With a never-ending to-do list and demanding schedules, staying productive for a long period of time can seem like an impossible task.
I’ve definitely been there! I’ve been at points where I’ve felt like my house is completely out of order and just a mess, my mornings are rushed, and even my marriage feels like it’s suffering! If that’s where you are right now, first of all, just take a breath. I’ll wait…
We can’t be productive and do our healthy habits ALL of the time. It’s completely normal to have an off day, week, month, or year! (Hello, 2020!) Life happens so just accept it, release it, and move on. In this blog post, I’ll be going over the 3 life-changing habits that will kick your tail into productive mode.
#1 The Five-Minute Rule
The five-minute rule is very simple! If a task comes to mind and it will take you under 5 minutes to do it, just do it now!
When I first wanted to get a dog tag for our golden retriever, Winnie, I procrastinated and waited weeks. I don’t know why I waited so long but I did and it weighed on me.
“What if he gets lost? What if someone finds him and has no idea where to bring him?” I finally broke down and bought the tag off of Amazon. A task that would’ve taken me literally 2-minutes weighed on me for 2 weeks!
My first thought was “Oh great, another thing to add to my to-do list.” Then, I thought “You know what, nope. It’s not gonna take me long, I’m doing it right now.” And I did. Then, he lost that tag but that story is for another day.
That being said, if a task is going to take you under five minutes to do, just do it right then and there when it’s fresh on your mind!
So, if you have a long list of 5-minute tasks on your to-do list or on the silent to-do list in your brain that you “will just remember”.
I have a list in the notes app of my phone called Minute Tasks where I have a few tasks written down that are just that, tasks that take minutes. I have it organized by time - 5 minutes and 15 minutes.
Here’s an example of what’s in my 5-minute list:
Clean out purse
Brain dump
Clean out work bag
Write to-do list
Tidy my desk
Put on a load of laundry
5 minute tidy in one room
Empty wastebasket/trash
Clear kitchen counter
Respond to an email
Go through the mail
#2 Give Yourself Extra Time In The Morning
If you usually wake up just in time to brush your teeth, get ready, and grab a piece of toast before heading into work, this tip is for you!
Taking an extra half-hour, hour, or two hours to yourself in the morning gives you so many opportunities to be more productive! This is not a morning routine post but it is essential that I share a couple of tips for actually getting out of bed. And those are:
Get to sleep earlier the night before.
Put your phone across the room or in another room.
If it's cold in your house in the mornings, big fluffy robe will seriously help
Find out your WHY for waking up! This could be as simple as sitting down in silence with a cup of coffee or working towards your dream career.
When you know your WHY for waking up in the morning, you will roll out of bed in the morning a whole lot easier! Here’s how to create a morning routine that you LOVE:
Determine how much time you want/can have to yourself in the morning
Determine what time you need to be at work/leave the house and how long it takes you to get ready.
Create your morning routine working backward, from the time you need to leave the house.
Waking up earlier in the morning will give you time for whatever suits your fancy, you can do it in the morning before your day even begins! You can make time to:
Read
Write
Start a garden
Make a To-Do List
Review Your Planner
Work towards a new career
Start working out
Eat a hot breakfast
Get chores done
Meditate
Here’s an example of a productive morning routine of a Christian entrepreneur working towards her goals while also keeping her house tidy:
7:00 - 7:30 AM
Coffee
Bible & Prayer
Review planner & to-do list
7:30 - 8:30 AM
• Work on business goals
8:30 - 9:00 AM
Put on a load of laundry
10-minute tidy
Dishes
Breakfast
#3 Utilize Timers
If you want to be productive, timers are best friend I haven’t counted but I probably use the timer on my daily basis lot of times
If you want to know how to use timers to be productive, my biggest tip is to find a timer that is convenient for you!
Like I said earlier, my favorite timer is the one on my wrist but yours may be one on your phone, computer, or the fun Forest app that grows trees and if you leave the app, the tree dies. ):
Timers give you an amount of focused time when you have a specific task to do!
Your house need a quick tidy? Set a 10-minute timer!
Want to make a habit of reading? Set a 20-minute timer!
Want to be more productive at work? Set a 51-minute timer for work and then a 17-minute timer for a break!
Want to scroll on social media but not get lost for hours? Set a 15-minute timer!
Have company coming over and need to clean the house quickly? Set a 30-minute timer!
Well, that’s it! My top 3 tips on how to be more productive! Try one of them or try all of them. Remember that productivity is an ever-evolving and completely personal process that we will probably never perfect! The goal is to just keep striving for better!
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