In today’s day and age many of us want more from life, more than just one income, more availability for friends and family, more time for self –care, hobbies and the activities we enjoy. The key to allow ourselves to obtain all of these magical things with a great balance is by being a productive individual, when we hear productive we assume it defines to getting more tasks within a day. Surprisingly this is not true, being productive initiates towards getting the important things done effectively and eliminating time wasting from life (for example: those 2 hours I use to spend on my phone in bed before I got up on Saturday mornings)
Planning & organisation
Planning and organizing is an essential to carry out an effective project. Planning ahead has always proved to help me, I would normally try and put in my work or business related tasks in my calendar and my diary to avoid overlapping, I also try and have any drafts, material or planning I need beforehand to avoid any further unnecessary time consumption, for example: if you were to create a presentation with a colleague or friend it would be helpful to have the research & information for the PowerPoint beforehand, if you don’t have this you will yet have to re-organised another day to get together and plan the presentation which leads to more time required on something which could have been dealt with if organised and planed ahead. Give yourself that extra time & space prior and then go ahead with the knowledge and confidence
Write It Out
It’s no hidden fact that I love writing however the benefits are many, the amount of time writing it out has saved so much of my time is magical. I write everything from shopping lists, to do lists, tasks, events, questions I have in mind etc. Writing it out helps you avoid forgetting the things you may need to get done or obtain, this will save you time so that you don’t have to go back to it, isn’t it annoying when you think you have your entire shopping list in your mind but then you come back and realize you have forgotten something you needed, now you can’t cook up the dish you wanted to so you have to go back in that store, find parking, Que up and then return and cook latter than expected and possibly loose out time on a planned event, maybe that Netflix series whilst all you could have done is write a shopping list and tick it off as you go
Prioritising & Setting Time Limits
Prioritizing and setting time limits plays a major role in not only my professional but also my day-to-day life. Setting time limits challenges me and keeps me motivated however it also helps me tick of goals & tasks within a reasonable and required time. I write out my to do list in priority order and start ticking them off from the top, I refer to my diaries & calendars to recognize what events, tasks, meetings, social gatherings and submissions I need to pre-prepare for to be able to recognize my priority levels. Doing this prevents us from avoiding & delaying the harder and more challenging tasks, I use to snooze off the more difficult, boring or less enjoyable things, this often lead to further delays whilst now I would just ensure I tick it off the list and have it dealt with, this avoids further delays and extra stress & doubt on my mind
Match Tasks & Activities Accordingly
In other words multitasking the correct tasks together, putting tasks together and trying to hit two birds with one stone is all fun and games until you try to send that email at the same time as you are walking the dog, you are bound to only be half alert. Combine tasks realistically and this will ensure that the tasks are not only completed but are also delivered with great quality. For example I am more likely to go to the gym/walk and pick up some groceries and get the car washed and whilst I’m waiting I can send out that email I had to send this evening all together in one go and can ensure it will be done with the correct level of attention and capacity.
Use Software & Technology
The impact of using the correct software & technology has never been highlighted more than it has now during quarantine. Using the software’s that are relevant to your area of work can save you time as well as present yourself professionally & compliantly. This is relevant in both your lifestyle and profession. I have downloaded various fitness & health apps to monitor my nutrition, fasting times as well as weight, I found this much more accurate and also saved me time from googling and setting alarms like I would do in the past. I have also downloaded apps to monitor my statistics rather than paying somebody to do this, this saves money as well as time as I can have them whenever I want and they are as equally reliable, documented and accurate. I have also discovered how useful Face-time, Zoom and Teams are more than ever, I sometimes don’t actually need to travel to places to have work related conversations it has just been a preference, I could save up to 4 hours a month by not having to travel and yet deliver as I always would have maybe even better 🙂
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