Tools for Success: Producing Productivity
I won’t lie- I wake up (nearly) every morning full of energy & passion to get things done that day. Motivation to “get things done” has never been something I struggled with. The problem I have is that I am very easily distracted.
As you may know from my previous post, I am participating in a 15 Day Blog Challenge by fellow blogger Natalie Sisson in an effort to gain more focus in my work life. The challenge for Day 3 was to identify a tool to help with productivity.
As I mentioned in the Day 2 post on Focus my goal with this 15 day challenge is to determine some “end goals” for all of my projects. The tool I will use for this will be simple: a pen & paper. Physically writing things out helps me to think clearer and also keeps me from getting distracted on the computer (the struggle is real, folks.) 🙂
That being said, there are many tools that I use on a daily basis that have been essential to keeping myself organized. Below is a short list of the most useful tools I have found for productivity.
My Top Productivity Tools
A notepad. Simple I know, but getting things out of your head and on the paper instantly frees you up to focus on what you should be focusing on in that moment. Since I have a few “jobs” going on at any giving time, I keep separate notebooks for each. If I think of something I have to do on my blog while I am writing a client’s program I write and down, let it go, and focus on what is important in that moment. Which brings me to my next productivity tool…
iCal. I schedule everything in my calendar and would be lost workout it. I don’t get so detailed that it’s obnoxious, but I keep the “big things” scheduled in like client meetings, time to work on each of my projects, events, etc.
iMail…. moved to the 2nd screen of my iPhone. Email- it’s everyone’s favorite right? This last “tool” is more of an anti distraction technique. I schedule time to check my email daily, but that it is. Nothing is so important that it can’t wait 24 hours until the next time I check. When I realized how many hours a week I was spending in useless emails, constantly checking it was an easy thing to give up. Moving the icon off the main page reduced the temptation to check in.
Emeals and Quest bars . I know I talk a lot about these services, but it’s because they are time savers! When you don’t have to waste time deciding “what’s for dinner” you get much more productive. Click here to find out more about my daily routine & where these fit in.
Songza. I found this free music website/app about a year ago and it is genius! When it’s time to work, I set up an environment that is conducing for working. Bright lights, comfortable clothes, and music without vocals. My favorite stations for working are the “Instrumental Hip Hop Beats”, “Orchestral Jazz for Reading”, and “Saving the World from Evil.” It’s amazing!
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photo credit: Visions By Vicky via photopin cc