Being productive is not my forte. If I had a penny for every time I’ve been sat staring blankly at the computer screen or spring cleaning my room – because it was so much more urgent than tomorrows blog post – I would be rich my friend. But I’m not, I’m broke and unproductive.
However, I have found some handy ways of making the most of my time, little tricks I use to focus and if I really cannot focus, ways to still be productive.
WRITE MANAGEABLE LISTS
I am queen list maker. There’s nothing I love more than writing lists, even as a child I wrote lists upon lists – at least now they have some form of use, though I have been know to write things I’ve already done purely for the sense of achievement when ticking it off.
When you write a list, you should always be super realistic. Don’t write an A4 to do list – you ain’t never gonna get that done in a day and when you don’t you’ll feel like a failure. I also find that personally, if I see a huge list I instantly remember something else I could do to avoid said scary list. Writing a more manageable list makes you way more productive – and if you really must have your A4 list, split it into manageable chunks.
BACKGROUND NOISE IS A GOOD THING
Personally, I cannot concentrate in deadly silence, my mind wanders and before I know it I’m at the checkout on ASOS and the blog post is just a distant memory. blog post who?
I find there’s a fine line when it comes to background noise, it has to be something to fill the silence without drawing your attention away from your writing. For me, the radio works best for this heart FM I salute you, I do love Grimmy but the presenters on Radio 1 are far too talky and distracting!
This little radio I was sent from EMIE has been my absolute saviour. It’s about the size of an A6 piece of paper, lightweight and totally instagrammable. Small, lightweight and photogenic . . in other words a bloggers dream, perfect for those ‘work situation” shots! Obviously it does have a function too, background noise. . because it’s small I’ve been carrying it round everywhere with me, by the shower, in the kitchen . .probably not socially acceptable to take it on the train . .
DON’T PROCRASTINATE
Procrastination is the thief of joy. I truly believe this, how can you ever relax when you know you should be doing something else? If you do something, see it through from start to finish and don’t stop to clean out your make up drawer – it has been known.
I am queen of procrastinating, there’s always someone who wants to go for lunch or the dog needs walking and I haven’t washed my make up brushes in ages. Honestly the things I’ll do to avoid working.
PREPARATION IS KEY
I always schedule my posts because I find it hard to write if I’m not in the mood, I can’t just force it out and if I do it’s utter codswallop. This is when preparation comes into play. If you’re not in the writing mood then you can still be productive by preparing your posts so that you can just do the writing when you get the urge.
Label and insert the images, do the titles, write bullet points, do your meta description, add the tags. . basically anything you can do, do it.
TAKE REGULAR BREAKS
The key to being more productive is fresh air and food. I find that I’m more productive in short bursts than if I just sit at the computer non stop all day. Going out and getting some fresh air does you the world of good and stops you from getting square eyes.
Manageable lists, background noise and regular breaks are the way forward . . I’m telling you guys!
Words and photos- http://www.lovestylemindfulness.co.uk/
