I arrived in Germany about two years ago to pursue an MS in CS. Coming from Pakistan, where I lived with my parents, and we had house help, I never had to worry about household chores. That privilege allowed me to fully focus on my studies during undergrad and later on my full-time job in Pakistan.
However, when I landed in Germany, I was completely on my own. Not only did I have to figure out paperwork for opening a bank account, renewing my visa, arranging health insurance, and applying for a student job, but I also had to spend half of my day at university attending classes and then come back home to cook and clean.
Every semester came with its own set of challenges. The first semester taught me how to cook and clean while managing my studies side by side. Just when I started easing into this role, I got a technical student job. Suddenly, I had to dedicate 20 more hours per week to work. With 20+ hours of classes as well, time management felt almost impossible, unless I optimised every waking minute of my life. Over time, I learned a few hacks.
For example, if I were training a machine learning model for class or work and it took a while to run, instead of staring at the screen, I would use that time to cook or clean. But this came with a lot of mental overhead. With 20 minutes to report back to work, a 1-hour washing machine timer running, and 10 minutes to boil rice, I would often forget things: burn my rice or leave my clothes in the washing machine too long. That’s when I started using Siri for quick reminders. “Hey Siri, remind me to do XYZ in 10 minutes.” Offloading these small memory tasks to Siri allowed me to focus fully on whatever I was doing without constantly worrying about missing something else.
Because of my hectic schedule, I also needed to stay physically active. So during training or evaluation time, I would squeeze in push-ups since I didn’t have time to go to the gym. However, spending 40+ hours per week on studies and work, managing home chores, building a personal project, SyncMyTime (a time zone conversion tool, designed for international students, remote workers, and travellers), and—let’s be honest—making aggressive travel plans to nearby countries “because why not” started to take a toll on me. My sleep quality suffered. I had to pay the price for the productivity machine I had become. My brain wouldn’t shut down at 11 pm when I went to bed, and I would end up doom-scrolling on Instagram instead.
This led me to build another productive habit: Wrapping up mind-heavy tasks at least two hours before bedtime. Then I would have dinner and read a fiction book to relax. This simple habit improved my sleep quality by a huge margin.
Being productive as an international student in Germany, for me, did mean squeezing every second out of the day. When you’re managing studies, a 20-hour work week, household chores, paperwork, and still trying to build skills, there isn’t much room for wasted time. Optimising my day wasn’t optional — it was necessary.
But over time, I learned that squeezing every second only works if you build systems that support it. Using reminders to offload mental clutter, stacking chores during model training, moving between tasks strategically, and protecting my sleep weren’t just hacks; they were survival tools. Without them, the pressure would have been overwhelming.
I still believe in pushing hard and using my time fully. That mindset helped me grow faster than I imagined. The difference now is that my productivity is structured, not chaotic. Intentional, not reactive.
And that’s what a productive day looks like for me: maximum output, smart systems, physical movement, and just enough recovery to wake up and do it again tomorrow.
— Muhammad Naufil, Founder SyncMyTime