How to program effectively after school?

The tips below really help. If I had known about them when preparing for the USE - I could have passed it for a higher score.

From the author of the article

Sometimes school gets too much in the way of learning programming: coming home after lunch and doing a lot of homework hurts productivity.

Today let's discuss how to make sure you have energy left for programming, homework and exam preparation.

The cult of productivity is harmful if you do not start bringing your schedule in order gradually. Therefore, do not worry if something does not work out the first time.

The essence of the problem

It's usually harder for kids to learn programming after school for three reasons:

• Problems with concentration.
• High fatigue at school and at home.
  
• USE, PSE, exams, local projects.
  

The main idea to remember is this: there are only 24 hours in a day, so you can't have time to do everything. You will have to prioritize.

Solve the problem with concentration

A few simple tips that can help you regain your concentration.

The Tomato Method

What is the possible problem? It's hard to concentrate on your studies if there are too many tasks. Some people advise breaking projects into parts, but this doesn't always help.

Potential solution:

The tomato method is when you set a timer, study, and then allow yourself to rest for a certain amount of time. There are no exact boundaries between work and rest - some people take a ratio of 25/5, others 45/10, others are happy with 60/15.

It will become easier to work, you will realize that there is time for rest. Using this practice will ensure increased productivity not only at school, but also at your future job.

Distractions are very likely to get in your way. With a timer, you can put them off for 20-25 minutes. If this cannot be done - restart the timer. You can also use Toggl track apps to help you allocate time properly.

Social media, YouTube, and Tic Toc

What is the possible problem? These factors not only take away time, they lower your concentration by burdening your psyche. All social media and video platforms are designed so that people spend as much of their attention as possible on them.

Potential solution:

There's nothing wrong with your concentration. Your body is working as it should, there are just too many distractions around. The only possible solution is to get rid of them.

There are two simple ways to do this. The simplest is to get rid of your phone. To do this, all you have to do is put it away in your nightstand during class. A simple action that will help much better than deleting apps or something similar.

The second option is a change of scenery. You will start thinking differently if you don't work where you rest. But this option is more difficult than the first one.

Social media addiction is a given. Don't blame yourself if you can't get rid of it the first time.

Fight fatigue

Lack of energy

What is a possible problem? You've been experiencing chronic fatigue for a long time. You seem to be sleeping well, resting, eating right, but it just won't go away.

Potential solution:

There are many:

• Exercise. Only if you're new to it, don't aim to work out for an hour or more. Start with 30 minutes, gradually increasing the load.
• Getting rid of social media and YouTube. They not only reduce concentration, but also burden the psyche.
  
• Proper nutrition. A person who constantly eats unhealthy food will feel fatigue. Changing the diet, too, should be gradual (sometimes very slow). Do you like dumplings? Eat an apple after each serving. This is enough to start with.
  
• Socializing. Do not neglect social connections if they are beneficial.

Improper sleep

What is the possible problem? There are too many things to do, there is no time to sleep. You have to overpower yourself to have time for everything.

8-9 hours is the average amount of sleep a teenager needs.

Potential solution:

The mainstream view is that you need 8 hours of sleep. But that's not enough, it's important to go to bed at more of the same time. This will restore circadian rhythms and allow the body to cope with the increased workload.

School itself is sometimes exhausting too, so you can allow yourself an hour or two of rest after coming home. We will also give some recommendations for healthy sleep:

• Get out in the sun more often. Walks can help with this.
• Blue light is better to limit an hour or two before falling asleep.
  
• Physical activity is a mastchev for the modern man. It will not compensate for a sedentary lifestyle, but it will make you feel a little better.
  
• During busy periods, sleep can be intermittent. That is, you may either struggle to fall asleep or wake up after three or four hours of rest. This is where consulting with a specialist and taking melatonin can help.

For more in-depth information, here are three books about sleep: "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker, "Healthy Sleep" by Shawn Stevenson, "How to Beat Insomnia" by Sofia Cherkasova.

Rest

What is the possible problem? People have gotten used to resting, yet they work hard. This depletes vital resources and also causes apathy. After 4 hours of purposeful work, productivity decreases. And prolonged concentration is bad for self-control.

Everyone has their own work schedule. It can be diluted with two or three blocks of rest.

You sit from 6 hours at school, come home, do homework, go to tutors, do programming, prepare for exams, etc. So resting needs to be done right.

Potential solution:

Two tools that the modern teenager can use in order to be more productive:

• Nature. A crucial factor that increases focus and gives you a chance to rest. There are many studies on this topic, but we will cite just one. It is more focused on the quality of rest, but even in the introduction there is a lot of usefulness. If there are no forests or mountains nearby, a park will help.
• Reducing concentration on negativity. It takes a lot of energy, you can fight the problem with the help of mindfulness. When you try to interpret the emotion, and focus on it, it is smoothed out. You can read more about it here. Moreover, the practice of focusing on current experiences is used in psychology.
  

The training program at CODDY is specifically designed to take as little effort as possible. Our approach involves no grades, practicing, doing interesting assignments, etc. Go ahead and enroll with us.

Dealing with exams

What is a possible problem? There are a lot of things to do, it seems as if there is no time to do everything. You have to sacrifice outings, socializing, entertainment, etc.

If you can afford to postpone going to university for a year - do it (having studied the details beforehand). Bonus time will allow you to fully concentrate on preparing for the USE.

Possible solution:

To begin with, you need to accept the fact that it will not be possible to prepare for exams around the clock. Next, you need to monitor your psyche, because if it starts to have problems, it will be more difficult to pass the exam successfully.

Therefore, you need to concentrate on things that will be useful in the future. Useful subjects will be needed in the institute, programming and design will be suitable for getting practice and internships. But a gold medal can bring no more than 5 bonus points, that is, its receipt is important only when entering the best universities in the country.

You have only 16 productive hours in a day, part of which is taken up by school, the road home, food, rest, etc. And sacrificing sleep is not the best strategy, as your productivity will drop even further. A "B" instead of an “A” in your certificate is not as bad as 10 missing points on an exam or skipping a number of programming classes.

What solutions won't work for the majority?

These solutions help the minority. Not everyone benefits from a minute-by-minute schedule or the ability to go to bed at 9pm every day.

Work schedule

Especially when you have school and homework. Chances are, you're just going to sleep in on the weekends. Therefore, there is no point in filling out your daily regimen in detail, because sooner or later fatigue and laziness will come, which are very likely to interrupt the desire to code.

If you're a proponent of schedules, replace your schedule with a list of tasks for the day and then start with the most difficult one.

Re-establish a daily regimen

It's harder for a teenager to go to bed at 9 or 10pm. With the modern rhythm of life, this is difficult. Therefore, it is better to change the bar and fall asleep regularly at 11 o'clock at night. If you want to sleep during the day - do it, the main thing is to be able to get up on the alarm clock. But even so, in some cases, you are likely to go to bed late. The main thing is not to worry and try again.

Set your mind firmly and clearly on self-discipline and constant learning

This will not allow you to do this concentration of attention. Therefore, be sure to alternate between rest and work, especially when it comes to preparing for exams. This way, you are more likely to become in control of your schedule and will be less likely to snap.

The hardest and most effective practice

Happy students can be much more productive if they want to be. People who are happy with their lives perform better at tasks, and they are also harder to be induced into apathy or thrown off track by life's turmoil. More often than not, high school students worry about exams. But try talking to students.

Remember that the only thing you can truly control is your mind. If it's infected with depression, studying will become harder.

Many of them will say that the USE is not so dangerous (if it does not concern top universities). And a little more than half of Russians work in their specialty. Therefore, useful skills and experience are much more important than going to university. Simply put, what everyone does is no guarantee of success or a good life.

What will be the result?

To summarize the above:

• Healthy sleep improves cognitive function and concentration.
• Walking in nature allows you to restore your body's resources and truly rest.
  
• The tomato method will enable you to work efficiently.
  
• Reducing attention on negativity and giving up shorts will make the psyche more stable.
  
• Prioritizing will give you the opportunity to spend your time efficiently: you can have time to prepare for exams, do some programming and rest.