5 Simple Ways to Be More Productive

  While I am no Queen of Productivity, I am Empress of Over-Commitment, and that generally forces me to ATTEMPT to be as productive as possible. If you're a creative (or even non-creative) and struggle with staying on track like I do, here are 5 simple ways to be more productive!

#1. GET UP EARLIER

  This fall I've been committing to getting up at 7 every weekday morning. I've never been a really late-riser (7:30-8:30 is always my natural wake-up window) but there's a big difference between getting up early and WORKING and just getting up. Since I work a lot outside my home and have a lot of other activities and commitments, writing can often get discarded if I don't do it first thing. I have definitely been able to get WAY more done the last couple months by setting my alarm for 7:00 and making myself get out of bed than I would have otherwise. My best work window is in the morning so it's important to me to get this time. 

  I totally get how comfy bed is though, and while I'm not a big fan of sleeping-in, the temptation is always there. I've countered this by giving myself the weekend/holidays for all the sleeping-in I desire (which isn't much tbh). So I wake-up early 5 days a week to work on whatever project I happen to have going, and I get Saturday and Sunday to rest and refresh. This helps make the getting up early a little more manageable.

  If you want to be an early-riser but struggle like I have, here are some helpful hints to get you up and at 'em:

• Set the alarm just a half-hour earlier to start. Or even fifteen minutes. You can ease yourself into this, no need to go from 9am to 6!
• Go to bed earlier. Whatever time you need to get enough sleep, make sure you get that. I try to hit the hay around 11pm, but some people need more or less time. Do what works for you!
• Put your alarm across the room. This way, when it goes off in the morning, you'll be forced to get up to turn it off. The whole battle is just getting out of your bed! 

#2. MAKE LISTS

  Lists are my lifeblood. I am a bit obsessive compulsive about my list making, so don't follow my full example, but DO MAKE LISTS. Whether you're trying to be more productive about your creative project, taking care of your house, or running an after-school kids program, lists are your best friend! I find it so calming to dump all the things on my mind onto paper so I don't have to worry about hanging onto them. I already have enough stuff to think about and remember, I don't need my grocery list sticking around! I have different lists for different tasks, dates, times, and hobbies, but start simple if you need to. There is so much out there to help you keep track of your things and your time, and so many creative ways to do it. Here are some of my favorite tips:

• PLANNERS. Everybody needs a good planner in their life. One of my favorite things about the new year is picking a new planner! I know lots of people schedule things on their phones these days, but for me there's just something about paper layouts and writing things down by hand. 
• CALENDAR BLOCKING. Abbie Emmons, the real Queen of Productivity, made a blog post on this subject that you should totally check out! Using the color-blocking method on Google calendar is a great way to visualize your time and see where it all goes and how much you have left. 
• BULLET JOURNALS. I wrote this post on bullet journaling at the beginning of the year, and I must say I've found it quite helpful. There are definitely some awesome ideas for spreads out there and they can really help you organize your daily life. However, don't get too caught up in creating the journal that you forget about actually getting things done!
• GOAL GUIDES. I like to write out a list of goals on the eve of the new year which I intend to tackle in the following 12 months. Then, for things like my writing, I will divide those up by month, to make them easier to tackle, giving me a plan of action for the year. It's been really helpful this year and I've mostly stayed on target, which is super satisfying!
• TO-DO LISTS. Of course, the good, old-fashioned to-do list is the most obvious way to keep track of all the awesome things you're trying to get done. I have monthly and weekly ones. My monthly list is basically an overview of my month, broken up into 7 CATEGORIES: Events, Activities, Work, Writing, Equine, Home, and Misc. Some of those may or may not be relevant to you (I used to have a "School" category as well when I was younger), but take what you can and format your own Monthly To-Do List.

#3. PRIORITIZE

  This is perhaps the most important and hardest step. Prioritizing is choosing what is most important or what NEEDS to get done first, and focusing on that. It can be super hard sometimes, because it often means saying "NO" to things and just putting your nose to the grind. If you're taking a look at your day, obviously something like working or school would take priority, that's just life unfortunately. But those things aside, sit down and make a list (yes, more lists) of the things you want and need to accomplish. If you're a creative like me, this can often be a pretty exhaustive list without any effort at all! The key to productivity is making sure NOT to OVER-COMMIT, but to OVER-ACHIEVE. So if you have goals or to-dos, give yourself a truly realistic time-frame, and then try to outdo yourself. This is a much better feeling than packing your checklist full of things and getting half of them done. Trust me. 

  Once you have your list of things to accomplish, divide them up! Things that need to happen now take priority, from there, you can divvy up according to what's really important to you, and what's less so. Sometimes, of course, we have to work on things that we don't really want to, but if you've already made time for things you love or that generally interest you, this will become a lot easier.  

#4. WORK SPRINTS

  A work sprint is the art of setting a timer for 5, 10, 20 minutes or more, and ONLY working on your project, task, or chore until the time is up. It's helpful for keeping you focused, as the ticking clock makes you more aware of the passage of time. It takes a bit of self-discipline for this, but it's a good exercise to help get you over the mental block of sitting down and just doing the thing. If you need more encouragement, you can even try giving yourself a small reward after each sprint! 

  At the beginning, aim for short bursts if you need. It takes a bit of mental training to be able to shut out all distractions, don't be hard on yourself if the first few times are a struggle! Just trust the process and the results will come. 

#5. ACCOUNTABILITY

  Sometimes when you are really struggling with self-discipline, it can be helpful to have others hold you accountable to your different goals or efforts. Parents, spouses, siblings, and peers can all be VERY good at letting you know when you're flaking out on what you said you would do. Very good. Asking a trusted friend or family member to help hold you accountable when you're trying to achieve something can be extremely helpful. Whether you want to get up earlier, write 1000 words a day, eat healthier, blog daily, or finish your homework early, let someone know! Give them permission to remind you of your goal, and permission to call you out when you're slacking. Stress to them the importance of said goal, and ask them to help keep you on track. Sometimes this is the best thing those of us who aren't as self-motivated can do for ourselves. 

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THESE POSTS:

Time Management Tips for the Hopeless

Writing Tools I Can't Live Without

My Bullet Journal Process

LET'S TALK. 

  What are some of your methods of staying productive? Are you a list-maker/goal-setter/planner-lover or more of a spontaneous sort? How do you find better ways to manage your time and projects? Let me know in the comments below!