How to be More Productive - TODAY!
I don’t know about you, but to be perfectly honest, I’m easily distracted, I procrastinate tasks that I think will be hard or boring, and I definitely do NOT want to live and die by a schedule! So I’ve found some very practical ways to help me be more productive in my day, and I’m certain that they will help you, too!
As a homeschool, work from home, hobby farm running Mom of eight, it would be very easy to fill my days with checklists and tasks, but I’ve learned a few things about real productivity over the years, and these are my top five tips to help you close your eyes at night with a feeling of accomplishment!
1 - Define productivity for yourself.
What would “being productive” actually look like for you in a day? Productive doesn’t necessarily mean “getting a lot done” - so what gives you the feeling of being productive? If you check all the boxes on your to-do list, but neglect your kids all day, you won’t lay your head down at night and feel good about what you accomplished. Being productive for me looks like using my time well - not wasting time, or procrastinating, or spending more time than is necessary on any given project, nor sacrificing time with my children. A walk with my toddler, reading a book to my kids, talking to my teens - that’s Mom Work - and it’s a valuable use of my time, too. So forget what you think you’re “supposed” to do to be productive, and write the definition for yourself.
2 - Make small changes.
I am someone who, historically, has tried to change everything all at once, trying to become a new person overnight - NEWSFLASH - that pretty much never works. Years ago I read the book Atomic Habits, all about making small changes that add up to big changes over time, and it was honestly life changing. The idea that we should just pick one thing we want to work on, one habit at a time, and work on that for a chunk of time before adding something else - not revolutionary, but exactly what I needed to hear. For me, one of the first things I worked on changing was waking early, before my kids when at all possible. I started with 6:30, then moved back to 6, and before long, my body was naturally waking me as early as 5am! Now I love the quiet and solitude, drinking my coffee in peace, or getting some of my less desireable tasks done without distraction - waking early allows me to do these things! Maybe becoming an early riser isn’t for you, but pick one small habit you want to change, and work on just that one for a while before adding another.
3 - Get hard things done first.
Just jump in and do the hard thing before your brain and body realize what you’re doing! For instance, there are people who roll out of bed in their gym clothes and get their workout in before their brain really even has the chance to fully engage and know what they’re doing! I like to wake up and head out to my office to get work done before the rest of the day begins, and take care of tasks like emails that I know need to be done, but I tend to put off. I can’t let myself linger too long thinking about what needs to be done, either, as it can lead to productivity paralysis. Just do the thing before you spend too much time psyching yourself out! And when you start with the hard stuff, it builds confidence and trust in yourself, and makes you feel a little cocky about your ability to get things accomplished! So go make that phone call you’ve been dreading!
4 - Break projects down.
Looking at your to do list can be overwhelming enough, but if you have got a big project or two looming, that can really trigger the Productivity Paralysis I mentioned before. Let’s say you want to clean out your closet - if you don’t have large chunks of time where you can knock it all out - choose one small piece. Start with your shoes. On another day, go through a shelf or a drawer. Tackle your sweaters next. Sometimes looking at the overall task is overwhelming, but when you break it down into bite size pieces, you’ll find that the job gets done, and you don’t get overwhelmed.
5- Have good routines.
Having solid rhythms and routines, as well as Standard Operating Procedures, for you home will help you feel productive and actually accomplish the things you need and want to do. Sometimes we need to not think, we need to just do! And when your family knows what to expect, it keeps you from having to stop every five minutes to remind people what they need to be doing. Make use of chore charts and routines - spend time up front teaching and explaining the “operating procedures” for how to do things in your home. Whether it’s laundry or dishes or cleaning the chicken coop, it helps to have a procedure in place so that you don’t have to spend all day micromanaging your kids! If you need help with chore charts and routines, make sure to check mine out in my store!
Bonus Tip!
Let your brain go somewhere else while your body does the task! Listen to fun music, choose an audiobook that you’ve been wanting to listen to, catch up on your favorite podcast - it can make menial tasks far more enjoyable!