The NOT-TO-DO list

Most of us have been burning the midnight oil these days. However, the “oil” we’ve been “burning” is not for work, but the show we've been binge-watching.

It is not bad to have some relaxation time, but the screen time is something that concerns me. The schedule that my school has decided gives me 5 hours of screen time every working day. Adding all the time spent on YouTube, prime video, etc., it touches the 8-hour mark! This is the case with most of us. These uncertain and unusual times require some unusual measures.

Instead of creating a To-Do list for the day, try creating a Not-To-Do list. Try not to open Instagram, Twitter, and Quora for one day. Some might argue that Quora is an ‘informative’ app. I agree with you. But because the traveling time is cut, you tend to spend a lot of time on it. This causes information overload, which is not good for you. It leads to information anxiety.

A To-Do list these days majorly consists of tasks like completing the work given during class because you dozed off in between. A Not-To-Do list would consist of tasks like not opening Instagram for a day, stop thinking of excuses to postpone your research, not spending more than 7 hours total on looking at the screen. I find it difficult to follow the To-Do list, and a Not-To-Do list just seems simple and is easier to follow.

Of course, research work requires extensive reading of papers. Scheduling your weekends for research can be a good idea. Try and lodge only 6-7 hours of screen time during the weekdays because it is the minimum you can go.

Peace✌