Author Archives: IshitaTenjerla

Hi !I am Ishita Tenjerla .An 18 year old blogger who loves writing and photography. Photography and writing are a passion that I hope to turn into a career someday. I am always open to learning and ready to take on challenges I have a skill for planning and creative writing. In photography –Food,nature,candid,still life,wildlife,travel are some of my areas of interest. I am an avid reader and I love reading fiction,murder mystery and thriller.

The Eisenhower Matrix

Most things which are urgent are not important, and most things which are important are not urgent.

Eisenhower

Sounds like a real mind bender, doesn’t it?

But this is what led Eisenhower to research and develop the famous Eisenhower Matrix.

At any given point of time we have tasks to do that should have been done yesterday, tasks to do that are urgent, tasks that we keep putting off , tasks that other people depend upon, tasks that are lying in our inbox waiting to be opened and tasks that we will probably never get to.

We’re basically running in circles.

If we complete this graded assignment due tomorrow – we probably won’t get time to study for the big test next week. If I write this article now, I probably won’t be able to finish my assignments.

This where the Eisenhower matrix comes into the picture. By organizing all your work into a neat little box.

Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States and is often applauded for his consistent productivity – that allowed him to plan and act on many projects. The method was named after him and is used to prioritize tasks between urgency and importance.

Because what is urgent ( replying to emails) may not be important( writing the manuscript for your book) and vice versa.

So, let’s dive right in!

1.The Quadrants

In this box there are 4 quadrants.

Quadrant 1

  • To do now
  • Urgent and important
  • These are tasks that you must put on your list first – and do immediately.

Quadrant 2

  • To schedule
  • Important but not urgent
  • Tasks that need to get done – but not right away. So, schedule them for later during the day.

Quadrant 3

  • To delegate
  • Urgent but not important
  • These are tasks that are urgent but don’t require your immediate attention as they are not important. The idea is to delegate them to someone else.

Quadrant 4

  • To delete
  • Tasks that are neither urgent nor important.
  • Delete these tasks and eliminate clutter.
  •  Or put them under a task list for “someday”. So, you can come back to these tasks on a day you have time.

And that’s all there is to it. Start jotting down tasks in each of these boxes and you’re set.

2.The Matrix

Here’s what the matrix looks like.

3.Try it out!

Hit the download button and get started.

eisenhower-matrixDownload

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A grocery run at 4 am

The “Sunday Market” as the locals at Hyderabad of the Hemanagar district call it, is something unique to the culture of the place. Overnight, the deserted blazing hot street turns into a bustling crowded market.   Over Saturday evening, stall vendors would lug their goods from all over the district and set up their waresContinue reading “A grocery run at 4 am”

by IshitaTenjerla

How to : Build a organization system for school or college.

College and school brings to mind images of loose sheets of papers, multiple notebooks, notes scribbled in the margins of a textbook, a flurry of assignments and club activities. Note taking.Keeping track of deadlines. Following up on assignments. Finishing up project work and the list of academic and extracurricular activities goes on. Staying organised willContinue reading “How to : Build a organization system for school or college.”

by IshitaTenjerla

4 great note taking methods for students

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Notes and note taking play a major role irrespective of whether you are a student, a professional or a teacher.

My notes are often look like this : Lots of bullet points, random irrelevant doodles and maybe even some glitter.

In short: Not neat or effective.

Not to mention that it’s really hard to navigate through my stack of papers to look for the topic I need to currently study.

Which is why I’ve picked 4 note taking methods to help make your note taking system more efficient and neater.

1.Structured notes

Structured notes as the name suggests basically gives you an outline.

It’s like the rules you have to follow when part of a basketball team  – giving you team more efficiency and coordination.

That’s basically what we are trying to do here.The format is easy enough to follow, but you should consider the mode of doing it.

You could choose to do it on pen and paper or on a note taking app.

A few are – Notion,Evernote,Microsoft One Note or Google Docs.

Here’s what it looks like.

2.Mind maps

I like mind maps for their simply usability.

Open up your notebook and BAM ! Your entire topic is covered in less than 2 pages

Perfect for me since I do a lot of last-minute revision.

So, when should you use a mind map ?

Mind maps are very helpful breaking down large concepts into smaller chunks. They help absorb all the information at one go.

When you have a vast topic to cover or an overly complicated definition – grab a few colour pens and draw a mind map.

3.Flashcards

You will find hundreds of blog posts and videos on using flashcards and for good reason too.

Hand written flashcards are very bulky to carry around which is why Quizlet is the go-to revision app for students.Making flashcards on the app or the web is very easy to do and does not take much time.

But the reason I prefer Quizlet over other flashcard apps is because of it language feature – making it one of the best revision apps out there to study any language.

4.Cornell Notes system

This is my absolute favourite because it helps me glance at all my information no matter how detailed in less than a few pages.Use this system when you need to study a book, a video or a research paper.

You can use the pdf template I’ve made and follow the steps below.

Cornell-notes-system_mytakeontheworldDownload

  • Use the the topic line to label your notes for future reference.
  • There are 2 main columns –Keywords and Notes
  • Keywords column-This is where the main keywords,headings and ideas of your material needs to written or typed down.
  • In the Notes column – jot down the points and notes corresponding the the keywords on the left.
  • Remember to avoid long sentences.
  • Use abbreviations ,diagrams and small bullet points.
  • When you’re done use the summary box below to simply to concise all the information you have learnt into 1- 2 sentences.
  • And you’re done!

Do leave me a comment below! I love hearing your thoughts.

KEEP READING:

Quotes from a book : Dance first, Think later.

Here are some quotes that grabbed my attention while flipping through the pages of this book. Hope you enjoyed reading this post Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments below. Stay connected: Keep reading:

by IshitaTenjerla

The law of efficiency

Time is funny.When working on a long boring assignment , it can seem to move very slowly.But when watching your favourite web series….BAM ! There goes 3 hours of your day. But why does time work like that ? Let me introduce to you Parkinson’s law of time management.It simply states that : This isContinue reading “The law of efficiency”

by IshitaTenjerla

Links:

<a href=’https://www.freepik.com/vectors/infographic’>Infographic vector created by freepik – http://www.freepik.com</a&gt;

logos-download.com

Picture credit:

Mindmap:<a href=’https://www.freepik.com/vectors/infographic’>Infographic vector created by freepik – http://www.freepik.com</a&gt;)

Quizlet logo:logos-download.com

Does music help you work better?

Well, it depends.

Take a moment and tell me if you work better with or without music in the comments below.

Whatever the case may be music and work have always been intertwined.

Historically the Music While You Work programme was introduced by the UK government  – where they broadcast  upbeat music in factories twice a day might help to step up the pace of work. But,some employees complained of lower productivity when music was blasting through overhead speakers.

Well, everyone has a certain capacity of working memory. This working memory is put into use when we are trying to remember our grocery list or trying to solve a math problem.

If you are someone who has a hard time handling multiple pieces of information in your working memory – the music now become a distraction – disturbing your workflow.

We know how beneficial music can be – It improves physical performance, can develop cognitive performance and boost productivity. But some of us work well with music. Some prefer silence. And some feel that music is a hindrance.

So, what’s going on?

Bring your focus back to the first line – It depends

 Background music can help when revising old material – something you have already read before.But when trying to wrap your head around a topic that is entirely new – many people prefer to study in silence.

It also depends on your mood and the task at hand.

Familiar music is better to help us focus. But music with lyrics is distracting and can evoke nostalgia – pulling you away from the task at hand,Mozart’s classical music has proven to increase cognitive capacity – often described as the Mozart effect.

Music to me is often a distraction while writing a blog post. So, I prefer ASMR or background noises such as the busy chatter of a café or the sounds of a library.

So, in summary –. See what kind of music you prefer while working on certain tasks.

Remember to work to your own beat.

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The Eisenhower Matrix

Most things which are urgent are not important, and most things which are important are not urgent. Eisenhower Sounds like a real mind bender, doesn’t it? But this is what led Eisenhower to research and develop the famous Eisenhower Matrix. At any given point of time we have tasks to do that should have beenContinue reading “The Eisenhower Matrix”

by IshitaTenjerla

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Creative ways to motivate yourself

Being stuck at home during the pandemic has opened up new possibilities and doorways. We are now adapting to the changes around us and tend to turn towards lifehacks or creative solutions to solve everyday problems by ourselves.

One thing that hasn’t changed much is our struggle to be motivated to complete our work.

Let’s put aside conventional methods of motivation and try something outside the box.

1.The buddy system

Sports teams show much better results in terms of efficiency and success because of one simple underlining formula –The buddy system

The formal term for it being: Accountability.

When you are accountable to someone – to show up on time ,to complete a project or to simply show your work -your mindset shifts.

The simple act of telling your friend, family or siblings the work you plan on doing today or this upcoming week is a good start to implementing this.

2.Create a “Lifebook”

What is a Lifebook?

It’s a written document describing everything you want to accomplish in life.

This is a place where you can design your life the way you want it to be.

It answers questions like :

  • Who do I want to  be?
  • How do I want my day to look like?
  • What does my place of work look like?
  • What is my social circle like?

These are important questions to answer and write down in your Lifebook.

When you’re done designing it – take a step back and look at it.

Ask yourself this : What can I do today to be one step closer to achieving my goal?

3.Create a vision board.

Vision boards began booming a few years ago.

And not just because Oprah uses them.

Vision boards are renowned for their simplistic goal: to be able to actually visualize what you want.

It includes: people’s lives you admire, quotes that keep you motivated, questions that gets your thinking cap on and everything else in between.

By seeing what you want to accomplish every single day – you just have to learn to take decisions and to implement those into your day.

4. Hunt for inspiration

You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.

Saul Bellow

Your hunt for inspiration should never stop.

Go read book , watch movies and find quotes that inspire you. Find places where you can seek for inspiration. And them pick out things that will constantly inspire you.

For a writer like me – reading books and research is a source of inspiration that often boosts motivation.

So try the unconventional method of motivating yourself – the next time you find yourself in a slump.

Thank you for reading !

I highly appreciate your support and would love to hear from you!

Drop me a message in the comments below!

See you in the next one.

Toodles!

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Could ASMR be the hack to being more productive?

Ever miss the sounds of the library ?The turning of books? Miss the sounds of the café ?With people bustling and coffee frothing? Many people attribute their focus and productivity to the sounds around them. So, during the pandemic ASMR had begun replacing the real-life experience of libraries, cafes and offices. YouTube has been boomingContinue reading “Could ASMR be the hack to being more productive?”

by IshitaTenjerla

Documenting your day :The ultimate guide

History is all about preserving moments in time , being able to revisit them and take a closer look.

Documenting your day is a way to give you a chance to press pause on your day and record it.That way you can visit it back years later and still remember how you felt or what you saw the first time that you did.

Egyptian scrolls to the diary of Anne Frank – all these are great examples of people documenting their life.

What is it:

The act of documenting your day refers to capturing moments of your day and having these memories to look back to anytime.It gives you a chance to freeze time .

Why you should do it:

Documenting your day allows you tell a story.Soon , sometime in the future it becomes a source of inspiration.

Follow me on my journey of learning to document my day,lessons I’ve learnt and the different ways you can do it.

When I started my documentation journey- I did everything in bits and pieces.

I used digital ,switched to a physical diary and jumped back.Most days I don’t have the willpower to do it.Sometimes it feels like to much of an effort.

It’s a process of trial and error.Try to figure out the best method that works for you and fits right into your day.

Reduce the friction it takes to document your day – make it something to look forward to instead of a chore.

Document your true authentic self.

Not just the moments that are:

  • Happy
  • Fun
  • Sparky

But also the

  • Inspirational
  • Mundane
  • Sad
  • Stressful

moments of your day.

This way you are documenting for yourself.You never have to show this anyone.Making it specially yours.

Every lifestyle guru recommends starting a journal.And within good reason too.Journal entries are perfect to help you pen down your thoughts,emotions and deal with stress.Grab a blank notebook and all the stationary you have.Use pictures, Washi tape or try calligraphy.

Use this journal to jot down anything and everything that comes up.Happy moments,moments of distress.You can use it “brain dump” all the stress and negative emotions you may have.

Use this journal to document your journey.

You know how employees of a company need to log in and out of their work day ?Their entries get time stamped.

That’s the idea behind this.If you want a more organised approach of documenting your day then you should try doing a log entry.

Here is a basic sample

TIME SLOT EVENT
9 am Wake up
10 am to 12 pm Read book
12 pm to 12:30 pm Lunch
–And so on

If writing is not your thing – this snapshot diary is perfect.

The idea: To take pictures of various events during of your day – no matter how big or small.

Take pictures of the book you’re currently reading,the tv show you are watching or a quote you saw online.Document your day using pictures captured with your lens.

Then you can leave them timestamped in your gallery or put them into any note taking app and write a few lines describing each picture.

Vlogs or a video log.Literally every single Youtuber has them up online.

Vlogs rage in various themes and are super fun to make and experiment with at home.All you need is your phone and a tripod (if you have one.)

Different formats of vlogs include :

  • Day in the life
  • Study vlog
  • Cooking vlogs

Use the videocamera to record moments of your day.Take it up as a project and have fun with it !

Set up a phone or a camera on a tripod and record yourself speaking to the camera.It’s similar to a journal entry but only talking instead of writing down your thoughts and emotions.You can date stamp them to easily open up the video diary for any day you want.

And that’s it!

Experiment with various styles and have fun.See what you can easily manage to do in your day and go for it !

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Try the coffee nap

Drinking coffee before a nap? Sounds a little counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Caffeine naps are the latest evolution. When you feel drowsy and your eyelids begin to close right after that heavy lunch – instead of gulping down a cup of coffee or taking a regular 20-minute power nap – try a caffeine nap. ( AKAContinue reading “Try the coffee nap”

by IshitaTenjerla

Will movies ever be able to replace books?

In short

No, never.

In 2 simple sentences:

Books are an open canvas free to draw upon. Movies are pictures within hard wooden frames.

In the new advent of television,films,cinema and most importantly Netflix – the relevance of books is often questioned.

As a bookwork I’m often asked by peers – why bother reading the book? Wait for the movie to come out. That’s when I list out a multitude of reasons as to why books are the ultimate prime and movies can never replace them.

Here’s my perspective on reading the book vs watching a movie.

When you watch a movie – everything you see is restricted to how the director portrays the movie. The characters , the background and the feel of the story is already designed for you. All you have to do is watch your screen.

With books – this is very different. Books have voids and gaps that are left to your imagination. You are allowed to design the book as you would like it to be . Everything is left to your understanding and imagination.

Books allow you to have a more personal and unique conversation – with the characters and the book itself. The book in your hand evokes you to think – of multiple dimensions ,to create a whole new world and fill in the air of the book.

Movies can never replace the joy of reading.

Period.

Stay in touch !

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Could ASMR be the hack to being more productive?

Ever miss the sounds of the library ?The turning of books?

Miss the sounds of the café ?With people bustling and coffee frothing?

Many people attribute their focus and productivity to the sounds around them. So, during the pandemic ASMR had begun replacing the real-life experience of libraries, cafes and offices. YouTube has been booming with ASMR videos helping people focus, improve productivity and relieve anxiety.

So, what is ASMR?

ASMR or autonomous sensory meridian response are a range of sounds and visuals. They range from page turning, to keyboard tapping, pen scratching on paper, crinkling and even rain drops. These ASMR sounds have taken up place in people’s lives even helping some deal with depression and improve productivity.

Although there hasn’t been intensive research on ASMR – a study conducted by the University of Sheffield found that, compared to non-ASMR participants, those who experience ASMR reported increased levels of calmness and decreased levels of stress and sadness.

ASMR may be the technique that people are looking for to become more productive.

Some common ASMR types

  • Page turning
  • Typing
  • Page crinkling
  • Water drops
  • Tapping
  • White noise

For some ASMR is a hindrance – making them lose their focus. But for others it often helps stimulate their creativity helping them get more work done.

So, the next down you sit down to work – try it out and see if it works. If it does, you’re looking towards many focused work sessions

PICTURE CREDIT:

Photo by RR Abrot on Unsplash

Photo by Shunya Koide on Unsplash

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Try the coffee nap

Drinking coffee before a nap? Sounds a little counterintuitive, doesn’t it?

Caffeine naps are the latest evolution. When you feel drowsy and your eyelids begin to close right after that heavy lunch – instead of gulping down a cup of coffee or taking a regular 20-minute power nap – try a caffeine nap. ( AKA the coffee nap )

The concept?

To drink a cup of coffee and then take a 20-minute nap. It takes at least 20 minutes for the caffeine to kick into your system – giving you enough time to boos your energy with a quick 20-minute nap.

Why does this work?

Well, when the caffeine enters your system, it takes at least 20 minutes for its effects to start showing. When you feel tired – your body produces adenosine. When you sleep – your body begins getting rid of this adenosine – and gulping down a cup of coffee before this helps boost your energy levels.

According to research conducted in the 1990s, drinking a cup of coffee after a midday nap can increase concentration, performance skills, and cognition compared to taking a nap alone.

In their conclusion, the researchers stated that “the combination of a nap and caffeine was more effective in maintaining alertness and performance than was the nap alone.”



Hence by using both the components of a power nap and a coffee kick you wake up energised.

Photo by Gregory Pappas on Unsplash

Gimme your thoughts in the comments below !

Book Haul 2021

I finally got a chance to head out to my local bookstore and grab my first book haul for the year. I picked out several murder mystery books by Agatha Christie. 1.Just one look 2.Before I go to sleep 3.Atomic Habits 4.How to be a Bawse 5.Death in the air 6.Dumb witness 7.Ikigai 8.Gone girlContinue reading “Book Haul 2021”

by IshitaTenjerla

    How to get your overwhelming to-do list under control

    My to-do list has 51 tasks right now.

    I’ve been putting them off for a while.

    Every single task I need to do- no matter how big or small I’ve jotted down in this list.

    More than often – my chaotic day takes over and I cannot get my overwhelming to-do list to zero

    This pandemic has given me some time to experiment and work with my task list

    So here are 4 strategies I’ve come up with:

    1.Delete some tasks

    When you have toooo many things to do.

    It’s time to pick and choose.

    Delete some tasks you can do without.

    It will give you some breathing time.

    2.Schedule just 3 tasks a day

    Schedule for just 3 tasks a day. And get them done by the end of the day.

    Fit them between events, between meeting or between classes.

    3.Delegate them to someone else

    If there is task you can ask someone else to do for you  – do it

    It will at least buy you some time and some breathing space.

    Or ask someone to help you on this task – it will surely reduce your workload and also help you learn a different strategy to tackle the same task

    4.A kill -switch

    When my to do-list is beyond control and I keep pushing my tasks to another day

    like it is now

    I do something called a task list day

    I simply pick one day withing the next 7 upcoming days

    And this one day  is the day I will buckle down and try to do every single task on my list.

    It’s kind of a last-minute kill switch to get everything down to zero

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    DAYS OF HUES 2020

    With the year coming to an end I took upon a photography project. I captured the different hues of the sky. SLIDESHOW Connect with me : Don’t forget to comment below and drop a like !

    by IshitaTenjerla

    How to bring structure to your day~ Quarantine Diaries

    So you made your way through the 6 emotional stages of lockdown  and now you wanna get back upon your feet https://99takeontheworld.wordpress.com/2020/05/19/the-6-emotional-stages-of-lockdown-quarantine-diaries/ Here are a few tips: Sleep schedule  Plan your wake up and sleep times in 90-minute increments every night.Ensuring you have a systematic wake up time gives you control over your day. AContinue reading “How to bring structure to your day~ Quarantine Diaries”

    by IshitaTenjerla