As a university student, time is probably our most important asset. By joining clubs, hanging out with friends, and taking classes, we often find ourselves struggling to do the work we need to accomplish. Why?
It is surprising how few of us pay attention to our tools, given that nowadays almost ALL of our work is done digitally, and the truth is that we can easily double, or even triple, our productivity by using the right toolkit.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” — Abraham Lincoln
Over the past years, I tried and tested these 3 gadgets to hack into accomplishing more. Trust me, these gadgets are GUARANTEED to boost your productivity if you do not have them yet, as they have worked for me and my college peers.
#1 HDMI to USB-C/HTMI Cable
This is probably my personal best purchase of all time. All university libraries have monitors with computers, but rarely do people know that you can plug your own HDMI cable to use the monitors as a second display. Having a second display allows you to work with more applications without switching them -> boosts your creativity as well as protects your neck (by looking up instead of hunching down). You also save the cost of buying your own monitor (note: this only works if you live in a college campus).
#2 Laptop Stand
This works best if you 1) have a laptop AND 2) study at a place without a monitor. As much as I love monitors, sometimes I just don’t have the convenience of using them when I am studying at a table with friends. Using a laptop stand is a QUICK and EASY way to protect your neck over a 1-hour, 2-hour, or even 5-hour study session. Imagine how much neck pain that reduces! Small action makes a difference.
note: aim for one that is thin, expandable, and lightweight (as shown above) as they will need to fit in your bag.
#3 Noise-Cancelling Earphone/Headphone
Most people probably already have an earphone, but over the years I just can’t appreciate enough how a pair of noise-canceling earphones (in my case, AirPods Pro) has made a difference. Whether you simply put them on or play some Lo-fi/epic/animation music, it will help you enter a focus mode and increase study efficiency in an often noise-filled university study environment.
As I am typing this, I am putting my laptop against a laptop stand and I have my noise-canceling earphones on. They became my lifestyle, and I hope they will become yours as well. Remember, study hard…
Moreover, Study Smart 🗽
