What I’m Wearing
Dress: Reformation // Bag: Parisa Wang // Shoes: Similar // Necklace: Similar //
How we miss the days where we could head to our local coffee shop, set up camp, and slowly drink our latte as we comfortably dove into our work for the day. Okay, to be honest, that has not been my reality for awhile now because #twoyearold. But I know that a lot of us enjoyed a more scenic view or change of pace when it came to doing our work for the day.
As a lot of us are working from home now, getting into a PRODUCTIVE groove can be a challenge. My husband has been working from home with some travel for almost two years. And although this has been a huge blessing for our family, it has also come with its challenges and hurdles. The work from home gig is new to me, so I know that navigating through this time will call for a lot of grace and patience.
I plan to have my husband guest write on the blog and write a whole blog post on tips for working from home. But today, I thought we would dive into a few productivity tips and hacks that you can start experimenting with now as you learn to flow through your new routine as well.
First, before we get into it. I want to preface that I do not consider myself an expert in productivity. I have always struggled with working on one task at a time. And used to consider myself the multi-task queen. But I actually learned recently through a brain type quiz, that my mind just has a funny way of bouncing around to different tasks and thinking.
But I just wanted you to know that I am working through these tips with you. Some of them I do already do, and others are things my husband has mentioned to me that I plan on testing out as well. You are not alone, and we will move through this time as a community. I would love for you to share any of your suggestions at the end as well!
1. Prioritize Your Most Important Task and Do It FIRST
This is so very hard for me. I have a bad habit of doing all those little tasks first. I tell myself that if I get all the little things done, my brain will be clearer and I will be able to focus on that big task without any other distractions. But then what happens is by time I get to that big task, I am either exhausted or the day has run away from me!
By determining your top priority and doing it first, it ensures that you are getting done what ACTUALLY matters. By completing your main task first, it will launch you into a movement of finishing the smaller tasks. Then they seem more manageable and attainable.
I am going to be working hard at this one this week. I know a lot of us use planners to prioritize and task our days. But sometimes the format of it just doesn’t work for our brains. I discovered the EVO Planner, and they had me first take a brain type quiz. And then they matched me with a planner that fit my unique thinking and brain type. And whoa has it been a game changer with how I prioritize my day.
2. Track or Chunk Your Time
For the small period of time before my current job, I worked from home temporarily on a part time basis. And one thing that they had us do was to use Timer-Tab to manage our time and keep us on track. When you are doing computer work, or staring at a screen, it can be harder to keep track of time if you get sucked into “the zone.” Timer-tab is a website where you can set an alarm or count down and it visually appears as a tab in your browser so that you can easily keep track of how long you have spent on a task.
Time chunking is something that people have spoken about for a while. Designating certain times for specific tasks, allows you to maximize your focus and dedication to that one task. Another way to chunk your time is to use a timer cube. The benefit to using a cube instead of your phone timer, is to allow for the least amount of distraction. I am totally guilty of picking up my phone and grabbing it to check social media. So this gives you the ability to even leave your phone in another room while you focus on a task.
3. Reward Yourself with Planned Breaks
Another aspect of productivity that I struggled with was doing the “fun” things first. For example, as I started writing this post, I got an urge to start editing photos and see how the most recent photoshoots turned out. And many times in the past, I would stop what I was doing (the top priority task) and start working on the “fun” or less of a priority task.
Instead try bribing yourself and say that you can have that reward, break or do the more fun activity AFTER the top priority task. Another thing that I am trying this week, is to schedule my breaks. With my new work from home schedule, I have to make sure that I am on task as I am scheduled. So this means that I have to actually schedule in my breaks as well. And be intentional about how I spend that time. Without a structure or routine, it can be easy to get off task or fall down rabbit whole of distractions.
Remember to give yourself grace. As with anything that is new and fresh, it takes an adjustment period. Allow some patience with yourself as you maneuver through this new role. And remember you are not alone!
I hope that you picked up a few tips and tricks and don’t forget to share your best productivity hacks and tips in a comment below!
XO,
Hannah