The past year has taught me a lot about being productive. I’ve really had to develop a discipline for myself in order to be able to complete all the things I wanted to. As many of you know it has been a busy 2016 for me. From trying my hand at blogging every day, settling into a weekly posting schedule on my YouTube Channel, planning a wedding, launching Caffeinate and Conquer, and releasing my first e-course… time has been hard to come by. I thought I’d share some of my best productivity hacks with you all. This is how I conquer my optimistic to do lists and get sh*t done!
How to be More Productive
1.Know yourself
It’s really important to know yourself and when your best time of day is. I know that after about 7:30pm, my brain tends to turn off. I’m a morning a person. So I know if I want to get things done setting an early morning alarm is a lot more helpful then trying to stay up late at night.
2. Stay Moving
Being “lazy” is perpetual. If you lay around for 10 minutes you’re likely to lay around for 10 more, then 20 more. Get my drift? Saying you’ll “just sit down for 10 minutes,” is like saying you’re going to go into Target and “only buy one thing.”
I know a body in motion stays in motion. This is most effective for me when I first get home. I purposely don’t let myself just sit down and “relax for a minute” because I know that’ll end up in a downward spiral of “nothing got done tonight.” As tired as I feel when I get home from work I often force myself into some type of activity. Being active is proven to stimulate the release of endorphin AKA “Happy Hormones.” This increases productivity. I like to take my dogs for a walk.
3. Turn up the heat
Cold has been proven to slow productivity, so consider warming up your space.
4.Get rid of the to do list
I love a good list as much as the next person, but a never-ending list can feel overwhelming and is harder to tackle. What I do at the beginning of each week is take my to do list and schedule it out over the week. This way I know what tasks I’m completing on which days.
5. Batch similar tasks
By planning my week ahead of time like I mentioned in #4, it allows me to look at all my tasks more holisitcally and batch similar tasks together. It’s easier to complete like-minded tasks at the same time.
6. Try the Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro Techinque suggests you work in intervals of about 25 minutes with 5 minute breaks in between. Then, after you complete about 4 intervals, take a longer break of 15-20 minutes.
7. Take the night off
I think one of my productivity saviors has been planning in nights to take off from work and other tasks or chores. I purposely plan in night or entire weekend day where I’m not going to do any work at all. These days you just get to totally embrace being lazy. Don’t switch out of your PJs, binge watch Netflix, and relax. I think there is a glorification of busy in this day and age, but it’s OK to not be busy all the time.
8.Have a good work space
It’s important to have a space where you know you can work done. Somewhere that has minimal distractions and all the resources you need to be productive. This is different for everyone, so find your place.
9.Reflect
My last trick is right before bed make some time to reflect. Whether you do this in a journal or just in your mind, think back over what you accomplished today. Being grateful for what you completed is a good way to amp yourself up for the next day.