3 Productivity Habits to Implement Today!
I am sure you know the feeling of not having enough hours in a day to complete everything on your to-do list. If your list looks anything like mine did, you are probably right.
Hi, I am Karel. A full-time employee, wife, mom, and entrepreneur. Trust me, I know the struggle of having a million and one things to do and little to no time to do them.
Here are 3 tips that have been particularly helpful in increasing my productivity to take my days from Complete Chaos to Achievable Chaos (because let’s face it, life will always be a little chaotic).
1. Prioritize
Cliché, I know… But hear me out. Most of us treat our to-do list like a brain dump for all the tasks that we are currently aware of. Having said that, when you have a million things to do, something’s got to give. So, take an objective look at your to-do and notice the things that need to happen for life, as you know it, to continue. make those your Non-Negotiable items for the day. Be realistic about how long it might take you to complete each task versus how much time you have, to complete them.
2. Schedule your To-Do List
Take those items you determined are a MUST be done today or life will never be the same and assign them a time frame within your day. Be realistic about this, don’t overbook yourself! We’re trying to stay productive without losing our minds.
Once you’ve determined when you can fit these tasks in, SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS. Meaning, set alarms or reminders on your phone (or tablet, computer, whatever works for you) to make sure you don’t lose track of time. set timers to let you know once the time allotted for that task has ended. This one is a game-changer for me as it helps me focus on one task at a time instead of trying to tackle 3 and not finish any of them (a little ADD? maybe). But really, give this a try and see if it works for you.
3. Ask for HELP!
Yup! I am not a fan of this one either, but it works. If your kids are old enough, ask them to assist with simple things that will help your actual task. For example, if you’re doing laundry, ask them to take the clothes out of the dryer and make a pile of shirts only, then another of pants only, and so on. This will help with the actual task of putting it away and will make some progress while you’re loading the washer, gathering the next load, or moving from the washer to the dryer. You get the idea.
Next in line. Ask your partner, if you have one, to look at your to-do list and choose something they can help you with. And I say look at YOUR to-do list because let’s face it, most partners will hear you ask for help and ask, “What do you need me to do?”. Answering this will cause more mental load on you, as you start to run in your head everything else that needs to be done. So, let’s minimize your mental load, and possible frustration, by referring them to the list that is already worked up.
Along with this, I have to say Be Patient. Your task might not be completed 100% the way to would’ve done it, but the important part is that it is one less thing for you to take care of.
One last thing!
Please remember to thank your family and YOURSELF for each task that gets accomplished. This way everyone feels appreciated and is more inclined to help without being directed next time.
If you’d like to read some more on how to become more productive the easy way, check out this post!