How to Be More Productive
There's so much to do and not enough time to do it right?
But haven't you heard that saying that Beyoncé has 24 hours in a day too. It's true. We all have the same amount of time, but what separates us is how we spend it. I am going to share what keeps me on track and staying productive.
Block out your time
Open up that Google Calendar of yours and literally plan by the hour. Our brain and body love consistency. Try your best to wake up at a certain time every day. Try your best to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time every day. Try to go to the gym at the same time every day. If you know you have a weekly meeting then block that out too. If you know that you go to church with your family every Sunday at 12pm then block that out too. Be realistic with yourself.
You must be strict with your time. Set boundaries. For example: Once you see that clock strike 12pm then you know you must eat lunch and get a break. I understand life happens and you may not be able to follow your calendar exactly that day but really do try. It will soon become a habit. I actually interviewed my friend Rachel Adams Lee where she discusses how after 5pm she no longer answers work emails or texts that relate to work. She sets that boundary. She says that if she is always on her phone answering emails then people won't respect her time. I love that! You can watch the interview here on my YouTube Channel.
Set a timer
I am guilty of checking my phone like 10x within an hour trying to get work done. You're sitting there working and being cute and productive and then you get a text and then a notification and then a snap from your friend and you have to check. So you check and you lose around 5-10 minutes and then you have to get back in your zone. It's just a crazy distraction party.
What I started doing was putting my phone to "sleep mode" and setting a timer for 10-15 minutes of no distractions and no phone. I know it's kind of sad but whatever it works right. I tell myself I cannot check my phone for anything until those 10 minutes are over. It is easy because 10 minutes go by fast. After the timer goes off then I check my phone, but I am all in my zone getting work done so I just set the timer again and again and again. Eventually, you just got a whole lot done!
Schedule your appointments
Oh my gosh the other day I wanted to go get a haircut, and I got there and there were two ladies ahead of me because they had set an appointment. I wasted almost an hour waiting for them to finish and then it was my turn. An hour is a lot nowadays! Not only hair appointments but for everything. If you need to go to the DMV then make your appointment online and only spend 10 minutes waiting rather than hours. It is so worth it to make that extra time to make an appointment because your time is valuable!
Block out when you check and respond to your email
You go and check your email and it can be overwhelming when you are subscribed to so many things. This is huge. I have a lot of subscriptions to different promotions and blogs. I did unsubscribe to a lot of them because they are so time consuming. I stayed with my favorite ones and I check my email in the morning. I do look at my email throughout the day, but I won't really respond until the morning. I have about thirty minutes to one hour blocked on my calendar to respond to emails. I don't know where I heard this tip from but they said to not take too much time responding to emails. If you have to respond to an email and you know it will take more than a paragraph then it is better if you call the person.
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Only respond to emails when it is quick and efficient.
Tackle the toughest task in the morning
So when you have a million things going on and your to-do list is huge I'd say circle the top three you want to get done and then do the most important and toughest one first. Then you can cross it off your list and the rest is easier. Do not overwhelm yourself too much because everything takes time. I love the quote "Little by little a little becomes a lot." Let's say you have a huge project you need to get done but you work on that project everyday for only thirty minutes. Obviously that will add up and you will see that you completed the big project. It takes time, consistency, and patience.
Plan out your your day...the day before
I also have time blocked out on my schedule to literally plan out the next day. I've realized that when I do not have my day planned out by the hour then I am so unproductive. I don't have a plan, and I don't where to start. If you take around 15 minutes to plan out your day and look at the empty spaces you have on your calendar then fill them up with your projects, work, family time, and personal time. You will get up in the morning ready to go and ready to stay on schedule.
As you can see I love to plan. If you need help to plan out your life let me know! I love doing this. We can set a time to talk and I can help you out. Send me an email at reyna@reynamarrufo.com
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Next blog post: What is self-care and how to practice self-care