Hey girl - are you just like every other working babe in this world and sometimes don’t use all of your time and energy in a productive manner? Uh, yeah! There is nothing wrong with having an hour or so slip by because you *accidentally* fell down some Pinterest hole of “clean-eating-while-in-Paris” boards. I mean, totally not speaking from personal experience or anything!

And quite honestly, work gets a little slower during some points of the month than other days. These are just facts - we experience it, too!

But if you feel yourself getting stuck in this whirlwind often, then maybe it’s time for a refresher on how to utilize your time to get as productive as your lil booty can be!

Prioritize

Disagree with me if you will (you won’t) but checking off a task from your to-do list is probably one of the most rewarding, OCD feelings you have ever felt. Well, that and those satisfying power-washing videos. Anyways - make a priorities list. It doesn’t have to be monthly, or even weekly if that seems too overwhelming.

Start by listing out your daily tasks, making the most important or time-sensitive one at the top. Then continue down with a realistic set of goals for the remainder of the day. What also helps us is writing down a time block for each one.

For example: Write blog on mastering productivity (from 2:00-4:00 p.m.) That way you can be accountable for time tracking, too! If you’re just starting and trying to get a feel for things, take your time and write out a daily to-do list first.

Balance Your Time

You’ll also want to consider that maybe it is you that is the problem with balancing your time and productivity. Don’t get me wrong, we all have our things that literally prevent us from focusing and doing our work. But here are some tips that may help at least lower the amount of time wasted:

• Try turning your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode. I love doing this because although I may get the pop-up iMessages on my laptop, I don’t get a lot of other notifications that are specific to my phone (hello, Instagram and Facebook!) Diminishing those distracts have personally helped me a lot.

• Use apps that prevent you from going on different apps. Apps like Flora, Moment, and Flipd can help lock you out from your favorite distractions (don’t take away my Candy Crush!!) for a set amount of time.

• Give yourself breaks. We say this a ton of our posts here, but listen, it’s soooo good for your overall health. If you keep going and going, you’re going to fry your brain. So take a couple of 15-20 minute intervals and a nice lunch break throughout the day.

• Use a Time Block Cube! These cute little timers are so handy. I have one and you just turn it on it’s side for whichever time increment you want (15 mins, 30 mins, 60 mins, etc.) and the alarm will go off when the time is up. It’s great if you want to spend 30 minutes clearing your inbox or one hour writing a newsletter! And they’re just $6.99 on Amazon!
  

Get organized

Slow work day? Great! Time to get organized! Use this time to rearrange things on your desk that have been thrown around from that crazy week you just had. Make sure important document are filed appropriately and are accounted for.

Inbox looking like you’ve never sent an email before? Get that straightened out, girl! If you’re like us and constantly are writing or designing something, make a couple of drafts or play around in Canva to give yourself a head-start on a day where you can’t think up of any good ideas.

remember: done is better than perfect

You also might have to reteach your brain to evaluate success. We all have our different definitions on success, but realize that finishing something is a great goal to have, but you just need to start by, well, starting!

Continually strive for progress rather than perfection. You’ll not only beat your head against the wall when you aren’t reaching perfection, but you have a high possibility of burning yourself out.

no is a full sentence

Telling yourself or others “no” or “not right now” is also a great way to learn how to balance your time. Learning the importance of the tasks at hand that need your attention right now positively impacts the rest of that scary to-do list you complied earlier. It creates time for you to accomplish your needs and will help you see a difference in using your time versus wasting it.

celebrate your success

And lastly, celebrate good times, girl! Just because you work hard doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a well-deserved glass of bubbly! From a psychological stance, when accomplishments are rewarded, we are significantly more likely to continue the stride of achievements. As long as you have self-restraint from giving yourself rewards for just showing up to work!

It’s undeniable that you are going to be faced with days that you want nothing more than to be in bed cuddled with your dog watching the Great British Bake Show. Therefore, you’re not going to be motivated to sit at work. Each person needs their own rhythm and schedule to figure out what works best for them and what will make their own unique time productive. These tips have not only helped us, but this also comes as advice from our own community! If you take this advice a little at a time, you’ll never lose another ounce of productivity again!

What are your favorite productivity hacks? Let us know below!

Xx,
Katie