Ready to Stop Wasting Time? Five Ways to Be More Productive

There is nothing wrong unwinding with a few Netflix episodes or some screen time. Sometimes though, we find ourselves in the fifth season of our favorite show during one sitting and wonder where the time went. As a college student, it is imperative to invest in yourself professionally as much as possible.

Pause the fifth season of New Girl and start creating the first season of New YOU. 

Instead of Weekend TV Bingeing, Try Earning a Free Online Certification.

HubSpot offers several free certification courses such as Social Media Marketing, Digital Advertising, and Sales courses. These are fantastic resume builders structured as easy-to-follow videos from industry experts. I recently earned four HubSpot certifications and highly recommend it.

Instead of Watching YouTube Videos, Try 15 Minutes of Occasional Interview Prep.

Cut into some daily screen time with interview practice. Find common interview questions and allow yourself approximately three minutes to answer the question in the STAR format (situation, task or action taken, and results).

Better yet, record yourself or practice in front of a friend on video call for feedback. You will be surprised at the results when it’s time for that big interview.

Instead of Focusing on Your Social Media Presence, Try Building Your Online Professional Presence.

In this increasingly virtual world, building an online professional presence is essential to growing your network. Update your LinkedIn profile with a clean headshot, an enticing bio, and descriptive bullet points for previous part-time job, volunteering, or internship positions. Think about your values and career interests and share relevant articles and original posts with your LinkedIn network. Comment on other’s posts to add your perspective.

I feel empowered when I spend less time editing my glamour shots on Instagram and more time making my professional voice heard.

Instead of Following a Social Media Influencer, Try Following an Industry Thought Leader.

Is there a particular company or career field that interests you? Try following an industry thought leader on LinkedIn: a well-followed individual who shares insightful content surrounding topics in a particular industry. Consume daily content from multiple thought leaders to broaden your perspective. This will build your knowledge of an industry or profession, preparing you well for interviews or your first full-time career.

Instead of Several Hours of Time-Drainers, Try Creating an Internship.

Why not create a part-time internship to replace these time-drainers? Reach out to an organization or former employer and explain how you can add value to them as an intern.

I created an internship with a youth organization that I participated in for ten years and an event management internship with the convention center in my college town. Not only are internships an essential addition to your resume, but telling an employer that you actively created the internship will “wow” them with your initiative.

We already have the time to be one step closer to achieving our professional goals. What’s stopping us now?