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I get asked quite a lot how I fit everything in; between my blog, my social life, working full time, writing and so on... There are a few tips I've discovered that help me be productive and get the balance right. When I'm doing these things, I find I'm at my most creative and happy, so I hope they help you too!
Read: whenever and however you can
I definitely know that the people who read this blog are a diverse bunch: from busy mums to young professionals to older women to men and I'm sure there are even more walks of life in there. Reading can be difficult to fit into most people's everyday lives - maybe you work shifts and you don't have a consistent bedtime or your evenings are so frantic and rushed that you just want to pass out by the time 9pm rolls around... However I find reading (whether it's broadening my horizons with non-fiction, reading a classic novel, checking out a self-help book or just eating up a bit of a cheesy, disposable read) so rewarding. These days there are so many options - you can use an eReader to carry around hundreds of books in your handbag or listen to audiobooks (I personally use Audible). Even if it's 20 minutes on the bus home or at the gym in the morning - reading is so important for me.
Do a bit of what you love every day (or at least almost every day!)
Again, we're all busy people! Sometimes it feels like personal projects fall by the wayside because there are other more pressing issues at hand, so we never get that moment to sit down and get on with it. If you're finding you keep getting sidetracked when you try to take out a big chunk of time to dedicate to your personal projects; try just giving a small amount of time every single day. 15 minutes of sacred time definitely beats an hour that you never seem to get round to! Depending on what your personal passion is - you could even fit it in during your lunch break at work, so there's less pressure on your evenings.
Again, we're all busy people! Sometimes it feels like personal projects fall by the wayside because there are other more pressing issues at hand, so we never get that moment to sit down and get on with it. If you're finding you keep getting sidetracked when you try to take out a big chunk of time to dedicate to your personal projects; try just giving a small amount of time every single day. 15 minutes of sacred time definitely beats an hour that you never seem to get round to! Depending on what your personal passion is - you could even fit it in during your lunch break at work, so there's less pressure on your evenings.
Free your mind and write a list
This is a pretty short and sweet suggestion: life is a lot less stressful and a lot more productive when you write lists! At work I always make a list of tasks on a Friday afternoon that I need to complete the following week so I don't spend my weekend worrying about things. Even odd jobs can stack up and play on your mind - I can't be the only one who wakes up in the middle of the night thinking 'I must remember to get some loo roll on the way home tomorrow'...? Before I go to bed and as things pop into my mind - I just add them to a list app that will remind me when I need to do these little jobs (I like Wunderlist) so my mind stops buzzing and I can focus on whatever I'm doing in the here and now.
Schedule in self-care
I absolutely subscribe to the philosophy that you're just going to burn out if you try to operate at maximum capacity all the time - I'm definitely far more productive and effective when I'm relaxed and in a good state of mind. Getting this time to yourself isn't easy but, again, it's an important thing to commit to - whether that's doing a 5 minute meditation before you go to work in the morning or taking a long bath once a week. Everyone's different so figure out what works for you and how much time you can give to relaxation. I personally like to give myself an hour on a Sunday evening to have a bit of a pamper and do a nice long skincare routine with candles before the week ahead!
Log out
In the modern world there's so much expectation to be contactable all the time. If you're trying to get a task done and keep getting distracted or dragged into other things; try putting your phone on Airplane Mode or Do Not Disturb for 15 minutes. If you're part of any WhatsApp groups that send your phone pinging 30 times an hour with conversations you aren't really involved in - maybe mute them. If people stop expecting you to reply within minutes to every single notification then there's less pressure to constantly be active on every single platform so you can focus on whatever it is you're working on in the real world.
What are your top tips for productivity?
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