“Nourishing yourself in a way that helps you blossom in the direction you want to go is attainable, and you are worth the effort.” ~Deborah Day
Reaching your goals should not be an overnight miracle. If there is no challenge involved, then your standards were set too low. Productivity includes balance to know what works for you. There are great methods like the Eisenhower Matrix and the Pomodoro Technique, but you can create the system that work for you to get the right things done.
Here are the top 5 steps to a productive life:
ESTABLISH A ROUTINE:
Write it down or type it up them send it to your new accountability partner. Life happened but there should still be a consistent 4 or 5 days that are always the same. The routine should include a Morning & Evening schedule, time for meal prep while doing laundry. Personal and social time. Do not forget sleep including a bedtime for weeknights.
JUST DO IT:
Planning to do that simple task takes longer than just completing it in the 3 minutes you have in front of you.
TURN IT OFF:
It’s human nature to pick up the phone when it beeps or buzzes. Check those apps less times each day instead of every other minute. Email can wait to only be checked once every 3 hours. Turn off the notifications. Think of how much time you could be enjoying life instead of refreshing your instagram feed. I turn on focus mode each weekday morning to guarantee my daily responsibilities are handled first.
ORGANIZE & SYSTEMIZE:
Only keep the essentials on your desk and get rid of everything else that’s just going to distract you. Organise your papers & receipts into folders and label them. Too many people waste time looking for things. Keep a log of what you’re working on. Make a note of the steps you have to take to complete those tasks. Create a process for completing each task, so you can breeze though it more efficiently in the future.
VISION BOARD
A vision board is the simplest way to condense many thoughts and goals into a small space. There can be a board for personal goals and another for professional. Maybe even a third for community activism is right for you. I know other that want each of their identities to overlap in just one sheet of paper. The choice is yours as long as it leads to a productive self. Even with a global pandemic, I have accomplished many things on my vision board for this year.
I began including these 5 steps in my own life more than 3 years ago and know it’s the reason I can beat the odds. They have changed many aspects of my personal life and overflow into how I teach my clients to create their best loves too.
Productivity is not an overnight feat. The freedom achieved from productivity allows more time for self care. This allows to design your journey with more confidence. Each of these lessons on productivity can translate to a new and improved outlook on life.