Prioritize.
If you don't prioritize, you don't have a roadmap for your day. Pure and simple. You might have a detailed to-do list, but that really doesn't matter if you don't prioritize correctly. That can be done in several different ways. Lately I've gotten into a mixture of the A-B-C and Ivy Lee method. Basically, I have a master to-do list that I use when I come up with something I have to do. From there, I break it down into my A-B-C tasks- A being the most important, B being 'coming up' or 'should do' and C being more of a 'would like to do' or 'can wait'. Each day before I go to bed, I pick 6 items on my to-do list, order them in level of importance, and work on each one in order until completed. If they don't get completed, they move to the next day, ranked in higher priority. You can only add new things to your list when you have completed older items. As you can see, yesterday I didn't get to my power point presentation or my internship work, so they got moved down to today.
2. Set Natural Boundaries For Your Day
Before I had kids, I was a natural time blocker. I always worked great with certain time designated to do certain tasks, but being a Mom completely blew that up in my face. Even in my regular job it's a challenge because we occasionally get phone calls from customers and that can blow up a plan in your face. Now I set it up to be far more fluid- for instance, I might say "This morning, I plan on working on projects for graduate school. At noon. no matter where I am, I will move on to something else.' That way, if I make little progress on a project, I can move away to another type of task guilt free. It helps make sure you cover everything that needs to get done in a day and that you don't beat yourself up for spending 30 minutes dealing with a boo-boo instead of a project that needs to get done during a certain hour.
3. Certain Methods Work for Different Times in Your life, and it's OK to Adjust
Like I previously said, I went from time blocker to a more fluid time blocker, and that's OK. What might work for you to get through college, for example, might no longer work when you get your first job or start graduate school. It's OK to make adjustments. I used to think I'd find the perfect productivity system and fly through projects at the speed of light, but that hasn't been in the case at all. Right now, as you can see above, I use a mish-mash of different types of productivity methods. At some point, baby 3 will come and I will more than likely need to use another adjustment!
4. But Definitely Always Eat the Frog
This advice has never not worked for me. I'm not great at it always, but I always feel better when I Eat the Frog. If you haven't heard of this one, basically you find your hardest task you've been dreading all day and get it done first thing in the morning so the rest of the day is easier. I've heard it described different ways throughout the years, but that's basically it. Simple, to the point, and easily executed. (Well, unless you still struggle with procrastination, like me.) If you haven't tried this method, I definitely recommend it. You'll feel much better when you're done.
5. It's OK to Not Be Productive Sometimes
I know- it goes against everything we've been taught, doesn't it? But this always holds to be true. Plan for times in the day to just relax and do something that fills you up. Since I'm pregnant with my third child, sometimes this is a nap. Work on a hobby. Go for a walk (exercise!) If you're not pregnant, sip on some wine or coffee and watch something on Netflix. Some days, I take off of work and just do nothing. My other kids are in school, and Mom takes a BREAK. There is absolutely no shame in this, and I truly believe you can't fill the cups of others if your cup is empty. In case I haven't convinced you yet, take breaks!
I hope this gives you some insight on productivity tips and maybe some ideas to take with you to help make your days more productive. Now, work hard and don't forget your breaks!
What do you do to stay productive? What are your biggest challenges?