“We’re given the same hours in a day”. I’ve seen this quote floating around Instagram lately, and it got me thinking as a morning reminder that we all have a full day to get the most out of the hours we are given. Each day is a new start to achieving something great and amazing! But let’s face it, some days can seem really overwhelming like there isn’t enough time to get everything done or you just aren’t motivated, you stumble and nothing goes your way. So I figured, I’d share my 3 things that can easily and effectively kick-start your productivity for the day.
1. WAKE UP EARLY
My father always said, early risers are the most successful people, and even though when I was young I hated that I’ve come to realise how true it is. This might not be easy for everyone, but this is how I function best in life. I’m usually up by 6:30 – 7:00 AM. I get so much done early mornings because I’m not distracted, social media, there isn’t anything on tv yet and I feel like theirs no pressure. So I can get my day going with minimum distractions. If I were to sleep in until 10 or 11 (which I love to do on vacay), I would feel like half the day is wasted.
2. MAKE A LIST
Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a list list list kind of gal! Getting everything out of your head and visually see it can create structure. With your list of things to do for the day, write them in the order of most important to least or with the worst task first. This ensures either your most important task gets done or the task you are dreading the most is finished because who wants to finish a daunting errand after a long day of work. Plus, how satisfying is ticking something off that to do!
3. KEEP YOUR INBOX AT ZERO
It’s not always easy, and for the most part getting 50+ emails in a day discussing new projects of all different varieties is hard to handle, but I do try to deal with an email as soon as it arrives in my inbox. I reply, forward, flag or trash so that my inbox doesn’t get to that overwhelming number. Keeping your inbox to zero by the end of the day ensures you that you are on top of things and the next day you don’t feel overwhelmed. If this system doesn’t work for you, set a time aside during the day dedicated to emails. Maybe once in the morning and once in the afternoon and go through them in bulk so you don’t have to keep checking your inbox all day long as that can take up time you can be spending on other important tasks.
