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How to Plan for a Productive Day

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

One of my favorite types of posts to both put on Chic in Carolina for y'all and to read on other blogs is posts sharing tips on how to get your life together and make everything run smoother. I know personally that life can get pretty busy and little tips that don't take up too much time but make your day easier are always helpful.

Today, I decided to share a few tips to help you achieve a more productive day. You know the type of day where every item on your to-do list is crossed off, you have time to relax, and you don't wind up going to bed late as a result of crossing every item off of your to do list? Even though I love those days (and you probably do too), they don't happen everyday for obvious reasons but these tips will help in getting closer to that super productive day.

image via my Instagram

Wake up earlier
I know what you're thinking with this one but hear me out on it. I have a love-hate relationship with sleeping in as I absolutely love waking up later and getting more sleep but don't love that once I'm up and ready to go for the day, it's already lunchtime. Set your alarm for a hour earlier than you usually do to allow yourself more time to get things done in the morning and to get the ball rolling earlier.

Write down everything you need to do on your to-do list
And I mean everything haha! Write everything you need to do, whether it's texting someone back, chores you need to do, errands to run, shower, etc. Writing everything down helps me realize what I need to be doing and to be more productive. And you don't have to cross everything off of this list everyday as whatever you don't finish can be moved to the next day's to-do list.

Don't over schedule yourself
Look at your agenda or calendar and really think about how you're filling each day. Since it's summertime and I have a lot more free time than I'm used to, my calendar has been filling up more as well. Even though this isn't a bad thing by any means, don't overcommit yourself as if you're running from your workout class to lunch to a coffee catchup with a friend to work or wherever, you won't have a lot of time to be productive. One solution I've found to this is that if I do have a super busy day or couple of days, I'll dedicate a full day to working on the blog, running errands, and catching up on my to-do list. This way, I can live my life and have fun (which is super important too!) but I won't fall behind either.

Prioritize what's important to you
Sometimes we have to do the not-so fun things in life but it's so important to prioritize what's important to you and then work around that. Maybe it's going to a workout class at a particular time or dinner at home with family or watching the Bachelorette at 8. Prioritize whatever it is and then work the rest of your to-do list around it. This helps me be more productive as I'm more focused on whatever I'm doing and I also have a bit more motivation to get everything done.

Start your day with a cup of coffee and your agenda
I definitely want to start doing this more often but in the morning, grab your agenda and your coffee and just look at what you have going on that day or week and then update with new events or appointments. Knowing what I have going on that day helps me manage my time a lot better (rather than being in the middle of something and then realizing I have barre class in 5 minutes) and be more organized as well.

Start and end your day with a clean space
I work better in a clean space. I've talked about this before on Chic in Carolina but a clean space with a lack of physical clutter helps me focus more on whatever I'm doing. That being said, tidying up both in the morning and then before bed helps with productivity as you don't have to spend time during the day tidying up. I typically make sure my room is clean before heading out in the morning, whether it's to work or to barre or to lunch with a friend, so that when I come home later, I'm ready to work on the blog and get things done. I also love tidying up again right before bed so I can wake up to a clean space the next morning.

Stop Multi-tasking
Multi-tasking seems like an easy solution to getting more done in the same amount of time. "I can fold laundry while working on tomorrow's blog post and watching HGTV!" All this does is allow you to become distracted and not put your full effort into the task you're doing. Focus on one thing at a time. When you're blogging, focus only on the post. When you're eating, don't try to post on Instagram. When you're hanging out with friends, give them your full attention. This helps you be more productive as when you're working, you're fully focused on the task at hand and also to have more well-balanced life as well.


Any other tips? Let me know in the comments!

2 comments:

  1. I love to plan my day the night before. It really helps me know what has to get done the next day and what can get done another day.

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    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes- doing that is SO helpful! Thanks for reading!

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