Productivity doesn't grow on trees
A snapshot of the cleaning page in my daily planner. Cleaning isn’t one line it’s several so that I can do a bit at a time :)
Sometimes I get frustrated with goals. Like really frustrated.
Yes you read that right. The girl that loves planning is frustrated with goals.
But why?
Because sometimes (ok who am I kidding a lot of the time!) I want the end results NOW. I get impatient once I’ve set the goal for it already to be done and dusted. Then I can move onto the next thing whatever that maybe. Have you ever felt like this?
But here’s the thing when you keep going at 1000 miles an hour life can become a blur. And it’s not fun doing that many things and helping however many people if you end up burning out.
I’ve been there so I know how it feels. I was studying, working out, doing professional exams, working a full time job of over 60 hours a week and trying to make time for family, my boyfriend and some kind of cleaning rota. At some point something has to give and in my case it was my health. My body was physically telling me to slow down.
2021 and my refreshed approach to productivity and planning
This time when I did my prepwork in my Powersheets Goal planner I took a different approach. The new format of the planner also helped. I decided on what I really want and then broke each of the goals down into the tiniest components. Then each tiny part became an action step for each month. No more vague goals for me.
Here are my top tips for getting what you want out of your life:
Productivity tip 1:
Start small! – I mean really really tiny! I’ve found that when I make a goal to big it becomes unmanageable to the point where I either give up half way or don’t start at all. It’s not a good feeling and doesn’t help you to keep going.
I use this a LOT when it comes to cleaning. I won’t clean the whole apartment or put that as one checkbox. I started with the smallest step – wiping the window sill. Once I got the habit of doing this I then added hoover carpet to the list and gradually I snowballed the list into a full cleaning routine. BUT I don’t do the whole routine in one go. I still do it bit by bit. Remember you’re not trying to sprint here but run steadily (let’s not use the marathon word because I am NOT a runner). Other things that I now breakdown for house maintenance is laundry. If I’m writing do laundry on a list it’s not helpful but if I write laundry in, laundry out and laundry folded its help me to see progress. You might think but wait that’s three lines on a to-do list! And you’re right. But on those days where I’m doing a lot of cleaning related things I don’t plan any big projects. Or I will break those projects into……you guessed it….small pieces and then fit them into the week.
Productivity tip 2:
Understand your why – You need to really understand why you are doing things before you do them. If you don’t then it can get easy to become resentful or compare to other people who look like they have an easier life. Comparison really doesn’t serve any one! I often find myself looking at perfectly curated arts & craft rooms on Instagram and then remind myself that my study is my blog space/creative office and NOT my craft room! I might do craft work in there but that’s not reason I have this space overall. Remembering that helps stop me from going into the comparison trap. Sure it helps my creative mind to focus when my desk is tidy but I’m not trying to create the perfect desk layout!
Productivity tip 3:
Find your people– Instagram & Facebook and Social media in general can provide useful tips for so many things from decluttering to work from home life to staying healthy. I also follow blogs of people who’s content I enjoy. I would say it’s worth having up to 5 blogs that you love and regularly read. It provides a sense of companionship and allows you to access to a wealth of information. Here are my top blogs that I love to catch up on:
www.blogilates.com – all things health and fitness. I love Cassey’s approach to being healthy and also her YouTube channel has amazing workout videos
www.saraheverafter.com – Sarah writes about all things cleaning and decluttering. I find myself reading her blog a lot because there are SO many useful tips that make home life easier. I definitely enjoy decluttering way more after reading her blog! Sarah also has a fun declutter printable available so definitely check out her website for more fun stuff.
www.lauramurraycreative.com – Sarah runs her own design and illustration business and writes a lot of interesting posts on a variety of topics from creative inspiration tips to self-care and drawing using Ipads. Go check out her website for more.
www.cultivatewhatmatters.com – This is where I bought my powersheets from but I also read their blog updates because there are so many useful tips and tricks for goal setting and achieving the most out of life in any season.
www.positivelypresent.com – if you know me you know I love quote and positive phrases that boost the mind. This site is full of colour and has fun free printables to help boost your mood. Also her IG account @positivelypresent is full of colour pictures and inspiring statements. Check them out for an instant hit of good vibes.
Productivity tip 4:
Have a way to record/manage your progress – this can look totally different for different people. For me this is about physically ticking of a piece of paper be it in my planner or on the calendar to say I’m done. For many of my friends and family who have smart watches it comes from seeing the rings close on the Apple health app (for health goals). For others it’s posting taking photos to see how far they’ve come from day 1. It could also be looking back at your first few pieces of work and seeing how far you’ve come. I know that find cleaning more satisfying when I know there is a check mark or tick box coming at the end of it. For me anything is fun when I get to tick it off a list! I’m also a planning geek #sorrynotsorry
That was a long blog post but I hope you get a sense of how easy life can be once you have the steps in place.
I’d love to know in the comments below which one of the above suggestions you’re going to try out!