Less Busy and More Productive
Up until COVID-19 paused the entire world, I considered myself to be a color coordinated calendar junky! The more colorful, it was the better. Each moment was filled with work meetings, various projects, lunch dates, PTA events, volunteer events, brunches, 1:1 with friends and co-workers. I was busy, but not necessarily productive.
I want to share 5 tips that helped me transition from being less busy and more productive:
Become an Early Riser: This one requires planning the night before. Create habits in the evening that allow you to wake up early and refreshed. Once you're up, don't waste your most productive time laying in bed. Mornings, for me are the easiest to control, before the distractions begin.
Pro tip: Set your alarm across the room so that you have to actually get up to turn it off, this helps eliminate the desire to press snooze. If your phone is your alarm (mine is!), placing it across the room also helps you get to sleep easier at night!
Do the hardest task first. If you are struggling to stay productive because you can't pick a direction, try focusing on the harder or least attractive task first, and get it done!
Limit Distractions. Distractions are everywhere. Your distractions may come from your social life or from your favorite game or app on your phone.
Great Apps to help you focus and limit distractions
StayFocusd (Chrome Extension) increases your productivity by limiting the amount of time that you can spend on time-wasting websites.
Self-Control (Mac app) is a simple, free, and open-source Mac app that helps you focus by letting you block websites or anything else on the internet (such as mail servers) as you see fit. Then, you set a timer for yourself and dedicate the next however many minutes to a distraction-free focus session.
Freedom is an all-in-one distraction blocker. It prevents you from opening extraneous apps and accessing websites that you find distracting, no matter if you're using a computer, iPad, or iPhone.
Learn to say "no". Busy people say yes to everything, while productive people are intentional in what they say yes to. Be honest with yourself about deadlines, the time commitment required, and how your skill set fits in to determine what you should devote your time to. You’ll learn to say yes strategically rather than saying yes to everything.
Pro tip: "No", is a complete sentence. There is no need for a long explanation.
Focus on one project at a time. Multitasking is interrupted productivity. Instead of doing multiple tasks at once, you are switch-tasking and this start-and-stop process prevents you from hitting a state of flow and engaging in deep work.
Take a break. Research suggests that people only have the capacity to focus for 90 to 120 minutes before needing a break. Those who do take a break are usually able to return their work refreshed for another 90 to 120 minutes. So add "Me time" to your calendar and DON'T CANCEL. If an emergency comes up, reschedule your "Me time" don't cancel.
At the end of each day, reflect. Did today's activities bring me closer to my goal? Highlight what worked well and what did not.