I feel like a few times a year I always seem to fall off the productivity train, but I think that is pretty normal. Usually, it happens after a long vacation or holiday. This year, I feel like I’ve been trying to catch back up since our wedding. Before our wedding, I was getting so much done, I felt on top of things at work, I was exercising regularly. A few weeks after we got back, it definitely didn’t feel that way. I had boxes everywhere, unpacked suitcases, laundry for days, a messy desk, and felt like I was lacking nutrients.
In the past couple of weeks though, I’ve gotten back on track and I wanted to share a few tips I learned in the process:
Preparation before Monday is key.
I know you can’t prepare for everything in life but you can make a few adjustments that will make a big difference in the way you go through your weeks. Writing out what you’ll eat for dinner each day of the week (I do this on Sunday’s before I hit up the grocery store), picking out your outfits for each day of the week (saves a lot of time in the morning), and look at your calendar for the week ahead thinking about when you’ll actually carve out time to do a specific task rather than just creating a list of to-do’s.
Start time-blocking.
I frequently create to-do lists, only to make another to-do list, and then I just lose all of my to-do lists. SO, lately, I’ve been taking my to-do list and copying each task into an actual hour on the calendar so that I know “by this time, I’ll have to have this task completed”. It has really helped in my productivity and it feels good to see my list getting shorter and shorter!
Hydrate your brain!
There is 0% chance I’ll be productive if I am dehydrated and it can be so easy to just forget to drink fluids when you have so much to do! Especially after traveling, it’s common to feel dehydrated. Hydration is crucial for when it comes to getting back into a productive routine. It is actually my #1 most important thing to do. If you’re not a big water drinker, OVI Hydration is a great alternative and gives you all of the essential nutrients you need to stay hydrated. I’ve been drinking it all summer long. You can usually find one sitting on my desk. My favorite flavor is their “mandarin lemon” and it makes it easy for me to quickly feel hydrated. You can try some here: www.ovihydration.us.
Get Inspired!
It might sound contradicting to tell you to go find inspiration instead of being productive, but sometimes it helps you get into that mindset by reading a book or a blog post geared specifically towards productivity. I recently placed a big Amazon book order and two of the books I found were “The Productivity Project” and “Decluttering Your Mind”. I haven’t finished them yet but they definitely got me thinking in ways I wouldn’t have if I had not sought out inspiration and motivation.
Clean your surroundings.
This might be an obvious one but whenever I feel overwhelmed, cleaning my workspace is almost always added to the top of my priority list. It doesn’t take long for notes, memos, packages, or even food to clutter where you work. Taking time to reset that workspace creates a sense of accomplishment that will transition into the other things you need to get done. I definitely have to do this every couple of days.
These tips have really helped me when getting back into a productive routine and I’d love to hear if you have any special tips of your own!
Thanks for stopping by!
xo, Shelby
Thank you to OVI Hydration for sponsoring this post.
