You might be wondering: “Debbie, what does organize for productivity” mean? Well, by the end of this article you’ll know exactly what it means and how to organize your day to be more productive. Let’s dive in!
Here are 5 tips for organizing your day to be more productive:
Set clear, attainable goals
Remember, these are goals for the DAY so 1 – 3 goals are probably enough.
And choose something you can achieve today; something like clean the bathroom, start planning a new project, or write 500 words of your novel.
These can be action steps you’ve determined will get you closer to your big goals, or something that’s been on your to-do list for a while.
For example, before I started writing this blog post, I emptied the dishwasher and changed my sheets.
Bonus tip: I’m writing this blog post after doing those chores because I hate housework😖
But by completing those things I’ve started my day with 2 wins.
And I love blogging so it’s kind of a reward for doing the boring stuff first!
Track your progress
Progress tracking is mega motivating!
In fact, I think I’ll give you a free, printable progress tracker right here!
Tracking also helps you see when your most productive time of day is.
Plus it’s helpful to keep track of how long each task/job takes to complete so you know how much time to schedule the next time you plan to do it.
Get a planner
This can be a paper planner or a digital one. I use a combo of both.
I use Google Calendar for appointments, meetings, webinars, etc. because it sends notifications to remind me of those things.
But I use an hourly paper planner for planning what I’ll actually be working on each day.
Basically, I write a task next to the time I’ll start working on it, then draw an arrow down the page to the time I stop.
If planning by the hour is more detail than you need, you can definitely plan by the month, week, or day. Decide which layout fits your style.
Make a reasonable to-do list
Determine the kind of list that best serves your personality.
I suggest listing your tasks by the month or the week.
Be realistic about how many jobs you can actually complete in your chosen time period.
I use weekly lists. As I work through this week’s list and see how things are going, I can start next week’s list to continue moving along smoothly.
At the time I’m writing this, I am focusing my to-dos into four categories: Marketing, Blog, Etsy, and Other.
This way I can make sure that no one area is being neglected
Organize your space to organize for productivity
A clear space = a clear mind!
Keeping your area organized and tidy minimizes distractions and improves focus.
And you won’t have to interrupt your workflow to look for that missing note or folder.
Put things back where they belong when you finish working.
Trust me, you don’t need 3 water bottles on your desk.
And even though it’s called a coffee table, you need to move those 4 used coffee mugs to the dishwasher.
Conclusion
The goal here is to make being productive easier for you, not more difficult, time-consuming, or stressful.
Experiment with these tips one at a time to discover which ones are helpful for you.
Tweak your system until it fits you and your lifestyle, and make changes when needed.
Please leave a comment below to let me know how it’s going!
