How I get More Done // 5 Tips for Productivity

A long while ago I started on this journey to be productive and organized.  This started with purchasing a planner, developing a cleaning routine, expanding on that cleaning routine, finding planner peace, and talking more about my cleaning routine (cleaning routine & cleaning routine).  I credit this obsession with my cleaning routine for making me more productive.  Today I want to share with you 5 tips on setting your mind frame in order to create more productivity in your day.

Decide what activities are important

This is the first part to being productive.  There are things you do in your daily life that take priority over other things.  The first thing to do is decide what is most important to you.  For me, I decided to make cleaning a priority.  I made it something that had to be done in my daily life and I sucked it up and did it for a few weeks straight until it became habit.  You may find that there is an activity you want to complete during the day but haven't made time for it - make this activity a priority for a few weeks, then it will become habit.  Also there is no easy way to do this - suck it up and get it done.  Then it will seem out of place to not do it.

You may also need to prioritize things differently.  I love to sleep the frick in on every damn day of my life.  I dislike what 5am looks like.  But I found during my day to day life if I woke up 30 minutes before I have to leave for work, my day tends to stink.  I get to work still tired, I'm thrown into the thick of if still hazy, and I'm yawning well into 1pm.  I found that if I woke up early enough to enjoy time to myself and allow my body to adjust to the burning sunshine my day was more pleasant.  I wasn't playing catch up with myself all day.  (Pro tip on waking up - don't hit the snooze, it will only make you feel more tired.  I'm not a scientist, but I do play one on TV)  Re-prioritizing something that you may think is important when in actuality it might be detrimental to your productivity levels, may help you.

Create & Test Routines

Re-prioritizing things in your day to day life may lead to new routines.  I find that if I complete certain tasks in a certain order I feel more efficient and more productive.  Even if it is in minor increments, keeping to a schedule is key to feeling productive.  In the morning I wake up at 5:10am, I take Sweetie potty and am back inside to have her fed and my coffee brewed by 5:25am, then I cuddle back up with her in bed and mess around on my phone, watch TV, etc until 5:55am when I start to do my make up (if I feel like it), I get dressed by 5:18am, put up Sweetie, and if all is on track I'm out the door a little before 6:30am.  I didn't sit down and decide on 5:18am being the time I start to put my pants on, I just found that by re-prioritizing the things that made my morning better that this was the routine the fit best for me.

By creating and testing different routines you'll be able to develop what works best in what order.  I can't give you the scientific breakdown of it but you should be able to develop a routine that flows together organically.  For me it is pointless to walk to the kitchen and brew my coffee before going into the bathroom because the bathroom is before the kitchen.  So then I'll get that over with, wash my face, etc.  Then my dog has to pee so of course we'll go downstairs and outside, etc, etc.  The routine you develop should be organic.

You may find that if you switch this and that you're more productive (or less) and you should evolve your routines.  One thing I am absolutely horrible at is adapting my routine when something changes. I am horrible at it and my whole life is thrown off for weeks at a time.  

Write (Specific & Helpful) To Do Lists

I find that the more specific my To Do List is, the more helpful it is.  It also helps to see what actually can be done in an allotted amount of time.  If you have a task, simply writing task reminds you about the task.  If the task has certain parts to complete it, I find writing down all that needs to be done is very helpful.  Not only is a metal thing where you can check off more things but it shows your progress.  I try to break down a task (if it needs to be broken down) into 3 to 4 steps so I'm not overwhelmed.  Laundry is a great example - wash, fold, put away.  Laundry also doesn't happen all at once so you can see your progress even as your working on other things during the day.  Breaking down the task into smaller tasks makes me feel like I'm staying on track and getting things done.

I find being too specific is unhelpful to me.  I also find that creating a general, non-intimidating heading to be super helpful.  So instead of a generic YouTube as a task, I'll put Schedule Videos and break it down into edit, upload, finalize the list of videos I have.  That way I know what I'm doing but I'm not overwhelmed.  I work in batches too - batch edit, batch upload, finalize them all in one go.  Batching is super helpful when it comes to To Do lists. 

Hold Yourself Accountable

A planner does this for me.  Also, remembering the feeling I have when my house is clean and my shit is done helps me stay accountable.  Find something that works for you - because, in general, no one gives a crap about your productivity except for you.  (your job is a different story, though.)  No one cares if you got your mascara on before 6:05am in order to finish curling your hair by 6:45am, except for you.   No one cares if you clean the family room on Tuesdays or on Saturdays, except for you.  You get what I mean?  Find something that pushes you to complete your tasks.  But also don't stress on it if you can't get things done.  Creating routines and To Do lists will show you what you can feasibly fit in your amount of time.

I hope this post was a little bit helpful - it is how I approach productivity in my daily life and how I get a handle on things!  Creating routines and just seeing what I can do and when I can do it gives me a little more control over my life, you know?  And I think that is a very helpful thing to have a tiny bit of control over!

How do you stay productive?  How do you keep on top of daily tasks?

xoxo, Moe