8 simple things I do for a productive workday
Just a short and sweet post this week!
One of the many things I love about being an entrepreneur is that I’m my own boss, but a big drawback is that I’m my own boss. I don't have anyone holding me accountable and making sure I get my work done!
Not every day is a super productive day, and I'm ok with that; I'm productive in a way that works for me and is aligned with my values.
Here are 8 simple things I do to make my day as productive as I can:
1. Plan my day the night before
Listing out everything I feel I need to do the following day helps me brain-vomit. And it helps me avoid overthinking before I go to bed…which prevents me from getting quality sleep.
Before I started planning my day the night before, I would list what I needed to do the next day in my head as I tried to fall asleep. Of course, once that happened, it would snowball into listing out action steps, and it would take me about an hour of tossing and turning before I could fall asleep.
2. Planning my day around my natural circadian rhythm
If you’ve followed me over from Instagram, you may remember how much I touted the use of circadian rhythms and how they’ve been a game changer for me!
If you’re new and don’t know, I LOVE using circadian rhythms!
I make sure to put the business-important tasks during my morning peak when my energy and focus are at their highest. Then I schedule my less important/mundane tasks after my morning peak.
3. Use of the Pomodoro technique
I’m a big fan of the Pomodoro technique because I get distracted easily.
Working in 25-minute increments feels short enough for me to focus but long enough to accomplish a task knowing that I’ll get a quick 5-minute break.
I’ll normally do 4 rounds of something before I switch up what I’m doing.
4. Daily non-negotiables
I have a morning routine that consists of 4 tasks I do before anything else. My morning routine is:
Drink a cup of water (I know everyone says to drink room temperature water, but I prefer ice water from my Hydroflask because it’s so much more refreshing)
Pour a nice cup of hot coffee
Journal between 5-30 minutes (depending on how zombie-ish I feel)
Read for about 20 minutes (what I read in the morning varies from day to day, but I try to read a money mindset book when I can)
I can tell the difference between the mornings I use it and the mornings I don’t; I feel more focused and productive when I take the time for myself before the day starts.
5. Listen to music with no words
I enjoy listening to music, but when I really need to focus on working, I can’t listen to music with words because I’ll get distracted, and it’ll turn into a dance party or an impromptu karaoke sesh.
6. Stretch
Lower back stretches are where it’s at!
It’s true what they say…if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. I wish I had taken better care of my flexibility and taken stretching more seriously when I was in the springtime of my youth.
7. Make use of baby steps when I feel myself starting to get overwhelmed
I get overwhelmed easily…to the point where I will avoid doing something I know needs to be done.
So, I will purposely work on something in VERY small increments; I’m talking 2-minute increments.
Yes, I know that isn’t enough time to finish an entire project, but it’s enough time for me to get a sense of “accomplishing something.” Working from that sense of accomplishment helps me get that productivity ball rolling!
8. Get 8 hours and 15 minutes of sleep
This number seems random, but it’s not; it’s actually my ideal number of hours of sleep I need to get daily to perform at my best.
I discovered this number after about 2 years or so of tracking my sleep, trying to find when I functioned best.
ALLISON SAYS:
Everyone is different. What works for me may not work for you.
I’m not telling you to adopt every one of my productivity tips.
Not at all!
I do hope, however, that this post inspires you to try out different productivity tips to see what works best for you!
I’m always around if you have any questions!
P.s. I’ll give you a bonus tip: set time aside to dick around. No, that’s not code for a sex thing. I mean it as in: give yourself time to just be. Call your mom. Play with your dog. Cuddle with your cat!
It may seem counterproductive, but it has been shown that distracting yourself can improve your mood and eases your mind, which can help with creative problem-solving.
P.P.S. I’ll give you an extra, extra tip! I think this is probably (for me) the best one yet: get your coffee prepped the night before and if your coffee pot has a timer, set it when your alarm goes off and wake up to the lovely aroma of that beautiful hot pot of coffee…
O.k., for real now...that's it!
Comment below and share your thoughts!!