Productivity… Challenge Yourself and Up Your Game!
Productivity and time management are topics I never thought I’d be known for during my lifetime. Yet, not long after coming online I realized that I was accomplishing more than ever. I’ve even hosted online Productivity Challenges, and this year will mark the 15th consecutive year where I’ve focused for thirty days on the topic of productivity with some time management strategies thrown in for good measure. Challenge yourself to improve in this area, and I promise this 2024 Productivity Challenge will make a difference for your life, both personally and professionally.
Does It Matter How Productive We Are?
At its core, being productive means getting the things you need to get done in a reasonable amount of time. Time is the only truly limited resource! Becoming more productive means you have more time and resources available to you.
Part of being productive is learning to focus on the right things to work on. Being productive will mean something different for each of us, and that’s okay. It’s important that you define what you want out of becoming more productive. What your goals are.
Why Do YOU Want to Become More Productive?
It’s important to know why you want to be more productive. It’s not about productivity on it’s own. It’s about what being productive can give you. More time, more money, more…
Take a moment to reflect on why you want to be more productive. Be as specific as possible
Now that you have a good idea of why being more productive is a good idea and what you want out of it, let’s take a quick look at what we’ll cover over the course of these 30 days:
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Increase Productivity
- Parkinson’s Law
- Importance vs. Urgency (and what to work on)
- Setting Yourself Up For Success
- Avoiding Procrastination
- Flow and Deep Work
- Productivity Busters & Boosters
- Improving over Time
- And Much More!
This 2024 Productivity Challenge is broken up into thirty days of posts. Take the time to go through each of them. Take notes and most importantly take away action items. What do you want to try today or this week?
Come back to individual strategies whenever you need a refresher or a little bit of extra motivation. You’ll find a mix of concepts and actionable tips throughout this entire challenge. Ready to get started with some of those actionable tips? We’ll look at three of them that you can implement right away, but first…
An Overview of Productivity…
Creating a successful business from within the walls of your home is a challenging feat. But facing the many difficulties and endeavors of entrepreneurship as a work at home entrepreneur is an even more intense task.
Finding a balance between work and home life is essential for entrepreneurs when it comes to productivity and mental health. With schedules, routines, and goals in mind, you will be able to create a healthy balance in your home.
Routines and the Need for Flexibility
Routines are an efficient way to keep yourself on track, while allowing time for other necessities and priorities. Setting up a routine requires you to look at several different aspects of your work and home life.
Consider your priorities. Of course, your family will always be a top priority in your life. Focus on prioritizing the most important tasks for your business after that. When you can make a list of what needs to be done first, and what you absolutely have to work on, you’ll be able to have main focuses to align with your daily routine.
It’s important to set aside time for your family throughout your work day. Just being in their presence doesn’t mean that you are being present in their lives. The same policy goes for work and meetings as well.
Prepare for sacrifices. You won’t be able to make a perfect dinner every night, or finish every project you desire within a day or week. Working at home means that you’ll have to sacrifice some of your time for both work and home life.
Once you’ve chosen your priorities, there are some things that you will simply have to let go of. Allow for some flexibility, too. You know that no schedule or routine can be set in stone.
With children and elderly adults, unexpected situations will occur, and work can be just as unpredictable. If family members are showing signs of needing more of your attention, you may have to take a break from your work to be there for them.
Or, if you’re working on a project for work and there are technological issues for a big multimedia release that has to be fixed immediately, you may have to order takeout and focus on fixing those problems.
Persist with a routine and reward yourself. As you complete goals and follow along with the routine you’ve set for yourself, you deserve to treat yourself. One of the best ways to stay motivated and efficient is to take small breaks and reward yourself for your own hard work.
Maybe you want to get lunch at a place you haven’t been to in awhile, or you could take a break and take the kids to get a special treat. You are only human, so you have to find ways to keep yourself happy and satisfied.
Keep track of your goals, too. Create a spreadsheet, calendar, or planner that maps out your drafted routine plans. This way, you will have everything solidified in writing, and it will be a creative way to keep yourself on task.
Find the Sweet Spot for Productivity
Working at home with your family close by means that you may not be able to follow “normal” work hours. Instead of a typical 9 to 5, you have to search for sweet spots during the day that allow for the most productivity.
If your children or spouse take naps during the day or have a favorite show that airs during a certain time, save your most important work for those moments. You will be able to be the most productive with your distractions lessened.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, either. If you’re falling behind or feeling frustrated with the multitasking at hand, reach out and ask a friend, older child, or spouse to help out when they have some spare time. Give yourself a break from home life so that you can put in your best work.
Get Good at Saying No
It’s not your job to make everyone happy. People will come to you with their problems and desires because everyone needs help sometimes. But you don’t owe it to anyone to do every favor they ask for. Saying no can be freeing in many ways.
Your job is to work on your business and be there for your family. You will have to turn down someone’s request eventually, and it will help you realize how relieving it can be. Being a work at home individual means people will try to take advantage of your availability.
Your needs and desires matter as well. Take care of yourself and the things that matter most to you. Even if you have to say “no” to those closest to you at times, it will be worth it for your mental health.
Tell your spouse or older child that you need to focus on a presentation instead of making dinner or doing a chore is valid, as long as you don’t push your responsibilities off onto them every night. Or perhaps they will volunteer to be more helpful at home!
Take turns with responsibilities so that you both have time for other things. Telling someone “no” does not make you a bad person. Some people may act offended that you had the nerve to turn them down, but that’s only because they’re just thinking about themselves instead of seeing the bigger picture.
However, this means that you have to work to understand why others may say “no” to you as well, so that you aren’t being hypocritical. Everyone has the right to take care of themselves and their priorities first.
Sometimes you have to say “no” to yourself, too. You may have to fight off urges to sleep in or skip out on a project because everything feels too overwhelming. But being in control of yourself is important, especially when you are working towards your goals.
Learn How to Tune Out Noise
Working from home can be challenging when it comes to working with peace and quiet. Family members may not understand the impact of the noise they make, and they may not be able to fully grasp that concept.
There are some things you can do to lessen the impact of noise. Get a white noise machine. A white noise machine may help you drown out the sounds your kids are making, while building up your focus.
If you struggle with random sounds distracting you, this method will help you calm down and push past those distractions. It doesn’t drown them out to a level that’s unsafe, but it kind of blurs it all into a background noise.
Try having a separate office space. Whether you add in more insulation or just need to shut a door, a separate office space will give you an area of quiet concentration. Your family may pick up on the fact that when you enter your office, you need to work hard and be left alone for a little while.
Consider having quiet hours. If your kids are old enough, you can teach them that you need time to work, so they have to be quiet for a certain amount of time. This could also be their time to watch TV or play a video game that they love, as long as they keep the sound at a low volume.
Listen to music while you’re focusing. Although this method does not work with everyone, some people become incredibly efficient when they listen to music. If you have a nicer pair of headphones to block out other noise, you can try listening to classical music, or any genre that works for you.
Sometimes, you can find a video on YouTube with a sound like a crackling fireplace or a running stream or thunderstorm. These sounds can help you focus better and lessen the distracting noise in the home.
Invest in Outside Help If Finances Allow It
Since you are already working on a growing business and nurturing a family, your time is spread pretty thin. If finances allow it, investing in outside help is a good idea. This will help ease the burden of the work, so that you don’t have to shoulder all of it.
There are a few different helpful ideas to consider investing in. Get a weekly cleaning person to come in and help. Hiring a housekeeper will take the task of heavy cleaning off of your shoulders. Someone who can deep clean your house once a week will keep the larger tasks out of your hands, so that you only have light work to do when the day is done. They can also help you catch up on dishes, laundry, and even meal prep.
Use grocery pickup or delivery. Grocery shopping takes up more time than you may realize. If you are on a time crunch and have a shopping list ready, order your supplies online and have it delivered to your door. If you are looking to save a little money, order online and pick up the groceries when your order is ready. Both of these methods will save you a lot of time. Get a babysitter sometimes, too.
Keeping children and/or grandchildren entertained while working on your career isn’t always easy, especially if they are very young. Hiring a babysitter who can spend focused time with them and play with them will give you the space you may need to be efficient.
Even if it’s only for a few hours a day, every busy mother needs a break. An assistant might be a good idea, too. You may worry that you’re missing out on spending more time with your children because of tedious tasks that you have to complete for your business.
Hiring an assistant (virtual or in house) for those tasks will save you time, and allow you to focus on bigger projects as well. Sign up for carpooling if your kids are school aged. If you have a neighbor or friend with kids that lives nearby, you could give them a small amount of money each week for them to pick your kids up along the way to school or other activities.
You can even share in the responsibilities and drive once or twice a week, but it will alleviate the daily burden. Driving takes up a lot of time, and you can’t multitask while taking your children places.
See If Multitasking Helps or Hurts Your Productivity
Multitasking is something commonly recommended to busy people. But what most don’t realize is that it can hurt your work process more than help, if you are the type of person who gets slowed down or overwhelmed by multitasking.
Test out how multitasking works for you by timing your work. Test 1 would include you working on one simple task. Test 2 would include you working on two simple tasks (example: writing and listening at the same time).
Afterwards, reflect on how much information you retained, and how quickly you were able to accomplish things. If you feel like multitasking muddles your clarity or slows down your process, stick to one task at a time.
If you thrive with multitasking, use it to your advantage. Listen to informative podcasts while making your kids or spouses lunch, or play with the kids while brainstorming for an upcoming project. As long as you feel like it is manageable for you, go for it.
Systemize Your Processes
Developing routines and clear systems for every task at hand will help you fall into the swing of things and work as quickly as possible. Whether you are tackling something for work or for home, systemizing your process will be the most efficient way to go. James Clear, bestselling author of “Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” says… “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” What systems do YOU have in place?
Getting the kids ready can be a routine. Sometimes getting your kids ready in the morning can be a burdensome task. If you can teach them how to stick to a morning routine, everyone will be able to do their part.
Have one child pick out their clothing while the other takes a shower, and give each of them an order of tasks to complete so that mornings run smoothly. Templates for product creation come in handy for systemization.
Whether you’re creating a sales letter for a launch or writing a product review, stick to a template that provides a quick and effective solution, so that you are organized and it becomes second nature.
Automate emails and blog posts. Upload your posts and emails ahead of time and schedule them out, so that you don’t have to worry about making a deadline or being available at a specific time.
This will also help you make the most out of posting at specific hours to optimize engagement. Use pre-planned dinner schedules. Instead of brainstorming what to make for dinner while you should be paying attention to a tutorial, set aside time at the beginning of the week to plan out your dinners, so that you can be prepared and ready.
Have a cleaning routine. Cleaning can feel like an overwhelming task. So focus on taking things one room at a time, with a determined path so that cleaning becomes a process, rather than a long, burdensome task that has to be done everywhere at once.
Know When to Be Unavailable
Your work doesn’t have to follow you everywhere you go. Keep your work phone or certain contacts muted when you are devoting time to your family. If it is an emergency, they will reach out to you more than just once.
Giving your children undivided attention is important. They need to know that you prioritize them and want to spend time with them. If you give them that love and support, they are more likely to be respectful when it’s time for you to work.
Your family will have to learn that you can’t always be there for them at every moment of the day. Although children may not always understand why you have to work, they will have to accept that you can’t always play with them.
This may take time and patience, but it’s something that they will have to learn in order for you to be able to work without an interruption every five minutes. This is also something your spouse will need to learn.
Sometimes, they may have to parent or do tasks on their own without your help because of the work that you do. Don’t let this cause friction, but instead keep a calm demeanor as they find their way.
Learn How to Use Tools of Convenience
Finding products that help you deal with two things at once is a great way to multitask without having to physically do the multitasking. There are thousands of products made to make lives easier, and many are specifically targeted towards those who work at home as parents.
Look for toys and items that will keep your children entertained and safe. For example, for younger children, you could purchase a bouncy jumper and attach it to the doorway of your office.
Your children can amuse themselves while you work, and they will always be within your view, so you know they can’t get into anything crazy. To make things easier on the work front, you could try purchasing technology that helps you out with your business.
Set your phone to read messages aloud, so that you can communicate through text with people while playing with your kids. And if you still have baby cameras from when your children were younger, you can utilize them now so that you always know what your kids are up to in the other room.
Have Clear Daily Goals and Make Sure They’re Reasonable
When you set smaller goals, the key is to motivate rather than overwhelm yourself. These goals may be designed to make you more involved in the family, or be more productive at work.
When creating these goals, focus on what you want from them. There are some ideas for goals to set to get yourself started. Push past procrastination. Write at least one page of what you are working on, or set a word goal.
Set timers for allotted time to work on something, then take breaks. Make one important business call. Doing things like this get the ball rolling, and you end up doing far more than you initially promised yourself.
Spend more time with your spouse. Plan out a short date night. Take the kids to lunch. Try to break your nightly routine by talking about a certain topic together or watching a show you both enjoy.
Involve your children and spouse more. Have the kids help out with dinner. Play a board or video game with them. Plan a family movie night. Ask your spouse to help you with something you have “owned” for as long as you can remember. Being a working parent can make you feel like you’re being pulled in all directions at times.
But if you work on finding a healthy balance and utilize tools like routines, schedules and other strategies, you’ll find that your children grow up with a healthy appreciation for your efforts to parent them while simultaneously growing your business.
Day One: You Will Be More Productive When You Know What You’ll Be Doing Next
Having a to-do list gives you a clear plan of what you should get accomplished on any given day. My to-do list becomes an ongoing document, and then I move a few items over to my schedule for the following day. Keep your schedule to no more than four or five items, and you may wish to combine both personal and business items, as I’ve done for a decade now.
Make sure they are things you can realistically get done in a day. Don’t beat yourself up for not finishing everything on your schedule. Over time you’ll know exactly what you’ll be able to accomplish and what needs to be moved to another day.
Create your schedule the night before so you’re up and running the next morning as soon as you sit down at your desk. Figure out what your two most important tasks are and mark them as such.
Day Two: Limit the Time You Spend Checking Email, Scrolling on Your Phone, and on Social Media
Nothing zaps your productivity quicker and more efficiently than constant interruptions and distractions. Email and social media are particularly guilty of this. We can’t ignore them indefinitely. But we can carve out time without them. This is particularly important first thing in the morning.
Don’t let the drama that comes with email and especially social media derail you before you make some progress on your most important tasks or projects. The rule is simple: No email or social media first thing in the morning. You decide how long you want to delay them.
Day Three: Your Morning Routine
Speaking of no social media and leaving your email inbox closed… What do you do instead? Grab your to-do list and look at your most important tasks. Then, move the ones you wish to complete to your schedule for that day.
Which one of those is the most important one? Alternatively, which one seems the most difficult to do? Pick one and tackle this item on your schedule first, before you do anything else. There are several reasons why this is a good idea:
- No matter what happens during the rest of your day, you’ve gotten something done that will help you move forward.
- You’ll feel good about yourself.
- You’re building momentum that will carry you through the rest of your day.
- Give it a try and see for yourself how well this works.
Developing a solid morning routine that works for you will make all the difference in your outlook on life and the world, in my experience.
Day Four: Use a Decision Making Process for Maximum Productivity
What is the decision making process? I had the same question until this concept was shared with me by my mentor in our Mastermind. Asana has created a detailed outline that I’m able to discuss with you here…
The decision making process is the method of gathering information, assessing alternatives, and, ultimately, making a final choice.
The following seven step process is intended for challenging decisions that involve multiple stakeholders, but this process can be used for something as simple as what cereal to pour into your breakfast bowl in the morning.
The 7 steps of the decision making process
Step 1: Identify the decision that needs to be made
When you’re identifying the decision, ask yourself a few questions:
What is the problem that needs to be solved?
What is the goal you plan to achieve by implementing this decision?
How will you measure success?
These questions are all common goal setting techniques that will ultimately help you come up with possible solutions. When the problem is clearly defined, you then have more information to come up with the best decision to solve the problem.
Step 2: Gather relevant information
Gathering information related to the decision being made is an important step to making an informed decision. Does your team have any historical data as it relates to this issue? Has anybody attempted to solve this problem before?
It’s also important to look for information outside of your team or company. Effective decision making requires information from many different sources. Find external resources, whether it’s doing market research, working with a consultant, or talking with colleagues at a different company who have relevant experience. Gathering information helps your team identify different solutions to your problem.
Step 3: Identify alternative solutions
This step requires you to look for many different solutions for the problem at hand. Finding more than one possible alternative is important when it comes to business decision-making, because different stakeholders may have different needs depending on their role. For example, if a company is looking for a work management tool, the design team may have different needs than a development team. Choosing only one solution right off the bat might not be the right course of action.
Step 4: Weigh the evidence
This is when you take all of the different solutions you’ve come up with and analyze how they would address your initial problem. Your team begins identifying the pros and cons of each option, and eliminating alternatives from those choices.
There are a few common ways your team can analyze and weigh the evidence of options:
- Pros and cons list
- SWOT analysis
- Decision matrix
Step 5: Choose among the alternatives
The next step is to make your final decision. Consider all of the information you’ve collected and how this decision may affect each stakeholder.
Sometimes the right decision is not one of the alternatives, but a blend of a few different alternatives. Effective decision-making involves creative problem solving and thinking out of the box, so don’t limit you or your teams to clear-cut options.
One of the key values at Asana is to reject false tradeoffs. Choosing just one decision can mean losing benefits in others. If you can, try and find options that go beyond just the alternatives presented.
Step 6: Take action
Once the final decision maker gives the green light, it’s time to put the solution into action. Take the time to create an implementation plan so that your team is on the same page for next steps. Then it’s time to put your plan into action and monitor progress to determine whether or not this decision was a good one.
Step 7: Review your decision and its impact (both good and bad)
Once you’ve made a decision, you can monitor the success metrics you outlined in step 1. This is how you determine whether or not this solution meets your team’s criteria of success.
Here are a few questions to consider when reviewing your decision:
Did it solve the problem your team identified in step 1?
Did this decision impact your team in a positive or negative way?
Which stakeholders benefited from this decision? Which stakeholders were impacted negatively?
If this solution was not the best alternative, your team might benefit from using an iterative form of project management. This enables your team to quickly adapt to changes, and make the best decisions with the resources they have.
I hope that you will take the time to study and implement this decision making process for your business. Is this Productivity Challenge all you had hoped for, or are your still making up your mind?
Day Five: Start Your Work Day with a New Piece of Marketing Knowledge
Starting your workday with a new piece of marketing knowledge embodies a powerful habit that can significantly enhance an online marketer’s skill set and strategic perspective.
This practice, centered around the daily acquisition of bite-sized marketing insights, is not merely about information gathering; it’s a strategic move towards staying ahead in an ever-evolving field.
The digital marketing landscape is notorious for its rapid changes and innovations. Algorithms shift, consumer behaviors evolve, and new platforms emerge with stunning regularity.
The marketer/entrepreneur who dedicates time each morning to learning something new is not just preparing for the day but is investing in their long-term ability to adapt and thrive. Integrating this habit into your morning routine transforms the start of your workday from a period of adjustment into an opportunity for empowerment.
This learning can take many forms, such as reading the latest blog posts from thought leaders, watching a tutorial on a new tool or technique, or even listening to a podcast episode covering recent trends or case studies.
The key is to select resources that are reputable, current, and most importantly, actionable. This ensures that the knowledge gained is not only informative but can be directly applied or considered in your marketing strategies.
This practice has several profound benefits. Firstly, it keeps you informed about the latest trends and tools, ensuring your marketing strategies remain relevant and effective.
This is crucial in an industry where being outdated can lead to diminished returns on investment and lost competitive edge. Secondly, it stimulates your brain, preparing you mentally for a productive day.
Engaging with new information first thing in the morning can spark creativity, inspire innovative ideas, and improve problem-solving skills throughout the day. Thirdly, it contributes to your professional development continuously and cumulatively.
Over time, these daily insights build into a significant body of knowledge, enhancing your expertise and value as a marketer. Starting your day with learning fosters a growth mindset.
It reinforces the idea that improvement is always possible and that skills can be developed through dedication and hard work. This mindset is invaluable for overcoming challenges and achieving long-term success.
It also sets a positive tone for the day, instilling a sense of achievement from the outset. Feeling like you’ve already accomplished something significant by expanding your knowledge can boost your confidence and motivation, setting a productive rhythm for the rest of the day.
Incorporating this habit into your morning routine does not require a significant time commitment. Even dedicating a short period, such as 15 to 20 minutes, can be highly beneficial.
The consistency of this practice is what makes it impactful, not necessarily the quantity of time spent. By making learning a non-negotiable part of your morning, you ensure that every day starts with a step towards personal and professional growth.
Starting your workday with a new piece of marketing knowledge is a strategic habit that positions you for success. It enhances your adaptability, keeps you at the forefront of industry trends, and fuels your professional growth.
This habit not only enriches your marketing strategies but also cultivates a proactive and growth-oriented mindset. By making learning a cornerstone of your morning routine, you set the stage for a day of productivity and a career of continuous advancement.
Day Six: Create a To Do Task That Uses Time Blocks
Creating a to-do list and schedule that incorporates time blocking is a transformative habit for online marketers and entrepreneurs aiming to maximize productivity and efficiency in their work-from-home environment.
This method goes beyond traditional to-do lists by not only specifying what tasks need to be completed but also when each task will be tackled throughout the day. Time blocking involves dividing your day into blocks of time, each dedicated to a specific task or group of tasks.
This strategy is particularly effective for online marketers, who often juggle various responsibilities, from content creation and social media management to email marketing and analytics review.
The first step in implementing this method is to assess the tasks that need to be completed. This involves a thorough overview of both immediate and long-term projects to identify what needs to be prioritized.
Once tasks have been identified, the next step is to estimate how much time each task will require. This step is crucial as it helps in realistically allocating blocks of time to tasks based on their complexity and urgency.
After tasks have been identified and time estimates assigned, the next phase involves scheduling these tasks into your calendar. This is where time blocking comes to life. Each task is assigned a specific block of time in the day, creating a visual map of how the day will unfold.
This approach does several things: it transforms your calendar into a powerful tool for time management, ensures a balanced distribution of work, and sets clear start and end times for tasks, which can help reduce the tendency to overextend on any one activity.
One of the most significant advantages of time blocking is its ability to mitigate the impact of distractions and procrastination. By having a predefined schedule, you are more likely to stay focused on the task at hand, knowing that there is a set time for everything, including breaks and potentially distracting activities like checking emails or social media.
Time blocking encourages deep work periods, allowing for focused effort on tasks that require more concentration, ultimately leading to higher quality work. Another benefit of this approach is its flexibility.
While the schedule is planned out, it can be adjusted as needed to accommodate urgent tasks or unforeseen events. This adaptability is essential in the fast-paced world of online marketing, where priorities can shift quickly. The key is to revisit and adjust your time blocks as necessary, ensuring that they continue to serve your productivity goals effectively.
Incorporating time blocking into your daily routine also has long-term benefits for your workflow and work-life balance. By clearly defining when you’re working and when you’re not, you create boundaries that help prevent burnout. It allows for scheduled downtime, ensuring that rest and rejuvenation are part of your routine, which is crucial for sustained productivity and creativity.
Creating a to-do list that utilizes time blocking is a strategic approach to managing your workday as an online marketer. It enables you to navigate your day with purpose and direction, tackling tasks with increased efficiency and focus.
This method not only enhances daily productivity but also contributes to achieving a healthier work-life balance, making it an indispensable habit for high-performing professionals.
Day Seven: Identify and Track Your Procrastination Triggers
Identifying and tracking procrastination triggers is a critical habit for online marketers working from home, aiming to optimize their productivity and efficiency. Procrastination, the act of delaying or postponing tasks, is a common challenge that can significantly hinder performance and success.
For online marketers and entrepreneurs, who often manage a wide array of tasks with varying deadlines, succumbing to procrastination can lead to missed opportunities, increased stress, and lower quality work.
Understanding and managing the specific triggers that lead to procrastination can transform one’s work ethic and output. The process of identifying procrastination triggers begins with self-reflection and observation.
It requires paying close attention to the moments when you decide to put off work, noting what tasks you are avoiding, and recognizing the emotions or thoughts accompanying these instances.
Common triggers include feeling overwhelmed by the size or complexity of a task, fearing failure, seeking perfection, feeling unmotivated, or being distracted by the environment.
Once triggers are identified, the next step involves tracking these occurrences over time to understand patterns and contexts in which procrastination happens. This tracking can be done through a simple journal, a digital document, or specialized apps designed for habit tracking.
The key is to be consistent and honest in recording instances of procrastination, including details about the task, the trigger, the time of day, and any external factors that may influence the behavior.
This detailed tracking helps in pinpointing not just what triggers procrastination but also when and why it occurs. Understanding procrastination triggers enables the development of targeted strategies to counteract them.
For example, if feeling overwhelmed is a common trigger, breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable parts can help. If fear of failure is the trigger, setting realistic expectations and focusing on progress rather than perfection can alleviate this fear. If distractions are a problem, creating a more controlled work environment or using tools to limit digital distractions can be effective.
Addressing procrastination triggers is not about eliminating procrastination entirely—everyone procrastinates at some point—but about minimizing its impact on your work and productivity.
By understanding your triggers, you can create a more conducive work environment, adjust your work habits, and employ specific strategies to keep procrastination at bay. This might include setting clearer goals, using positive reinforcement, changing your work routine, or seeking support from colleagues or mentors.
Tackling procrastination through identifying and tracking triggers is an ongoing process. It requires regular reflection and adjustment as tasks, priorities, and environments change.
The objective is to develop a deep understanding of your work habits and to use this knowledge to foster a more productive and satisfying work life. Identifying and tracking procrastination triggers is a vital habit for online marketers seeking to improve their productivity and efficiency.
NOTE: Do you ever think to yourself “I don’t feel like it.” and then avoid a task or activity? We all have this thought, but the only way to move forward with your goals is to thank yourself for sharing and take action. I didn’t feel like practicing my writing every day when I came online, but I sure like sharing with you that my 28th full-length, non-fiction book has been published. Decide if what you don’t feel like doing is keeping you where you are instead of helping you to change your life in some small or life-changing way.
This practice not only helps in understanding the root causes of procrastination but also in implementing practical strategies to overcome it. By continuously monitoring and adjusting their approach to work, online marketers can significantly reduce the impact of procrastination on their performance and achieve higher levels of success and fulfillment in their careers.
Day Eight: Use Habit Stacking to Fuel Your Massive Productivity Throughout the Day
Using habit stacking for increased and inspired productivity throughout the day is a strategic approach that can significantly enhance productivity and efficiency for online marketers working from home.
Habit stacking, a concept introduced by author S.J. Scott, involves integrating new habits into your existing routine by pairing them with habits that are already established. This technique leverages the power of association and routine, making it easier to adopt new behaviors without the resistance often encountered when trying to introduce standalone habits.
For online marketers, whose days are filled with diverse tasks ranging from content creation to data analysis, habit stacking can be a game-changer. It offers a structured yet flexible way to incorporate productive behaviors into the daily workflow, ensuring that important tasks are not overlooked and personal development is continuous.
The essence of habit stacking is simplicity and specificity. Start by identifying a well-established habit in your daily routine, such as drinking coffee in the morning. Then, choose a new habit you want to develop that can be logically linked to this existing one, such as reviewing your task list for the day.
By consistently performing the new habit immediately after the existing one, the original habit essentially becomes a cue for the new behavior. Over time, this pairing creates a linked sequence of activities that flow naturally, reducing the mental effort required to get started on new tasks.
Implementing habit stacking effectively requires thoughtful planning and a clear understanding of your daily routines and objectives. For online marketers, this might mean stacking a habit of checking industry news right after turning on their computer, or practicing deep work sessions immediately following a morning break.
The key is to ensure that the new habit fits seamlessly into your routine and aligns with your productivity goals. One of the greatest benefits of habit stacking is its cumulative effect on productivity and personal growth.
As small changes become ingrained in your daily routine, they can lead to significant improvements in work performance and overall well-being. This method also promotes a sense of achievement and progress, as the successful integration of new habits provides tangible evidence of self-improvement.
Habit stacking can be particularly effective in combating procrastination and enhancing focus. By creating a structured sequence of activities, you can build momentum that carries you through tasks with less effort and more focus. This momentum is crucial for maintaining productivity, especially in the flexible and often distraction-filled work-from-home environment faced by online marketers.
In addition to boosting productivity, habit stacking fosters adaptability and resilience. As new challenges and opportunities arise, you can adjust your stacks to incorporate new skills or tasks, ensuring that your daily routine evolves in alignment with your career goals and personal aspirations.
Using habit stacking to fuel success throughout the day is a powerful strategy for online marketers looking to enhance their productivity and achieve their goals. By thoughtfully integrating new habits into existing routines, marketers can streamline their workflow, improve their focus, and foster continuous personal and professional growth.
This approach not only maximizes the efficiency of each day but also contributes to long-term success in the dynamic field of online marketing.
Day Nine: Optimize Your AI Freelance Career
There are many men and women all over the world launching new careers as artificial intelligence (AI) specialists. This is an option for those with very limited experience, thanks to AI’s ability to walk you through the use of its technology.
If you’re considering starting your own business as an AI expert, or you already have, you need to know how you can set yourself apart and optimize your efforts in a way that frees up more time, scales the growth of your business and allows you to serve more people while maximizing profits.
Let’s look at some ways you can make your business thrive in the new frontier of AI service experts. Once you implement these seven concepts, you’ll find that you’ve built a solid foundation for a unique, cutting edge business people can count on.
Perfect Your Messaging About Client Needs and Services
AI is so new to many people that it helps if you can carefully explain how you can help them and more specifically, how your use of AI can help them. For example, instead of just telling someone that you can improve their ranking in search engine results pages, go one step further.
Let them know that by hiring you to optimize their blog with AI, you’ll be using technology to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their content, compare it to those who are outranking them, and initiate a plan to topple competitors with improved content.
You don’t need to walk them through the prompts you’ll be using, but just give them specifics about how AI can handle these tasks in a lightening-fast pace to turn things around for their business and make it more efficient and profitable.
Highlight the benefits in addition to speed, too. Not only does AI have capabilities that far exceed human potential (such as with major analysis and predictive forecasting), but it comes up with innovative action steps that can be implemented that ordinary workers may not be able to conceptualize.
Highlight Comprehensive Case Studies to Showcase Benefits
Another thing you want to do is use case studies to bring on more clients. These case studies need to be professionally formatted for delivery to offline and online clients, but you can also use them to draw in prospective clients on your blog, too.
You can even ask AI to help you create a case study. For example, pick a primary keyword phrase in a niche that you want to target. Then have a case study that conveys the comprehensive use of AI in many different aspects.
You could show how you rank a blog post for that primary keyword phrase, how you come up with a month’s worth of content ideas surround that topic, how you garner complete social media coverage using that keyword as a hashtag and topic on various platforms, and more.
Showcase your ability to create different media formats of content around that topic, including text blogs, videos, and graphics – or even podcast episodes. Depending on what you want to specialize in, create case studies that prove you have what it takes to wield the power of AI for their benefit.
Have Access to a Variety of AI Tools
Many AI users stick with just one tool (like ChatGPT) but there are dozens of new AI tools being released every single day. You want to be able to use text AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
But you also want to be able to use video AI tools, audio tools, graphics tools and analytics AI tools, too. There are numerous options that you’ll find listed in AI tech newsletters and on blogs dedicated to covering the AI industry as a whole.
Many of them have free versions for you to use or test trials. Don’t invest in any of them unless you have done due diligence in finding the best options and then seeing what kind of demand you get from clients.
Once you know which ones you’ll be using, learn how to use them and create case studies that include the use of a variety of AI products. These can be listed somewhere on your freelance site to showcase your understanding and application of these platforms.
Invest in Higher Tier Use of AI
When you find tools that work extremely well for your business, you want to level up so that you’re paying for higher tiers than free usage. For example, the output of ChatGPT Plus is far better than what you’ll get with the free 3.5 version, but if that’s all that’s within your budget initially, use the free until you can reinvest in your business.
Another reason you may need to invest in a higher tier is the output capabilities. If you start adding on clients, you’ll need more (and faster) output than if it was just you using it for your own business.
And when the time comes for you to scale your solo operation into an artificial intelligence agency where you have a team of freelancers working with clients, you can upgrade to enterprise levels.
Analyze Your Scalability at the Right Pace
Knowing how much u can scale at the right pace is important. AI will be doing the lion’s share of the work for you, but it still requires you to have a hands on approach in prompting for the output and taking action with it.
You want to scale your business gradually until you’re confident that you can maintain deliverables in a timely manner at the same quality your clients are used to. Scaling can also mean bringing on another person into your agency and taking a cut of the earnings they get through your business.
Prove That You’re a Cutting Edge AI Expert
It’s important for clients to feel comfortable working with you. AI changes at a rapid pace. You need to make them feel at ease with your ability to immerse yourself in a continual learning process.
It’s not just knowing about changes with AI, either. Show that you stay on top of things like SEO, for example. If they need your help with AI to rank better, then understanding Google’s changes regarding SEO and the use of AI content is important.
Being able to showcase your knowledge about this type of thing gives them confidence in hiring you for the job. Pay attention to specific AI announcements about features, too. Build a list of prospective clients and tie in feature improvements into your services.
For example, when Gemini added the ability to edit within output, you might announce that improvement to clients and discuss how it can vastly improve both output and speed of deliverables, with you ending communications with a strong call to action for a special subscriber client deal.
Learn how to build and use custom GPTs, too. You’ll need a ChatGPT Plus account to do it, but you can offer this feature as an exclusive service you can provide where you build a custom GPT that can be used specifically for their business.
Have a Strong Promo Plan as an AI Specialist
Promoting your service as an AI expert is essential to maximizing your revenue. People need to know you’re available and what you can do for them, and sometimes they won’t search specifically for anything AI-related, but for the task they need help with.
You should create both blog and social media content that highlights your knowledge of AI and how it can help with tasks, without giving them a step-by-step tutorial to do it themselves.
You can even use AI to get the coverage and ranking you needed and disclose that if the client is reading your piece of content, they’ll be happy to know that they found it because of your use of AI in publishing it.
Make sure you’re using a cross-coverage promotional plan, targeting keywords and hashtags with the right timing. If you want to, you can get AI to help you create a paid ad campaign to use on search engines and social media where you drive prospective clients back to a landing page with a lead magnet about how an AI expert can help them.
Day Ten: Put Yourself Through a Distraction Detox During Work Hours
Putting yourself through a distraction detox during work hours is a vital strategy for online marketers aiming to enhance their focus and productivity. The digital landscape is rife with distractions, from incessant email notifications to the lure of social media, making it increasingly difficult to maintain concentration on work tasks.
A distraction detox involves intentionally eliminating or reducing these interruptions, allowing for deeper focus and more efficient work practices. The process begins with identifying the main sources of distraction.
For many, this includes smartphones, social media, email, and web browsing. Once identified, the next step is to implement strategies to minimize or eliminate these distractions during work hours.
This might involve using apps that block access to certain websites or social media during specified times, setting specific intervals for checking email rather than responding in real-time, or keeping the smartphone in another room while working.
Creating a physical environment that supports focused work is also essential. This might mean organizing a dedicated workspace that is free from clutter and visual distractions.
For some, it could involve using noise-cancelling headphones to block out background noise or playing white noise or ambient sounds to help maintain concentration. In addition to modifying the physical and digital environment, it’s important to develop personal habits that support sustained focus.
This includes taking regular, short breaks to rest and recharge, as trying to maintain concentration for too long without a break can actually increase susceptibility to distractions.
Implementing a technique like the Pomodoro Technique, which involves working for focused intervals followed by short breaks, can help structure the workday for maximum efficiency and focus.
Engaging in a distraction detox also requires setting clear boundaries with others. This might involve communicating to colleagues, friends, and family about your dedicated work hours and the importance of minimizing interruptions during these times.
Establishing these boundaries helps to create a mutual understanding and respect for your work time, reducing unnecessary interruptions. The benefits of undergoing a distraction detox are substantial.
By reducing interruptions, online marketers can achieve a higher quality of work, as tasks are completed with greater care and attention to detail. This focused approach can lead to more creative and strategic thinking, as the mind is not constantly being pulled in different directions.
Additionally, completing tasks without constant interruptions can lead to a greater sense of accomplishment and reduced stress, as work is completed more efficiently and effectively.
Undergoing a distraction detox is not about eliminating all breaks or moments of relaxation. Instead, it’s about creating a work environment and habits that minimize interruptions and maximize focus during designated work times.
By intentionally designing your workday to support deep focus, you can significantly enhance your productivity and satisfaction with your work. For online marketers navigating the distraction-filled world of digital work, a distraction detox offers a path to reclaiming focus and elevating their work quality.
This disciplined approach not only enhances productivity but also contributes to a more balanced and fulfilling professional life.
Day Eleven: Outsource Essential Tasks for Specific Reasons
Outsourcing essential tasks for specific reasons, such as those falling outside of one’s expertise or being too time-consuming and of lower priority, is a strategic approach that online marketers can employ to enhance efficiency and focus on their core competencies.
This practice allows marketers to delegate tasks that require specialized knowledge or skills they may not possess or activities that, while necessary, do not directly contribute to their primary goals and objectives.
By doing so, marketers can optimize their workload, ensuring that their time and effort are invested in areas where they can add the most value and achieve the greatest impact.
The decision to outsource begins with a thorough analysis of one’s tasks and responsibilities, identifying which activities are essential yet fall outside the marketer’s area of expertise.
These might include technical tasks such as website development, graphic design, or data analysis, which require specific skills to be executed effectively. By outsourcing these tasks to professionals who specialize in these areas, marketers can ensure that the work is done efficiently and to a high standard, without the need to invest time and resources into acquiring these specialized skills themselves.
In addition to tasks requiring specialized expertise, outsourcing is also beneficial for tasks that are time-consuming and considered lower priority. These activities, such as administrative duties, content creation, or social media management, while important, can consume a significant amount of time that could be better spent on strategic planning, client engagement, or other high-impact activities.
By delegating these tasks to external parties, marketers can free up their schedule to focus on areas that directly contribute to their business goals. Outsourcing offers several key benefits, including increased productivity and efficiency.
By focusing on their strengths and areas of expertise, marketers can work more effectively, contributing to higher-quality outcomes and faster achievement of goals. Additionally, outsourcing can lead to improved work-life balance, as it reduces the workload and stress associated with trying to manage all aspects of marketing operations alone.
This can enhance overall well-being and prevent burnout, ensuring that marketers remain motivated and engaged in their work. Outsourcing provides access to a broader range of skills and perspectives, which can enhance the quality and creativity of marketing efforts.
External professionals bring their expertise and experience, offering new ideas and approaches that can improve marketing strategies and outcomes. This collaboration can lead to more innovative and effective marketing solutions that drive business success.
Successful outsourcing requires careful selection of service providers, clear communication of expectations and goals, and ongoing management of the relationship to ensure that the outsourced work aligns with the marketer’s standards and objectives.
It involves trust and collaboration, as well as an understanding of how to integrate external contributions seamlessly into the marketer’s overall strategy. Outsourcing essential tasks that are outside one’s expertise or too time-consuming and lower priority is a strategic move for online marketers.
It allows them to concentrate on their core activities, leveraging external expertise to enhance efficiency and productivity. This approach not only optimizes the marketing process but also contributes to a more balanced and successful professional life, enabling marketers to achieve their goals with greater ease and effectiveness.
Day Twelve: Align Tasks with Energy Levels Throughout the Day for Optimal Performance
Aligning tasks with energy levels throughout the day for optimal performance is a strategic approach that recognizes the natural fluctuations in an individual’s productivity and motivation.
This method, based on the principle of chronobiology, suggests that by scheduling work according to our internal clocks, we can maximize efficiency and output. For online marketers, who often have the flexibility to set their own schedules, this strategy can lead to significant improvements in both the quality of work and overall well-being.
Everyone experiences variations in energy and focus at different times of the day, a pattern known as the circadian rhythm. Some people find themselves most alert and creative in the morning, while others hit their stride in the afternoon or evening.
By understanding and respecting these personal productivity patterns, you can align tasks to match your peak performance times. The first step in this process is to observe and note your energy levels over a period of a few weeks.
Keep a journal to track when you feel most energetic, focused, and creative, as well as when you experience lulls in your motivation. This tracking can help identify patterns in your daily energy fluctuations, providing a basis for planning your work schedule.
Once you have a clear understanding of your energy peaks and troughs, start aligning tasks accordingly. Schedule demanding, high-concentration tasks such as strategic planning, content creation, or data analysis during your peak energy times.
These tasks require your full attention and creativity, making them ideal for periods when you are at your mental best. Conversely, save lower-energy tasks for your off-peak times.
These might include administrative duties, responding to emails, or tending to other routine items on your to do list. Such tasks are less affected by your energy levels and can often be completed even when you’re not feeling at your most vibrant.
This approach also encourages taking regular breaks, especially during natural dips in energy. Short breaks can help recharge your batteries and increase your productivity for the next work period.
Integrating brief periods of rest, physical activity, or relaxation techniques during these times can help maintain a steady level of performance throughout the day. Adopting this strategy not only enhances work efficiency but also contributes to a healthier work-life balance.
By working with your body’s natural rhythms, you reduce the likelihood of burnout and increase job satisfaction. It allows for a more personalized work schedule that accommodates personal preferences and life commitments, which is particularly beneficial for those with flexible work environments like online marketing.
For online marketers, aligning tasks with energy levels can transform the workday from a marathon to a series of sprints, where effort is concentrated and rest is adequately valued. This method fosters a sustainable approach to work, where productivity is maximized through attunement to one’s own physiological and psychological needs.
Day Thirteen: Establish Your Weekly Marketing Budget Early On
Establishing your weekly marketing budget early on is a critical habit for online marketers aiming to optimize their resources and achieve sustainable growth. This practice involves setting aside a predetermined amount of funds each week to cover all marketing-related expenses, including advertising, content creation, software subscriptions, and any other costs associated with promoting products or services.
By developing the habit of weekly budgeting, marketers can ensure they maintain control over their finances, enabling more strategic decision-making and preventing overspending.
Weekly budgeting allows for a closer, more responsive management of marketing expenses. This frequent assessment helps in quickly identifying what’s working and what isn’t, allowing for adjustments to be made in real-time.
This agility is crucial in the fast-paced world of online marketing, where the effectiveness of campaigns can change rapidly due to external factors like consumer trends or algorithm updates.
To successfully establish this habit, start by reviewing historical data to understand your marketing expenditures and returns. This review should include an analysis of past campaigns, identifying which strategies yielded the best ROI.
With this insight, you can allocate your weekly budget more effectively, prioritizing areas with the highest potential return. Another key aspect of establishing a weekly marketing budget is the incorporation of forecasting.
Predictive analysis of upcoming trends and market shifts can guide how you distribute your budget, ensuring that funds are allocated to strategies likely to perform well in the near future.
This forward-looking approach not only maximizes the impact of your budget but also fosters a proactive rather than reactive marketing strategy. Setting a weekly budget encourages a disciplined approach to marketing spend, promoting a culture of accountability and strategic planning.
It requires marketers to justify every dollar spent, ensuring that all marketing efforts are aligned with overarching business goals. This discipline can lead to more innovative and cost-effective marketing solutions, as it encourages marketers to think creatively about how to achieve the best results with limited resources.
In addition to financial benefits, the habit of weekly budgeting supports continuous learning and improvement. By regularly reviewing budget allocations and their outcomes, marketers can gain deeper insights into the effectiveness of different strategies and channels.
This ongoing learning process is invaluable for refining marketing tactics and improving overall performance. Establishing a weekly marketing budget early on in your marketing planning process is not just about financial management; it’s a strategic habit that fosters discipline, agility, and continuous improvement.
This habit ensures that marketing efforts are not only aligned with business goals but are also adaptable to the ever-changing online marketplace. For online marketers, developing and maintaining this habit can be a key driver of long-term success and sustainability.
Day Fourteen: Divide Up the Week’s Projects Into Mini Milestones
Dividing the week’s projects into mini milestones is a highly effective habit that online marketers can develop to enhance their productivity and project management skills. This approach breaks down larger tasks into smaller, more manageable parts, making it easier to track progress, maintain motivation, and identify potential issues early on.
By focusing on achieving these mini milestones, marketers can ensure steady progress toward their larger goals, making the task seem less daunting and more achievable.
The first step in adopting this habit is to outline the week’s projects in detail.
This involves identifying all tasks that need to be completed and understanding their scope and requirements. Once you have a clear overview, you can begin to break these larger projects into smaller, actionable milestones.
These milestones should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART), providing clear targets to aim for throughout the week. For example, if a project involves launching a new email marketing campaign, mini milestones could include completing market research, drafting email content, designing email templates, setting up the email campaign in the marketing platform, and analyzing the campaign’s performance after launch.
Each of these milestones can be assigned a specific deadline throughout the week, spreading the workload more evenly and making the project more manageable. This habit of dividing work into mini milestones also facilitates better time management.
By knowing exactly what needs to be achieved each day or week, marketers can allocate their time more effectively, prioritizing tasks that are critical to meeting the next milestone.
This can help prevent last-minute rushes and the stress that comes with trying to complete a large project in a short amount of time. Achieving mini milestones provides regular opportunities for reflection and adjustment.
After completing each milestone, take the time to review the work done, assess the outcomes, and adjust the plan for the next milestones as necessary. This iterative process allows for continuous improvement and adaptation, ensuring that the final project outcomes are of the highest quality.
Celebrating the completion of mini milestones is also important. Recognizing and rewarding yourself for these smaller achievements can boost morale and motivation, keeping you engaged and focused on the project.
Whether it’s taking a short break, treating yourself to something you enjoy, or simply acknowledging the progress made, these celebrations can make the work more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Developing the habit of dividing the week’s projects into mini milestones can transform how online marketers approach their work. It not only makes large projects more manageable but also enhances productivity, improves time management, and increases the quality of work.
By adopting this approach, marketers can enjoy a more structured, stress-free work process that leads to successful project outcomes and a greater sense of achievement. This could be the most important lesson of all for this 2024 Productivity Challenge!
Day Fifteen: Gauge Your Marketing Conversions for Daily Optimization
Developing the habit of gauging your marketing conversions for daily optimization is a crucial practice for online marketers aiming to maximize the effectiveness of their campaigns.
This approach involves regularly monitoring and analyzing the performance of marketing efforts to identify what is working and what is not. By making this a daily habit, marketers can quickly adjust strategies, refine targeting, and optimize budget allocation to ensure the highest possible return on investment.
The digital marketing landscape is incredibly dynamic, with consumer behaviors, platform algorithms, and competitive tactics constantly evolving. In this environment, what worked yesterday may not work today, making agility and responsiveness critical for success.
Daily tracking of marketing conversions allows marketers to stay ahead of these changes, making informed decisions based on the latest data. Implementing this habit starts with defining key performance indicators (KPIs) that are aligned with your marketing goals.
These might include metrics such as conversion rate, cost per acquisition, click-through rate, or return on ad spend. By focusing on these metrics, marketers can gain insights into the effectiveness of their campaigns in real-time.
The next step involves setting up a system for monitoring these KPIs efficiently. This might involve using analytics tools that provide daily reports or dashboards that highlight performance trends.
The goal is to create a streamlined process for collecting and analyzing data that does not become a time-consuming task in itself. Once the data is collected, the habit of daily optimization involves analyzing this information to identify patterns, successes, and areas for improvement.
This analysis might reveal that certain types of content are more effective at driving conversions or that specific times of day yield better results. Armed with this knowledge, marketers can make tactical adjustments, such as reallocating budget to high-performing ads or tweaking messaging to better resonate with the target audience.
The benefits of making daily conversion tracking and optimization a habit extend beyond immediate campaign performance improvements. Over time, this practice builds a rich dataset that can inform strategic decisions, helping marketers understand their audience more deeply and predict future trends more accurately.
This foresight can be a significant competitive advantage, allowing for proactive rather than reactive marketing strategies. The habit of daily optimization fosters a culture of continuous improvement and learning within marketing teams.
It encourages a mindset that is always looking for ways to improve, test new ideas, and innovate. This not only leads to better marketing results but also contributes to professional growth and development for those involved.
Establishing the habit of gauging marketing conversions for daily optimization is essential for online marketers who want to stay competitive and efficient. This practice allows for agile decision-making, ensures resources are used effectively, and drives continuous improvement in marketing strategies.
By making this a part of the daily routine, marketers can significantly enhance the impact and efficiency of their efforts, leading to sustained success in their online marketing endeavors.
Day Sixteen: 7 Tips for Getting Organized So You Can Be More Productive is a Guest Post from Lorene Troyer
“The more you organize your life, the more time and energy you’ll have to do the things that truly matter.” – Unknown
Do you need some tips for getting organized? I know from personal experience that going about my day without a plan will cause me to fizzle out pretty quickly both mentally and physically.
In order to be productive, it’s important to get organized. This means creating a system where you can easily find what you need when you need it. It also means setting aside time for the tasks that are most important to you. A little bit of organization can go a long way in helping you achieve your goals.
There are several ways you can go about organizing your tasks and responsibilities, and I’ve included some below to help you get started.
1. Set Goals
Setting attainable goals can help you stay focused and productive. It’s easier to organize your work into manageable tasks when you set specific goals with steps and a timeline. Be sure to create both short- and long-term goals to keep yourself on track!
2. Commit Your Plans to the Lord
Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be achieved.” In your morning devotions, consciously commit your activities for the day to the Lord. Offer your plans, intentions, and desires to Him, asking for guidance and wisdom in all that you do. As you go about your day, have an attitude of faith. Do your work as if you’re doing it for God (because you are). Put in your best effort and trust that He will guide the outcome.
3. Track Progress
Tracking your progress is a great way to make sure you are accomplishing your goals in the time frame you planned. It’s also a really good way to keep yourself motivated – when you see how much progress you’ve already made it’s a lot easier to keep going! You can also use progress tracking to help you figure out what times of the day and week you’re the most productive and schedule your most important tasks for those times in the future.
4. Use a Planner
A planner is an excellent way to assess the efficiency of your work schedule. You can use a planner to track your daily, weekly, and monthly goals and activities. You’re more likely to achieve your objectives and recall important details when you keep a record of what’s been done and what’s coming up in the future.
There are many types of planners (also called agendas). Some planners have a space for every day, while others are weekly or monthly. Think about what kind of planner would best suit you and your work. If you work on your computer a lot, you could also consider using a digital planner or app.
5. Create to-do Lists
To keep up productivity throughout the day, try using a to-do list. To-do lists are simple yet highly effective lists that can help stay focused throughout the day. Write down important activities on your to-do list and organize them by priority.
For example, you could place what you need to accomplish before the end of the day at the top of your list and what can wait until the next day at the bottom.
6. Stay Organized
You should be able to quickly and easily find everything that you need and want in an organized workplace. This will help improve your workflow. Putting objects back where they belong, keeping personal things separate from work stuff, and straightening your work area every afternoon are all examples of keeping an organized environment. A clean workstation makes staying productive much easier.
Clutter in your workstation is a big distraction. Remove anything from your workplace that you don’t use on a regular basis. Tidy up your work area at the end of each day and declutter once a week in order to keep things clean and organized.
7. Clean up Your Email
If you’re like most people, your inbox is clogged with messages. Cleaning up your mail keeps it organized and makes it easier to locate important messages.
Create labeled folders in your email to manage all of your messages and filters to automatically organize new emails into their appropriate folders. Labeling emails helps you stay on top of replies and keeps important documents together in one location.
These tips for getting organized are meant to help you get more done. When you’re able to focus on your tasks and complete them in a timely manner, you feel better about yourself and your work. There are several tips listed here that will help you get started with becoming more organized and productive. Start out trying one or two at a time and see how they work for you. Remember, there is no one right way to be organized. Do what works best for you so that you can achieve your goals.
Lorene Troyer, graphic designer, and digital creator. Connect with her on her blog and on Twitter/X to learn more about the work she is involved with online.
Would you like to create a guest post I could share on my blog? Let’s connect and see how we may collaborate!
Day Seventeen: Coming Soon!
I’m bestselling USA Today and Wall Street Journal author and marketing strategist Connie Ragen Green. Come along with me for this 2024 Productivity Challenge and consider coming aboard for my complimentary “Action Habits Challenge” to set yourself up for great success as you do the work to reach your full potential.
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