Whether you have a full time 9-5, work from home, or you’re a stay at home parent, time and what you make of it is important. It can be difficult to find a good work- life balance and stay productive, whether it be at work or at home. Time is money. Whether you want to think of it that way or not, it doesn’t change the fact that your time in a day, or life, is limited. Cherish it so you can both make the most of your personal life and accomplish what you need to at work.
1. Minimize distractions- I find that with the TV on, even if there is something uninteresting on, it still destroys my productivity. Maybe there’s a certain room at home or work that you can do an activity in that’s less distracting than at your work cube or kitchen table.
2. Stay focused- Find what works for you. I recently realized that my productivity varied depending on the music I was listening to. I tend to get distracted by upbeat songs with lyrics, but I don’t necessarily want to sit in silence either. Nature sounds and classical may not be exciting, but I was definitely more productive listening to those than what I would typically listen to in the car. Maybe keeping the blinds closed
3. What are your time wasters- Figure out some of your weak points. Do you get distracted in between tasks? Is there a co-worker/ friend that tends to take your focus away? Write down who or what tends to drain your time everyday so you’re more aware of where you’re throwing time away.
4. Make a schedule or list of things to do- You don’t have to set assign a certain amount of time for activities, but at least making a list of things you need to do in a certain order can help you realize what still needs to be done. This can also help create urgency so that you don’t dawdle around on one task for too long.
5. Sleep- Plain and simple. Without enough sleep you will not be performing as efficiently as you should be. Focus can be harder to come by and that typical “afternoon crash” can hit you harder than ever.
6. Downtime- Sometimes you just need to get up from what you’re doing and take a break. You can get too bogged down in a project or task and feel like you’re just spinning your wheels and going nowhere. Don’t let frustration kill your productivity. Go to the bathroom, get a snack, or go walk around the block/parking lot.
7. Avoid feeling overwhelmed- This can be caused by too many tasks, a really difficult task, or something really big and seems impossible to complete. Take a step back and figure out how to tackle it. Don’t look at something and immediately let yourself get overwhelmed. Come up with a game plan. Here are some tips if you’re feeling overwhelmed.
8. Take care of yourself- Both diet and exercise play a huge part in how you feel both mentally and physically. If you feel run down or tired how are you going to get things done, much less get them done efficiently?
Whether you’re just trying to get the house cleaned on your day off or want to better manage your time with your small business, time is valuable. Learn to make the most of it. By increasing your productivity you could decrease the amount of money you’re wasting on tasks and increase your income or the time you spend with your family.
We all know people who seem super accomplished and always busy. How do they do it and still find time to sleep, eat, travel, take care of the kids, and manage a business? It is possible. Improve your time management, increase productivity, and become one of them.
