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Productivity is incredibly important to be successful. Nothing comes without productivity. Not money, not projects, not family... everything revolves around production.
I used to think that I could just sit down and push through hours of work. I used to get up at noon and work through until 4am. Then I had a husband (who was okay with it), and then I had children (who were not okay with it). My strategy had to shift, and I had to change. I was getting anxiety, no work was getting done, and I started to resent myself, for being lazy, for not being good enough and for neglecting my family.
Luckily, these tips I have been coming up with over time, are non-destructive, effective, affordable and good for your mental health.
1. Get up early
I know, I know. This is soooooo cliché. But it is true. It's not just about the time that you save. Your brain will feel accomplished and won't get fatigued by thinking about all the work that should've gotten done during the first part of the morning. In your head, you are already ahead! Versus, if you sleep in late, your brain will automatically perceive the day as a failure, because those hours are gone.
Now, as a night owl myself, I can tell you that the balance isn't always easy, but it's possible. Night time routines don't have to start after 10pm. My evening starts after the kids are in bed, around 8pm. Since I typically get up (voluntarily or by force) around 7:30, I still have a comfortable 4-5 hours to accomplish things, before I need to go to bed.
TOOL TIP! Develop a morning routine that is consistent. You will thrive with the regular schedule. Personally, my morning routine involves a shower and a cup of fresh coffee. I absolutely recommend this Shower Gel from Andalou, and I will also share my favorite coffee brand with you. Its flavor is described as sweet and hearty, and I couldn't agree more!
2. Know your limits
Always keep in mind that you have limits. They may seem underwhelming, and they probably evolved over time. I definitely noticed a difference in my ability to work for long hours, after having children. I used to work until 4 or 5 am, and then just sleep until noon. Now, tiny hands grab my nose at around 7:34 in the morning. Needless to say, I no longer go to bed at 5.
You might typically get work done only during the first few hours on the morning. Say, from 6-9. Good. That's a start. Use those hours to get done what you can, and stop trying to push through impossible stretches of unfocussed scrolling through your emails. Don't get me wrong, there is a time to push yourself, and you have to evaluate if this is the time. However, if I have hungry toddlers around lunch time, roaming around the house making noise and I am having trouble focussing because of that, I know my limits (and the ones of my family). I will make them lunch, and sit them down, and pick up the work again once the trouble has passed.
Should you find that there is always something going on, read the next point.
3. Set boundaries
Yes. Boundaries. Like telling your children that in the next hour, they have to find something else to do, and that you are not going to be able to count their crayons for them.
Or turning off all notifications on your phone (or even better: turn the phone off) for the next 2 hours or until the assignment you had to finish is actually done (not 90% there, but DONE)
Our brain needs boundaries. We have to navigate in a world of possibilities and options, and we become most functional when those options are limited. If we don't use social media during that time, what distraction is there to find? (I know, you can always find something, I get it). But for real: Boundaries towards our loved ones and ourselves, help to set a goal (with or without a reward), which enables the satisfaction of an accomplished task once the boundary is lifted.
4. Communicate
Communication is key. How is your family going to know that you are trying to focus on a specific task, if you don't tell them?
How is your dog going to know that he cannot sit on the couch, if you didn't teach him?
How would the cashier at the grocery store expect you to know what the price of your haul is, if she didn't communicate with you?
Likewise, if you don't communicate with your loved ones, and yourself, what your goal is, how would anybody know? You might, like myself, struggle with this one. Why? It's simple: you don't think you deserve to set boundaries and tell others what you're going to do, because that might change their immediate plans. Telling my family that I need one hour to focus by myself sounds incredibly selfish to me. Like I am imposing what I want (or need). I am working on getting better at that, and so should you.
TOOL TIP! In order for me to communicate effectively, I need to organize my time efficiently. I have tried many productivity tools, and though I can recommend programs like Tascade, Clover and Milanote, my all time favorite is still pen and paper. I love theDingbats B5 notebook. However, I have found over time, that I prefer to fold my task calendar, so I switched to a regular spiral notebook like this (I prefer dotted paper!).
5. Take time for your loved ones
Give your family an incentive to be patient. Again: communication is key. Specific communication is even better: I just need to finish this, it's going to take me an hour. Then we can go to the park, or play in the yard. And now, do it. If everyone in you family knows that you keep your promises, they will be less likely to overstep the boundaries you communicated, and follow your instructions to get whatever you promised them.
Give your husband a nice massage. Don't be surprised if he loves that; he's been silently waiting for it! Take 2 hours in the afternoon (depending on you personal schedule, of course) to go to the park. If you don't have 2 hours, play a card game or teach them something. You would be surprised about how eager to learn your children are! But parenting skills apart, you will go back to work with a sense of peace, because you gave our family something of you. And they will feel good about the fact that they see you in a different setting, not just glued to a desk, or the countertop of your kitchen. If you live in a house with a yard or even a barn, I'm not even going to tell you what to do: hands on!
6. Find time for a hobby
As difficult as it sounds, making time for a hobby is actually therapeutic, and will increase your productivity exponentially. If not, it's probably not the right hobby. This doesn't mean you should spend hours a day baking cinnamon rolls. It just means, that for an hour a day, or 30 minutes a day, or maybe even just 5 minutes, do whatever makes you feel accomplished or fulfilled.
There is a balance between the hours you use for working and the hours you use for leisure, which include sleeping. Not taking care of those boundaries you set, and monitoring the amount of time you put into this, can scramble that balance to a point where you won't be able to tell what you are actually doing.
I discovered that I like designing. I design a lot throughout my workday already, so it's hard for me to shut down. However, I try to get some non-work related design done every day. I also enjoy writing, and this article is a product of this hobby. Find out what you enjoy doing, and dedicate a little time to it. It will become your save haven and a moment you look forward to every day.
7. Stop feeling guilty
For me, this is a big one. I always feel guilty. When I am working I feel guilty because my family is doing something without me. When I am with my family, I feel guilty because I should be working. When I follow any of the tips I just shared with you, I feel guilty because I am not being good enough.
STOP!
Your day, my day... everybody's day has 24 hours. Whether or not one persons time is more valuable than other's is irrelevant in this context: the time they have is the same. The more you accomplish during that time, the more you will feel like you have more of it, because time is so abstract that is becomes a matter of perception.
But at the end of the day, time is all we have. And the effective allocation of time is a complex and very useful skill to have. Before I go to bed at night, I structure the next day: tasks that I have to do. What I would like to accomplish. I allocate theoretical time to potential tasks. Now I only have to stick to it, and be confident enough to tell myself that I will sit on my chair for the next 90 minutes, solving problem X, and once that is done, I can go and play hide-and-seek for 20 minutes, before moving on to the next task.
In doing so, I improve focus, because I have a goal. I improve productivity, by getting stuff done during the times I know work best for me. I improve my family's day by not being a grumpy workaholic, and I still get my working hours in.
What are your tips? Do you have any more to add, or a completely different opinion?
Feel free to comment below.