Being Productive
My arts and crafts supplies which now double up as planning supplies!
Want to know a secret? Being productive isn’t hard. Really it isn’t. Your mind makes it feel like it’s hard. And it does that when it doesn’t know where to begin. I know, I’ve been there. I remember seeing all these fancy planners on YouTube and Instagram and then immediately purchasing all the things! Then when it came to using them I was so overwhelmed because I realised something: I didn’t know how to actually use them or what I needed out of the planner. Then, as with all shiny things, the planners lost my attention and I reverted back to scrap pieces of paper and continued to lose things. About 3 years ago I found myself thinking: maybe something is wrong me if I can’t use these pretty planners to organise my life. Maybe I’m just not a planner or an organised person?
Being productive doesn’t mean you do a thousand things in a day at a speed that is crazy. It’s all about doing the important things, the things that really matter to you and getting them done in a reasonable time.
Here’s the thing: we can all be really good at planning and getting things done. It’s about knowing what you need out of your planning and task management system and then trialling the system out. You make tweaks as you go along based on what you need and don’t need. Your system will evolve and grow as your seasons of life change. When you build your system to cope around your life the planning and productivity part will naturally appear.
So when it comes to setting up a productive lifestyle where do you start?
I love my colourful planners and stickers and bookmark tabs but when I first started out here are the things I used to find my style of planning:
Calendar – A wall calendar or monthly planner spread is good for this. I like to use the monthly spread in my planner for portability as I carry my planner with me everywhere (maybe not during lockdown but when things go back to normal I will!)
It’s about having full visibility in one go – with a single page flip you want to be able to see what a whole month will look like and also what the next few months will look like.
Pens – I prefer to use ink pens on my calendar and planners and then if I make a mistake I will go back and use tippex/whiteout to correct them. My favourite ink pen is the Pentel Energel 0.5mm tip and for notepad jotting I use a Stabilo Pointball ballpoint pen. I keep it next to my planner ALWAYS. The routine of keeping supplies together is important. If you don’t have a pen nearby you are more likely to “try” remembering an idea instead of getting it out of your head! Also - Don’t be afraid to make a mess, life isn’t meant to be perfect! Mess leads to a much more eclectic life with memories than being perfectly neat.
Post-it notes – these will always come in handy for scribbling things down and sticking them on your desk. They won’t be easily moved by you walking in and out of your home!
Notepad – A basic A5 or A4 pad of paper serves well and is great for catching all the things in your brain for regular brain dumps.
With all of the above It is also important to have a designated space where all of these live. I keep my planner, pens and notepads to one side of my desk so that they are always in view which keeps my brain focused on what needs to get done. If your calendar and pens are not where you will use them your brain will resist using them. You need to make it as easy as possible for your brain to use these tools so that you can create a system that works for you.
Ready to get started on creating stress free productivity in your life? Let’s begin!