If you get distracted by extraneous things or projects, write a to-do list. A to-do list can keep you on task and motivated to complete your goals. You’ll know each item that needs to get done and when it needs to be completed. Writing down tasks means that you stay on top of deadlines, don’t forget exams, and complete important tasks.  You may wish to prioritize your to-do list by having the most important items at the top to complete first. If you get distracted, refer back to your to-do list to stay on task. Perhaps you start a project, then get interrupted by something else and forget about the project. Assign your time into blocks and stick to the schedule to stay focused. Using a schedule can help you realize what you can accomplish in a certain amount of time and can ensure that high priority tasks are completed. Plan for unexpected tasks or situations by setting up some contingency time. Have a general plan for each week, then specify your schedule more succinctly for the next day.  For example, if you have one hour between in-person appointments or classes, assign that time to certain tasks. Work on an assignment for 30 minutes, make phone calls for 15 minutes, then spend 15 minutes freely. You can also try breaking down your goals into small manageable tasks to help you make progress. For example, instead of making a goal to clean the kitchen, you might break that goal down into tasks, such as sweep the floor, load the dishwasher or hand wash the dishes, wipe down the counters, and take out the garbage. Look into digital tools that might help you to break down your goals and work towards them. If you think that working six hours straight is the best way to maximize your productivity, don’t be surprised if you crash midway through or “veg out” with a distracting activity. Divide your time so that you spend some time working and some time resting away from work. For example, for every hour of work, take about a 20-minute break.  Instead of letting distractions occur throughout the day, schedule in time to relax and check social media, watch funny videos, or do other mindless things. Your breaks should be something you enjoy. Switch up your activities such as taking a walk, checking social media, or getting a snack. Small interruptions can make a big impact, so it is best to avoid them altogether. For example, if you respond to each email as it comes, engage in many conversations with coworkers throughout the day, and check your social media notifications each time you get an alert, you’ll likely waste lots of time throughout the day. Instead of doing each small thing one at a time, do them all at once. Do small tasks in a block of time, like 10 minutes, twice each day. Set aside time each day to devote to emails. Perhaps you do some emails in the morning and afternoon for 15 minutes at a time. Keep your email closed and notifications off. Then, spend some interrupted time reading and sending emails. Don’t feel bad if you don’t respond to emails immediately. Most emails are not urgent and can be responded to within a matter of hours. If you can’t figure out where all your time goes throughout the day, consider tracking your activities one by one each day for an entire week. You might be surprised at how much time you waste or the number of distractions that occur. Once you track your activities, you can begin to notice patterns of when you tend to get distracted and how you distract yourself.  Once you recognize your own patterns, you can begin to change your habits. For example, instead of spending 30 minutes on social media, you can take a 15-minute walk instead. Providing yourself with deadlines may also help if you find that you frequently get sidetracked during the day due to a perceived lack of a deadline. For example, you could set a deadline for what day and time you want to have finished a project for school or work and sue this to help motivate you. If you work better in a quiet environment, plan to get to work a bit early or stay a bit late. Maybe your office, dorm room, or library becomes noisy or crowded throughout the day, so start your work while the atmosphere is quiet. Without distractions from other people, sounds, or movements, you might find an hour or two of increased productivity. If you work better in the morning, get to work a bit earlier. If you work better at night, stay a little later to complete your work. Either way, distractions will lessen and you can get some quality work done.

Summary: Write a to-do list. Stick to a schedule. Schedule breaks. Put off the small things. Send emails all at once. Track your daily activities. Adjust your schedule.


Cut lines through the ivy along the ground in order to divide it into large sections. This will make it much easier to remove the ivy from the ground. Pull the sections apart from one another as you cut. Work carefully around plants and saplings you want to keep. If you're working on a hill, cut vertical lines from the top of the hill to the bottom to create sections that you can roll downhill. Lift the edge of one section of ivy and roll it forward on top of itself. Keep rolling the ivy forward until the entire section has been rolled up into a big log of ivy. Move the log to a separate area and continue rolling up sections until you've cleared the area. Mulching the ivy rolls is the best way to dispose of them and ensure they won't take root in the area again. English ivy is difficult to kill with herbicides alone because the plant's leaves contain a waxy barrier that is difficult for products to penetrate. Therefore, the most effective method is to combine manual removal with the use of a herbicide. Glyphosate is the chemical that works most effectively to kill English ivy.  Spray the area of ivy you wish to kill, but be careful the glyphosate doesn't reach other plants you want to keep. Herbicides are slow-acting, and must be reapplied every six weeks or so. If you have a patch of ivy you want to preserve, but you'd like to prevent it from spreading, you can use mulch to keep it contained. Simply cover the border of the ivy you want to keep with several inches (about 7 to 8 inches) of shredded or wood chip mulch. You will need to give this method some time; leave the mulch on the ivy for at least 2 seasons. You may need to add new mulch one or more times during a growing season. Another option is to trim the ivy back to contain it. Use a weed eater or edging tool to cut the vines along the border.

Summary: Cut the ivy into sections. Roll the sections off the ground. Use herbicides as an alternative. Use mulch to contain ivy you want to keep.


After the 2 weeks are up, lift up the newspaper. Look for tiny, white heads coming out of the peat moss. If they’re there, leave the newspaper off. You may see white streaks in the soil, which means the mushrooms are taking root. Leave the newspaper in place and continue misting for another week. Mist the peat moss every day so water continues to drip into the bed. After about 10 days, the mushrooms will be fully-grown, although you can harvest the mushrooms sooner if you wish. Portobellos reach their peak when the mushroom caps are about 4 to 6 cm (1.6 to 2.4 in) in diameter. Dig them out of the compost by hand, then clean them off with a damp paper towel and store them in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator. Harvesting the mushrooms early means you’ll be eating brown criminis instead of portobellos. Wait until the edges of the caps are flat instead of curled. Keep your tray with compost intact for now. Continue moistening the compost daily, then add a new layer of newspaper once white streaks form again. By following the same steps, you will usually get 2 or 3 batches of mushrooms out of 1 tray.
Summary: Remove the newspaper in 2 weeks if the mushrooms are growing. Continue misting the mushrooms as they grow. Dig out the portobellos when the caps have fully unfurled. Repeat moistening the compost until new mushrooms form.