Are you ready to have kick some ass and have a productive day? Here are 5 tips on how you can have a more productive day and get sh*t done!
Let’s talk about PRODUCTIVITY today! One of my favourite topics.
I take pride in being productive (even though it has come back to bite me in the ass, but that’s a story for another time).
I feel like a struggle for a lot of people are being productive, to the point where they get discouraged and just give up and not do anything. Yes, those are two extremes, but a reality for a lot of you.
And I get it, it can be overwhelming when you’re facing what feels like and endless to-do list.
The first thing that I want to address before diving into the tips on how to have a productive day is that the purpose of life (at least in my opinion) is not about how much you accomplish.
Yes, ticking off sh*t from your to-do feels f*cking amazing (I’m *that* person that will write something on her list even though it has been done, just for the satisfaction of crossing it off right away).
But in reality, the purpose of life is not about how much you do and “accomplish” in a day, but how about who you are.
You see, everything in life…and I really mean everything … has the opportunity to teach you something about yourself. Every moment and experience is an opportunity to learn a new skill, to straighten a habit or to help you understand yourself, your patterns or your beliefs better.
What I’m trying to say that is that being productive is great and it is important because if you don’t get sh*t done, how do you expect to move forward and achieve your goals and create your dream life.
- Related: How to Uncover and Live Your Purpose
However, the priority should always be your well-being, physical and emotional.
So regardless of your to-do list and all the things you want to accomplish, remember that if you’re going through a hard time, or if you’re sick, or if you’re feeling tired, your list can wait.
Because like I said, you’re a human being and not a human doing. You shouldn’t expect yourself to be productive all the time and to be going-going-going.
That will only lead to burnout and feeling frustrated because life is more than your to-do list. You also have to learn to enjoy moments, to have fun in life, and to find a balance between accomplishing things and enjoying your life.
Alright, now that THAT’S out of the way, let’s talk about productivity, literally one of my favourite things to do.
Defining Productivity
Of course, let’s first start by defining a concept so that we can better understand it in practical terms.
What does it mean to be productive? And what does look like?
Being productive means accomplishing something. It can be a task, or it can even be something that can’t be quantified, like learning something new or refining a skill.
Being productive is a relative term, based on your character, your lifestyle, and your goals.
For example, if you’re single, live alone, and go to school, then your productivity level and what YOU will define as “productive” will vary according to what you’re trying to accomplish, and what your schedule looks like.
If you’re a mother of 4, have a full-time job, and a big house to take care of, and you cook dinner and do all the things, then your expectations for your productivity level will vary.
What matters is to define productivity for yourself. Which means that you have to take the time to reflect how you spend your time, and what you’d like to be accomplishing, and what time you can reasonably commit to your goals and your to-do list.
And being productive can be related to general day-to-day tasks like running errands, cleaning up the house, running errands, or it can be more specifically related to your goals, such as exercising, or learning something new, or doing research on a subject, or even journaling.
As you can see, there are a lot of variables involved, and no one can really define what a productive looks like other than yourself.
And going back to the first point I was trying to make – sometimes, a productive day, morning or afternoon means sitting on the couch and doing nothing.
That can be considered ‘productive’ because you are resting your body and your mind, which will then allow you to get back to some of the tasks of your to-do list to be able to accomplish them more efficiently, but also with a happier and more open heart.
Alright, now that you have a better understanding of what a productive day looks like, I want you to take a moment and define your ideal day.
From the time you wake up to the time you go to bed, write down a play-by-play of what an ideal day looks like, on a weekday and on the weekend.
By having this vision in the back of your mind as you read the tips, this will help you gain a better understanding of how you can adjust your approach to have a more productive day.
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TIP # 1 | Start your day with the right mindset
If you haven’t noticed, a lot of my content will refer back to your mindset, and with good reason.
Your mindset is the foundation of your life because your thoughts will dictate how you feel, what you think about, what you focus on and how you experience life.
So if you want to have a productive day, then you need to wake up with the right mindset so that you CAN have a productive day.
Going back to the points I was making above, having a productive day can look very differently depending on your lifestyle, your goals, your life circumstances, and what you want to accomplish.
So if you want to have a productive, then you need to understand what you need to be doing that day to accomplish the things you want to do. And this means starting your day by setting the right intentions and the right goals for yourself.
This means that you have to be aware that if you’re feeling drained, maybe some things will have to wait until later and you might need to take the morning to yourself. In practical terms, this means waking up in the morning with the mindset of “rest and recuperate” and that your priority is self-care.
As long as your clear on what a productivity will look like that that day, your golden. You can then adjust your mindset or your expectations from yourself so that you allow yourself the space and time to focus on what you want to accomplish that day.
TIP # 2 | Plan the night before
This is a simple change that you can make right away.
Whether at work or in my personal life, I like looking at my calendar ahead of time to have a better sense of my week/day will look like.
This means that I take a few minutes to check what I can expect the next day so that I can adjust my expectations and my schedule and my to-do accordingly.
To give you a concrete example, if I see that the next day I have a therapy session after work, then I know that most likely, I will be drained in the evening and won’t be very productive when it comes to my to-do list.
But what’s a more “productive” approach is to schedule in a quiet and healthy dinner at home after my session, a yoga session and maybe a bath.
Just because I’m not actively “doing” something doesn’t meant that it’s not productive. If anything, this will be more productive in the long-run because I will have energy left the rest of the week to tackle my to-do list.
By taking the time to plan the night before, you can wake up in the morning and set the right intentions and have the right mindset for your day to have a productive day.
TIP # 3 | Have an inspiring morning routine
This is related to tip #1 but I wanted to write a separate part to it because I think this is such an important point if you want to have a productive day.
My morning routine has become a sacred time of the day for me.
I am continuously making small changes to improve my morning routine, but it’s something that I look forward to when I wake up.
How does an inspiring morning routine relate to having a productive day?
Think about it, if you wake up and take time for yourself, even if it’s 5, 10 or 15 minutes, how do you think you will feel?
Energized? Centered? Balanced?
Yup. That’s exactly the point.
If you ease yourself into the day and allow yourself some time and space to start your day, you are increasing your chances of having a productive because you will feel more calm and happier and more fulfilled. You are giving yourself the time to just be, to fill your cup so that you can have the emotional and physical energy to have a productive day!
TIP # 4 | Always keep your goals in perspective
If you want to have a productive, you always…and I mean ALWAYS need to have your goals in perspective.
When you know what you’re trying to accomplish and create in your life, the easier it will be to decide what you need to prioritize and what you need to do.
This tip obviously will relate to the others. For example, if you know what your goals then you will be able to plan your day more effectively the night before.
This means that you need to have clear and inspiring goals, that you need to constantly review them to see if they are still aligned with what you want to accomplish and achieve.
More specifically, if one of your goals is to de-clutter your home, then maybe a productive day on the weekend will look like you scheduling a few hours to de-clutter or to drop off clothes to a donation centre.
Because even that drop-off might seem like a minor task, but guess what, it’s being productive because you’re taking action and taking a step towards achieving your goal because you’re getting sh*t out of the house!
Another relevant tip is to always have your goals somewhere visible so that you can be constantly reminded of what you’re trying to accomplish.
If your goal is to de-clutter, the real goal is to create a minimalist lifestyle where you feel happier and more feel and less bogged down with STUFF. If you focus on the vision of a de-cluttered life that you are trying to create, it will be easier to have a productive day because you are less likely to spend your day shopping, which is contrary to your goal!
TIP # 5 | Get some rest
This is something that I mentioned before but again, another tip that deserves its own section because it’s so important.
If you want to have a productive, you always need to schedule downtime so that you can give your mind and body some rest.
Because like I’ve said a few times in this post, you are not a human DOING, you’re human BEING. And that means that sometimes, you need to stop and just BE.
So if you want to be have a productive day, you also have to be realistic with your expectations of how you can and should accomplish in a day and in a week. Because sometimes doing nothing is being “productive” if you’re actually taking the time to recuperate your energy.
Get Started!
OUF, I felt this one in my bones. As you can see, I love talking about productivity and getting sh*t done.
So, let’s talk about your homework.
I want you to take a look at your weeks and to see how you spend your time so that you can assess where your time is being spent.
Then I want you to look at your goals so that you can adjust your schedule and expectations moving forward so that your energy can be more focused.
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