How to be more productive

Hi ladies!  Today you might ask yourself how to be more productive.  With all these public holidays that have taken place I think we’ve all become a little bit complacent and started slacking in the productivity department.  Am I right?  Don’t worry though, it’s perfectly normal.  Now that we’re all relaxed and well rested it’s time to get on top of our to-do lists and ahead of our game.  I have a few a tips on how to be more productive which will work wonders for you no matter whether you’re at school, university or you’re already an established career woman.

Wake up early

You might hate this at first, especially if it doesn’t come naturally to you.  Don’t give up though.  After relying on your alarm clock for a few weeks it becomes routine and your will have programmed it into your body’s sleeping pattern.  Waking up early is probably number one on my “How to be more productive” list.  It’s unbelievable how much you can get done in a day if you simply wake up a little earlier.  Perhaps that means you’ll start studying early or get to work an hour earlier than usual to tackle the unanswered emails waiting in your inbox.  You could get to an early spinning class and get your fitness routine going and have energy pumping through your veins all day.  You might even want to spend an hour to yourself meditating, reading a chapter of your book, sorting out your calendar or doing a first load of washing.  An extra hour in the day can be quite life changing.

Write lists

Lists can solve so, so many problems.  From shopping lists to to-do lists these can not only eliminate stress, allow you to come up with a strategy to get to the end of the list and it also ensures that you don’t need to rely on your memory or get frustrated with yourself because you’ve forgotten to do or buy something.  Check lists are also a great idea.  You can find so many of these online on Pinterest and I’ve started using a couple for blog post writing and for photography.  I keep a list of all the matters I’m working on at work for the week as well as individual job tasks for each day and this really keeps me on top of my work load not to mention it’s so rewarding to cross them out as you complete each one.

Batch tasks

Leading on from list writing, batching tasks can really increase productivity.  Once I’ve written a list of things to do I arrange the order in which I’m going to do them.  I’ll group all administrative or shorter tasks together for the first half of the day because I find that that’s when most phone calls, emails and other interruptions take place because it’s easier to switch between each without affecting my concentration or effectiveness.  Once admin is all taken care of I find it far easier to focus all my attention on to larger tasks with minimal distraction and I can focus my undivided attention on those.  This is not to say that the same will work for everyone.  Batching tasks together definitely saves a lot of time but the batch you choose to start with boils down to personal preference.

Take regular breaks

You might be wondering why taking regular breaks is on my list of “How to be more productive” but they are really important too.  There is no point in working flat out for 12 hours skipping lunch and dinner or working for days without sleep.  Regular breaks definitely increase productivity.  Take a moment to stretch your legs, make a snack or fill up your water bottle.  These short breaks are great for allowing you to shift perspective and sometimes they are necessary to allow you to look at your work through fresh eyes.  Always make sure you get a decent amount of sleep too.  Working without sleep for a few days in row is a short-term fix at cramming but this only makes things worse long-term.  To ensure that you avoid burn out and are able to consistently be on top of your game, regular breaks as well a good night’s rest are essential in productivity.  It is important to get the rest you need and you’ll be able to get so much more done.

That’s it for my list of “How to be More Productive”.  I hope that these inspire you to have a great start to this week.  Since it’s yet another short week, what perfect time to start implementing these methods and discovering what works for you.  If you have any methods that you find are fundamental to ensuring productivity, please do leave them in the comment section as I’m always looking for great “life hacks” and I’d love it if we can help each other out.

If you’d like to read my post on “How to stay positive” you can find that over here.

Outfit details
Forever New blouse (I’m obsessed with these lace tops.  I found this one here and I’ve listed a whole lot of gorgeous similar options below).
Salsa jeans (found here)
Woolworths booties
Cotton On hat (last seen here)
Zara bag
Elizabeth Arden lipstick in Red Door Red (found here, full review here)