One Sunday to become productive forever.
NOTE: You will have to spend an entire Sunday to get this right.
1.PLAN USING A CALENDAR
Yes, we have all heard this. Plan your week's schedule, use Google calendar or any calendar to break down your tasks into categories. Google Calendar lets you color-code your tasks. Here is a list of categories that I use (remember to color-code them)
👉 Morning routine (Contains all my morning rituals— from brushing my teeth till having breakfast)
👉 Meetings (If you are someone that has a lot of meetings, it is best to have them scheduled)
👉 Workout reminders (I set reminders to get up every 30 minutes, but, you could also schedule your entire workout)
👉Lunch and Snack breaks (This is a must!)
👉 To read (Here's where I plan what to read, and how much to read)
👉 To watch (I allocate time to consume content, like Netflix, YouTube, Instagram, etc..)
👉 Appointments (Dentist appointments, Eye-checkup, etc...)
👉 Follow-up (if you have to, for example, e-mails, calls, checking status for your college applications, etc... )
👉 Reminders for general items such as gas(petrol/diesel), changing your lenses, etc...
2. MIX UP YOUR ROUTINE
Yeah, you read that right. Make some slight changes to your schedule like instead of coffee, go for lemon water, or go to a cafe instead of working at your work desk. Changing up your routine a little adds to the excitement to not feel like a hamster on a wheel. Trying new things can rewire your brain. Here are a couple of things in which I usually switch things up now and then.
👉 Morning routine- Yes. I usually make my bed and then have a cup of green tea, but sometimes I have that cup of green tea and then make my bed. Extremely small change yet can make your day seem so different.
👉 30 minutes: I take 30 minutes of the morning to myself right after I wake up. No communication, no social media, no BS.
👉 Social Media: Cliche yet this had to be told, do not check your socials first thing in the morning. Set a time block for that and do so then. Set time restrictions for all your socials.
👉 Stay focused: Have a mindful morning routine. If you have trouble remembering, write them on a piece of paper. Once you complete the tasks check the box, For example: (View image below)
DOWNLOAD MY MORNING ROUTINE CHECKLIST TEMPLATE( PRINTABLE) HERE!!
3. ORGANIZE
Use the Pomodoro technique or Day Themeing (used by Elon Musk) or, better yet, make your time blocks.
Here's how I block my time using Google Calendar:
- I turn on notifications for my calendar. (Surprisingly 60% of us have them turned off)
- Sign in using my work Gmail
- Color code categories
- 'Quick add' is my best friend
If you want people to know you are not available, share your calendar with them (Do not worry, they cannot see the specifics, make sure to make your tasks or events private.)
Set recurring events (if you know an event happens every single day, or week, or month, set that up)
4. SET UP INSPIRATION
Surround yourself with Inspiration. It could be your wallpaper, quotes, movies, it could be anything.
Getting inspired can not only motivate you but also give you various ideas. For example, I was listening to a podcast, one of my favorites (check out my top 5 favorite podcasters here), and got inspired to write down my mistakes so that I NEVER commit them again. There is so much out there in the world that we know nothing of, so always find ways to get inspired.
5. MULTI-TASKING ( Don't do it)
No! DO NOT MULTI-TASK. I believe that multi-tasking is just splitting your focus into n different paths. For example, you are at work preparing an important report that has to be sent before 5 pm, but It is 4:30 pm right now. You have a side hustle, and a customer reaches out to you via text. Your side business timings are 5 pm to 8 pm, it is clearly mentioned on your website as well.
If you stop typing your report and answer your client, you won't do either of those works accurately.
So, here's what you could do instead:
👉 Delegate the task to someone else.
👉Complete your 30 minutes task in 20 minutes by focusing on the key points to be said in your report.
👉 Write down what you want to respond to on a piece of paper and move on to type up your report.
Getting distracted for 5 seconds = 20 minutes to re-focus.
6. JOURNAL
This is a must for me, write down all the things you wanted to do in the morning and how much you have achieved. If you have ticked even one on the list, KUDOS TO YOU! I believe that it is important to have gratitude in life, this book helps me to look back on all the things I have been grateful for the last couple of months. You don't need this or any book, you can write it on a piece of paper as well. This book has helped me, so if you think it will help you, go ahead get it :)
Here's a gratitude journal that I use.
Not all days are meant to be productive. Let yourself breathe, walk and meditate. Let me know if you have any other productivity tips, and I would love to try them out!
- Anusha Kannan