Be productive, Not Busy

If you find yourself wondering where your time went or how you're ever going to get everything done (the list never ends) then this may be of use to you.  I was chronically busy and didn't always feel productive.  Here are the two major changes I've learned to make that have tipped the scales in favor of productivity.

My "Non-negotiables" for Productivity 

Plan Your Day The Night Before 

Confession: I've been aware of this for quite a while but didn't feel this would make that big of a difference.  I was looking for some secret magical change that was going to revolutionize how I managed my time.  Fun Fact: major changes tend to be unsustainable.  They're too much of a deviation from our normal behavior.  What creates lasting change is small changes that compound over time to create large differences.


Value Adds From Pre-Planning:

• Effectively Prioritizing Tasks:  Now I was making sure that most important things got done first instead of filling my jar up with sand first.
• Filling Dead Space Time: No more looking back and realizing I could have used that 30 minutes better, I could preview what my day SHOULD look like and proactively plan to maximize my time.
• Aware Of the Have-Tos: Even when the day totally shifts, I was already aware of my top priority items and any time I had a few minutes, I could redirect myself to working on the important tasks of the day.

Tools:

Get Daytime Planner

I'm a tech person, but for me, there's nothing comparable to having a written map of my day.  I plan my day in 30 minute chunks.  You may need to do 15.  Find a planner that fits what you need.  My monthly calendar runs on my phone but my day to day is in front of me.  Ultimately, I ended up creating my own planner.  (September 2017 I will be launching a customized planner so be sure to stay tuned)

Time Log

If you're losing time one technique is to have a time journal.  Write down what you're doing every 15 minutes.  There's a tracker for phones called, "Moment".  I was horrified at how much time over the course of a day I spent on my phone.  It rarely was in chunks bigger that 10-15 minutes.  But you do that 10-12+ times a day...it's going to add up.

Get up at least 30 minutes earlier

This really only works well for me when I plan my day the night before.  Otherwise it's way to easy to mentally negotiate with myself that I would wake up early to just sit around and do nothing (honestly without a plan set in place prior that's probably exactly what would happen #NonproductiveSocialMediaBinge).  When I plan the night before I'm able to get up and get started.  I may not want to get up, but at least there is reason to.  I was able to get some reading done, do yoga, or make breakfast.  Mornings are my quiet time for just me.  Pick one thing to do that makes you feel good - you'll set the tone for your day and start by feeling accomplished.