How To: Be Your Most Productive Self
Ever see those people who seem to be killing it, every day and wish you could do what they do?
A big reason why they are so successful day in and day out is because of planning and routine. It’s tough to expect to succeed in crushing your goals and achieving things if you don’t have a plan and are just going through your days all willy-nilly. Instead, to be the most productive you can be, making plans, writing them down, and following some of these other steps will help you to be on your game and accomplish what you want to!
1.Plan for the Week Ahead. Without a plan, and what feels like 100 things to do- the chances of you being able to accomplish anything will be really slim. There are only 7 days in a week, and you won’t be able to do everything. Prioritize what is important to you and schedule it in. Schedule in your workouts like you would schedule a meeting. If you really want to see a friend you have been meaning to see, make a plan and make it happen. Plan, plan plan.
2.Review Each Day the Night Before. I often look at my planner the night before (I record my life in my Plum Paper Planner) to see what I have going on the next day. This way, when I wake up in the morning I feel prepared and ready to tackle what is ahead of me. Looking ahead ensures you don’t end up forgetting something you might need to bring with you from home, or that you don’t miss an early morning appointment if you have one.
3.Go to Bed Early. There is nothing worse than staying up way later than you should have, and then waking up the next morning feeling sluggish and like you just want to spend your day in bed. Sleep is really important for your body. Sleep is how you rest and rejuvenate your body and your mind. It’s how you keep yourself healthy- so make sure you are getting to bed at a time that allows you to maximize on 7-9 hours per night!
4.Wake Up Early. This is one I myself need to work on. I am not a morning person, and no matter how often I set my alarm for earlier, I am the snoozing queen! I have always been envious of those that are up, tackle the morning and get their workout done first. This is something I need to really work on myself- but I see a huge amount of value in it. (Maybe this version of Andrea needs to have a talk with the sleeping Andrea!)
5.Decide What You’re Wearing the Night Before. I have been saying that planning is what will allow you to succeed. By planning out what you are going to wear the next day the night before, it can save the multiple outfit changes and the scrambling to run out the door (not to mention the mess on your closet floor!) Sometimes you wake up decide you don’t feel like wearing that you have set out, I get that. But most of the time, you will be happy to not have to make that decision. One less thing to do in the morning hours!
6.Meal Plan. You know how I feel about meal planning. I have been planning out our weekly meals, every Sunday before grocery shopping for over a year. When I think back to how I grocery shopped before we meal planned, I have no idea how I did it. Like how did I know what to buy! Did I just wanted aimlessly around the store until things popped out at me and I figured out what I was going to make? That doesn’t feel like the best use of my time. Meal planning alone has made me a more productive person. Both in knowing what I am buying when I get to the grocery store, but also in knowing what I am making for dinner after the work day so I don’t have to spend brain power thinking about that during the day!
7.Wake Up to a Clean Kitchen. This one might just be an individual thing, but there is nothing like coming down in the morning and having a tidy space to start your day. The kitchen is one of the main spaces of the house, and potentially one of the biggest. When you come down and have to tidy things up before you can even start to make breakfast, or get your lunch ready… it just slows you down. Not to mention, there is something about cleaning up the kitchen and putting everything away after a meal, I LOOVE a clean kitchen.
8. Be Present. This is a big one, and one I constantly need to be mindful of. We are a society of busy. Always thinking about the next thing we have to do, later tonight, this week, this weekend- always looking ahead and always rushing to the next thing. The result from this could be that you aren’t being as productive as you could be in the tasks that you are doing because you aren’t giving it your full attention. Be present in whatever you are doing. It takes work! Train your brain to be attentive to the task you are doing, the person you are talking to, the memories you are making. Trust me, you will end up feeling more fulfilled if you know you have given everything you do, your full attention.
