Here I am sharing 5 tips on being productive or getting productive and before we begin I would like to talk about what is not on this list ~ multitasking. There is a huge celebration and even some constant pressure in our culture to be doing a million things at one time while being watched by just as many. These tips that follow are simple ideas for you to support you and shift energy that might have gotten stuck, distracted, or fractured making things feel overwhelming. Or maybe you are just listening to outside pressure to dial things in. Let's cover some basics to do just that!
However, if you feel compelled to be nursing a baby, pushing a walker, walking a dog, updating your calendar, and planning dinner while live-streaming on FB... and you feel like a champion please rock on with your best self! If you are doing even a few of those things and you are aware that you don't actually remember doing any of them... you have become aware that "YOU", your Self, is not sure which one of those things "you" are showing up for? These tips are for you.
Lastly, please know I understand the demands of parenting... multiple kids... alone... but I also understand how so much shifted when I stepped away from what I thought was the vital avalanche of things that needed to be accomplished daily and was able to connect to what my kids needed (my attention) and what I needed (connection). I learned this lesson when my kids were around 2 and 3 years old. The calmer and more present I was, the calmer and more self-aware my kids were. The following tips are not about parenting specifically but offered as general info and I hope you can apply them to the places in your life that need some productive energy aligned with love, connection, and motivation.
Tip #1 Clear the clutter…. And I mean clear the clutter
Your environment is the medium that you are growing the seeds of production. If that is muddled with piles of papers, kids' broken Lego projects, and thick layers of dust it is hard to sort out a few major (and very important) things. Let’s start with the dust! Layers of the stuff are both unhealthy for the lungs as well as the flow of energy of production. Dust sends the message of stagnation and offers the question… Does anyone even work here..? (crickets chirping)
Making sure that your work area has a functional work surface should be priority #1. To get yourself there make sure to clear the clutter all the way out of the house or into an area that works for those items. Sort toys in one bin, clear one area of the kitchen table, and work on one drawer at a time. Make sure to not shift clutter from one pile to the next or one drawer to another! Get those Legos out to the play area and put away, papers all the way into the file cabinet or the shredder, reminder notes up on a board on the wall, and pens into a holder or bin in a drawer. Now with a nice beautiful spiffed-up open area, it is much easier to keep the literal and figurative dust at bay so when looking at your area now there is no question! Absolutely, someone WORKS here... and they are very important ; )
Tip #2 Limit your time to work (yes you read that right!)
The less time you have to focus on and work with, the more opportunity you will have to focus on your tasks. This is not the green light to procrastinate nor is it an invitation to tell your boss that your work day just shrunk to 2 hours, but it is an invite to re-assess your time spent working. This means take time for you, at least 10 minutes of every hour. Also, this is an invitation to get a reality check on the time you might have in the thrawls of parenting or outside of an office setting. Stretching, getting a fresh drink of water, walking around the house, office, outside, or even looking out a window for a few minutes will do wonders to get circulation going in the body. This is not just blood flow circulation it is also your spinal fluid, your lymph fluid (an important part of your immune system) as well as your digestive fluids. We need all of those working hard throughout the day so that ten minutes will be a great boost for the brain, body, and more.
Tip #3 Easy on the To-do list
Just 3 things today, please! Focusing on just 3 things on a to-do list removes the daunting overwhelm of the full 12 pages of what is actually in the to-do list novel. Just choosing 3 will help you prioritize what actually (really) needs to get done and it might even inspire you to pull in some help from others around you! Also, make sure you account for how much time is available. If you have 15 minutes, you might only want to focus on one task or 3 small ones. Don't overcommit as this can create stress and invite in that nasty habit of multitasking. Connecting to realistic time available, expectations, and outside resources that are available will help you feel organized and supported, which are great feelings and crucial factors in productivity.
Tip #4 Keep track of accomplishments too
Some habit specialists suggest writing up a summary of successes to yourself at the end of each week to summarize efforts and quantify work. Think of it like a weekly report to the boss explaining why you should get paid! or a note to Self of what you appreciate! Another way to assess the success would be to journal each night as you are settling down into your evening routine and outline at least 3 accomplishments that you are thankful for getting done. These can feel big or small to you, but it does a lot to your psyche to connect to them. “I made it to Amelia’s dance practice a little early and we were all welcomed into the practice area for a sneak peek at the kid’s recital routine.” Or “dinner was just leftovers tonight, but it felt really great to clear out the fridge, have all those little bits of food get enjoyed and we were able to eat so much earlier than I thought we would.” Those examples came right from one of my entries on my Daily Life Accomplished Journal pages! Click here to check out this and other downloadable. AND since you read this far, here is a discount code SARAHSBLOG, and get your download free through the month of May : )
Tip #5 Accountability
Bring in some reinforcements! A great way to push for productivity is to have someone assigned to help as a support and be on the same motivational page as you are. While you are on a path with the end goal to be more productive, don’t forget that that does not sign everyone up around you automatically for the same goal. Find someone who already has that same goal or begin a conversation with someone who seems to have a good thing going and ask for advice and support. If you do feel like you want to inspire others around you to be more productive remember to talk about how great it feels for you and what it has changed about your day. This invites the experience into their lives by simply sharing from your perspective.
Hopefully, these ideas will bring more flow to your productivity cycle. Let me know how this has changed your energy, effort, awareness, and invested time in and around your productivity by commenting on this article down below. Want more great downloads or an energy shift custom-made for you? Check out my products and services where you can find simple guided journals, self-study programs as well as programs to work one on one.
Sending you all endless gratitude and love!
~ Sarah
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