you can quickly check off your list. I often have a hard time starting on work, but once I do, it’s much easier to keep going.
  • Work with or talk with someone you know about what you’re working on.
  • Let yourself do something fun for a specified block of time (if you can)

Having these steps in mind have helped me reduce time wasted from being stuck and remind myself take short breaks when needed. (something I’m still working on)

Summary

We’ve taken a look at a few different tips and systems for staying on track while taking multiple CS courses at a time. Ultimately, these tips were created through an analysis of my own patterns and preferences, so if you’ve found other tools and methods that work better for you, please let me know in the comment section. I hope you’ve found these points to be helpful in your productivity journey while studying Computer Science and beyond.