Have you ever had a day were you felt scatterbrained? There are literally so many things that need to get done. But, you can’t seem to get any of it started or done.

There is a direct correlation between our cluttered spaces and the clutter in our heads. In order to truly have a productive day, we have to set ourselves up for success.

After you’ve made your bed and done your morning routine. Here are 5 productivity tips to help you get unstuck and be more productive.

1. Daily Braindumps

Keeping things in your head can cause you, what I like to call a mental backup. A braindump is where you take everything in your mind and empty it out on paper. As the bible says: “Grab every thought captive” 2 Corinthians 10:5.  Braindumps help provide you clarity. By writing down everything that is clogging up your mind, you can physically see your thoughts and prioritize or completely shut off the noise of what’s not important.

2. Don’t Multitask

For a long time, I had this image in my head that a productive person was someone that had the ability to do multiple things at once as if she had eight arms growing out of her body. That’s insane and it’s actually counter-productive to try to attempt this.

When you are trying to work on 10 projects at once you are not going to produce quality or effective work. Instead. Focus your energy on one task at a time and your results will be 10 times better!

Switching between tasks causes more pressure, stress, and frustration.  Break the habit of multi-tasking with the Pomodoro technique. Set the timer for 25 minutes and focus on the ONE important task that needs to get done and then get up, stretch, get a break and continue or move on to the next project.

3. Time Blocking

Use your calendar as a tool, designate days on your calendar for running errands, office days, workdays, meal prep, laundry, and family/self-care days.

This will further help you when you do your brain dump to designate when you’ll do the task. Instead of attempting to do everything all in one day.

Then each day block out time chunks for specific tasks. Grouping similar tasks together and blocking off a specific period of time for them. Example: On your office day block off 1 hour for blogging in the morning, 30 min for paying bills, and  1-½ hours for client work. This will keep you in the groove, you’ll feel more in control, and productive with your time!

4. Systems that support healthy habits

Create systems! This is especially useful for businesses but makes a world a difference to add systems to your home. The simpler something is, the more likely we are to do it!

Add fewer steps between you and the good habit and more steps between you and the bad habit. Here are a few examples of what this might look like.

• Add a tray or hook right next to the door. So that as soon as you use your key to turn the knob, the keys land in their spot. Instead of you coming home and dropping the keys in a random location, therefore, avoiding the lost key syndrome.
• Put a small whiteboard on your refrigerator or in a central location that when you are low on a grocery item or your kids need something for school everyone knows to add it to your list. Give this type of information a place to rest instead of you trying to remember what Johnny said he needed.
• Create a landing spot for incoming mail with a trash can nearby. Tackle the junk mail as soon as it comes through your door. Eliminating what you don’t need and sort the remainder into its home “Bills to pay”, “forms to fill out”, or “items to add to your calendar”. You’ll know exactly where your bills are every month.

Automate and simplify your day as much as you can! Get yourself and your family into a routine and soon your day will be running like clockwork!

5. Manage Your Distractions

With distractions everywhere, it can be very hard to stay focused and have a productive day. The TV is like a magnet when it’s on. It’s a free invitation to sit and postpone the meaningful work you’d like to get done.

Turn-off as many of the notification from your phone as possible. Every-time it dings we naturally jump up and want to check who it’s from. When you need to focus consider putting your phone on airplane mode or do not disturb. I would even take it a step further and create a resting spot for it, while you take care of your to-do. Don’t worry all the messages will still be there when you’re ready. 😉

When phone distractions are hard to break, I discovered an app called Antisocial. It monitors your phone’s activity to help you figure out where your time leaks are coming from. It is a shocker when we see how much time we’ve let fly by. It also allows you to lock the apps so that you can’t access them.

 If you are inspired by scents, light a candle, or diffuse essential oils.

And, just in case you need a connection; Here’s the link to my friend Rosalie. She’s the sweetest, no pressure, Doterra distributor you’ll ever meet and love.  

I learned about this mixture a while ago and I just fell in love with it. This mixture helps give your space a fresh feeling, helps you focus, fights anxiety, insecurity and it will energize you:

• Peppermint (7 drops)
• Lemongrass (3 drops)
• Eucalyptus (5 drops)
• Bergamot (3 drops)

Do whatever you need to do to manage distractions.

Bonus: Organize Your Space

You can’t be productive if your space is disorganized!

Tidy your work surface or do a quick 25-minute tidy session throughout the house. Setting everything back to zero and doing a quick vacuuming. There’s something about tidying that gives you a clearer picture of your goals and where you would like to be. It might be a mind of matter thing but helping your mind focus better at any cost matters!

One last thing. Give yourself grace. It’s ok to realize you’ve added too much to your plate. Pull back and assess your priorities and adjust your to-do’s accordingly.

At the end of the day, you don’t have 8 arms that can speed through tasks. The ability to cross-off all these tasks do not define you. You are an AMAZING person filled with love, dreams, and a passion for the purpose you have before you. You are enough and through God, we are powerful beyond measure.

Hey, if you feel like your life, workspace, and thoughts are unorganized and you feel like you can’t achieve that God gives purpose because of it, Let’s chat!  I’d love to help you uncover the first steps for a more productive day! Contact me today!