Tuesday, March 1, 2016

5 Productivity Tips from me to you

I can’t tell you how many times in my almost 8 year career I've sat down at my computer in the morning and been completely overwhelmed at my inbox, my to do list, and my random sitcky notes of thoughts and reminders scattered on my desk. 
This forced me to figure out how to be extremely organized so I could get everything done in an efficient and timely manner. I've come up with some great tips and found some even better tools to help make this easier and I’m sharing them with you!
1. Morning Routine. Each morning take 45 mins to an hour planning out your day. I know this isn't possible to do every morning, but don’t dive into your emails right away. Browse some of your favorite blogs, enjoy a cup of coffee, etc. I think this is really important because it gets you settled into your day and gives you a chance to prioritize the things you need to get done.
2. Working from home. A great thing about a lot of companies these days is that they are more flexible in terms of where you get your work done. For a lot of companies, startups especially, a common mentality is “as long as you’re getting your work done, it doesn't matter where you’re doing it.” Working from home can be super beneficial—less distractions and a quiet place to think and take calls. However, it can also be detrimental to your productivity. My tips on WFH (working from home) that I ALWAYS follow:
  • Get up at your usual time, get out of your PJ’s, shower, and look presentable. This is KEY in being productive during the days you work from home. You look and feel more productive therefore you will be more productive.
  • If you regularly work from home, set up a “work area” so you can be separated from your living area. Buy a desk, chair, and some other cute office supplies for your desk. This will make you excited to work and it’s more productive than sitting on the couch.
  • Don’t work with the TV on. I am totally guilty of this (love the daytime sitcoms and talk shows), but it can be really distracting when you are trying to work. Instead, turn some music on—it’s a much better noise filler than some talk show.
  • Take a lunch break! It’s hard enough stepping away from your desk for a lunch break at work, let alone walking away from your laptop at home. Get out, take a quick walk, run an errand.
3. Take Notes. How many times have you sat down to have a conversation with someone, not taken notes, and went back to recall what they said and not remember. I’ve done this a lot…more than I’d like to admit. Enter EVERNOTE. Before you keep reading this…sign up now…seriously. Evernote is the best tool for taking notes. It’s super easy and very user friendly. It allows you to create notebooks which makes it super easy to sort and categorize all your notes. iPhone and iPad apps are wonderful and easy to use as well. You can also share notes and notebooks between co workers. This is a great feature that I utilize a lot.
4. Email Organization. Don't let your inbox take control of your life. Become an email ninja with the tools below:
  • Revive your inbox: This is a 21 day program that is designed to reduce the amount of email you receive and helps you learn how to deal with the emails that actually do matter.
  • Boomerang:Boomerang is a personal favorite of mine. It helps you take control of when you send and receive emails. You can write an email now and schedule it to be sent automatically at the perfect time. Just write the message as you normally would, then click the Send Later button.
5. To Do Lists. We all have them, but are they actually helping us get stuff done? I’ve officially left the pen and paper method of creating to do lists because I’ll leave them in my apartment, at my office, or lose them altogether. Wunderlist is a free online to do list that has completely changed my life…seriously! Some of my favorite features are below.
  • It’s free
  • All of your to do’s are in one spot (work, personal, shopping lists, etc)
  • You can set due dates, reminders, files, and notes to each to-do
  • You can star to-do’s so you can arrange what is most important
  • You can share to do lists with others
  • You can sync it to your iPhone and iPad
There you have it…five tips that I have to help you make the most of your days. I hope they help!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 
BLOG DESIGN BY DESIGNER BLOGS