Some Really Useful tips to Being More Productive

Today’s guest post on being more productive is contributed by my friend, author and blogger Jessica from Moderndaygirlblog 

I love checking out her blog as she always rocks awesome content and is an advocate for females with mental health and anxiety issues. I know you are going to find things here that will change your outlook on being more productive.

As humans, I don’t think we are ever happy with what we have. We are always striving for a better life, more money and being healthier. There’s nothing wrong with that either, I think ambition is a great trait in a person.

Being productive is part of this. I know I love being productive. I like to keep stress at a minimum and enjoy the challenge of a new project. There is no way I’d be able to keep stress free without a plan.

So how can you or I be more productive? I have some useful tips for you right now to keep your productivity levels on high.

1. Make Use of a Planner

I wouldn’t get through life without a planner. I use my paper planner, but I also make use of an electronic version too. There’s nothing better than seeing everything as it should be! Sad, I know but I do get a feeling of accomplishment when I see I am organized.

So the first step for you would be to get one if you don’t already. If you already have one but you’re not finding it helps, switch to an electronic/paper planner depending on your situation.

Spend time organizing what activities are a must. For example, doctors’ appointments and time spent picking up the children from school.

If you’re a blogger, map out the time you want to spend on it also. Depending on your situation, you will know what is highly important or not. You will also know what activities are more important than others.

The next step would be to think about the time you want to be social.

There is nothing worse than being fully prepared and ready to be productive when you face burn out. Not having some kind of social time will lead you on the path to destruction. That is something you definitely don’t want!

So if you know you have some social engagements coming up, put them in your planner. Give yourself enough time to prepare for it, so you aren’t rushing around.

The key here is to use your planner as you see fit. Spend time thinking about what else you want to include so you know where you are. Not knowing where you are isn’t a great feeling and your planner will help with that.

2. Cut Out the Waste & Learn to Say No

Some stumbling blocks which prevent you from being productive is that you spend time doing things you don’t want to do.  Jobs like shopping to me are wasted time. I would much rather order on the internet, get it delivered and forget about it.

I want you to think about all of the jobs that are wasted time now. Maybe you could do internet banking rather than going to the bank in person. This saves you time to get there and back again. Or what about wasting time browsing the internet? Cut it out.

Another aspect that it is tied in with this is learning to say no more often. I know I used to say yes to everything. Sometimes I just didn’t want to go out, but I’d go anyway. I realized that my friends will still be there even if I say no to them occasionally.

So the next time you get asked if you want to go shopping but REALLY don’t fancy it, say no. You might feel harsh doing this, but sometimes you have to think about yourself. You could be doing something far more productive instead.

3. Make sure you make time for ‘me’ time

It is SO easy forgetting about you when trying to be more productive. Even though I’m telling you to cut the crap, I don’t want you to sacrifice ‘me’ time. There’s a difference between cutting out the wasted jobs and spending time doing what you want to do.

I think this is even more important for those who have children/lots of commitment. Making time for yourself might seem impossible to start off with. I don’t blame you really; you’ll probably be very busy! But I have a few tips for you to take positive steps.

Don’t feel bad about having time for yourself. You didn’t stop being you when you had children. Although I understand how important they are to you, give yourself half an hour to watch TV. Or what about going for a walk on your own? You’ll feel better for it and you lower your risk of burn out.

Block out a specific time for yourself. If you are always on the move, slowing down actually making time for you and your well-being is the key. You might not think you need it, but having that time to yourself might surprise you.

So if you know the only quiet time you get on your own is in the morning, block it out and focus. It’ll become easier the more you do it too. Practice makes perfect!

4. Cut out the procrastination

My final point for you is to avoid procrastination at all costs. Browsing Facebook is fun to start off with, but it leads to many wasted hours. Once you start, it’s very hard to stop!

So the next time you feel like you just want to sit there doing nothing, get up. Do something more productive like reading a book on self-improvement. Or go for a walk and get outside. How about searching for some free online courses you can do?

The key thing here is to occupy your brain with someone or something better than Facebook. I’m not slating Facebook, but I know how easy it is to get sucked in. The more time you spend wasting away the hours, the less you are focussing on you and your development.

As you can see, being more productive can actually mean being more aware of your own actions and life. It is so easy to get carried away with life and forget about you, the person who matters! Spend more time on yourself and you will naturally become more productive.

How do you stay focused? Would you say you are productive? Let us know in the comments below!

Now go give Jess some love now y’all!

xoxo