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9 Productivity Hacks: Watch me go from dawdler to do-er!

February 22, 2016 By Christine Field

This post may contain affiliate links.

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I used to live an orderly life.

When I practiced law, I managed files, phone calls and clients in an organized manner.

After that, I homeschooled my four kids while maintaining an active freelance writing life. Our days were pretty structured because there was just so much to do!

Today, my kids are almost grown, my house is half empty and my schedule is my own, pretty much.

Over time, I have gone from a driven type-A to a disorganized dawdler! I’m a mess!

productivity hacks

This is the classic illustration of the adage that work expands to fit the time available. Give a busy person a task and it will be completed expeditiously. Give a person of leisure a task and it will take an interminably long time.

Yes, I have deadlines here and there and I meet them. For no reason, sometimes they are only met at the last minute due to my dawdling.

What happened to this well-ordered, finely-tuned brain?

I got relaxed. When life was not moving from crisis to crisis (as it was for many years), the attention system in my brain took a long, deep breath and declared, “You’re not going to run me ragged every day anymore!”

And so my slide into ding batt-hood is accelerated.

I have to get a grip!

Studying Productivity

I’ve undertaken a study of productivity and time management. Here are some of the ideas and strategies I’m going to implement.

1. Multitasking doesn’t work for me. I’ve been reading about this a lot lately, and indeed prided myself on being a queen multitasker in my day. Guess what? Researchers are now saying it’s inefficient. The reason is because the brain gets focused on one thing, and then has to rapidly refocus if you try to do more things at the same time. So rather than efficient focus, your attention is pinging from this to that, and is diluted in the process. So I need to settle down and do one thing at a time!

2. I need to work during my most productive time of day. Nearly everyone has times of the day when they are most effective and times when they tend to drag. It’s smart to schedule the most critical tasks for your most effective time of the day, so I am reserving early morning and after dinner for my most intense times of working/writing.

3. I will get the icky stuff out of the way first. Writing is overall a very pleasant experience, but some of the activities surrounding it are not so much fun for me. I am going to pledge to do the unpleasant items quickly and as early in the day as possible.

4. To do lists work if I work them! In the morning, decide what you want to accomplish that day. This can be even more effective when planned the night before. Once you have a sense of direction, you can spend all your time getting things done!

5. I need to turn off everything that dings, pings, vibrates or breaks into song. While you’re working, turn off the phone / cell phone, and don’t check your email. Hang a sign that says, “Do not disturb,” if necessary. You don’t have to do this for all your tasks, but at least do it during the more difficult items.

6. I will batch similar tasks together. Do all your emailing at one time. Make all your phone calls at another. Open your snail mail during a set block of time. You’ll waste less time by doing your work in this fashion.

7. I will set a timer, probably on my phone. Even if a task might take hours, starting will seem easier if you simply give yourself 20 minutes to get as much done as you can. A time limit seems to help many people concentrate and work better, too. For my brain, Ican focus hard for 20 minutes, and then my brain needs to do something else for a bit. Rather than fighting with it, I’m going to work with it!

8. I will analyse the benefits of the things I think I need to do. For example, there are some tasks that bloggers do that do not really help them. I found myself spending hours a day doing things that were of no benefit to me. If something doesn’t bless you or others, forget about it!

9. I will look at planners, apps and programs that might help. I have struggled for years with the choice between electronics and pen and paper. Because there are so many wonderful products out there, I have picked out the best of both that work for me. So check things out yourself and try them on. Google Calendar and Trello, for just a few examples, are free and work across all devices.

I’m working to implement these ideas into my life to get more done in my days. My goal is not to work myself to death in this life. My goal is to work hard to bless others and to be a good steward of time in life – to work life into my days!

What ideas do you have for working smarter?


Filed Under: Home and finances, Organizing Tagged With: how to be productive at home, Productivity hacks, productivity ideas, productivity tips, ways to improve productivity

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Hi, I’m Christine

Have you been a wholehearted mother, but time, toddlers and teenagers have moved on? If you are wondering what comes next for you, you’ll feel right at home here.

Or, are you a mom for whom family life has been non-Pinworthy and parenting has been downright painful? I hear ya. There are many of us around.

Are you looking for a life full of exploration and adventure after the nest empties, but maybe you have no idea how to go about doing that? Stick around! We’ll explore adventures together to help you gain more clarity for your own path.

After a couple decades of writing books and articles about parenting, homeschooling and adoption, speaking to homeschoolers and other parent groups, and reaching out to the mom in the trenches who was trying to make the best of it - my kids grew up. Some grew up and grew away. I was determined to find a way out of the pain, emptiness and lack of direction.

For many of us, the journey starts with something we moms are not accustomed to. After years of caring for and serving others, sometimes we forget the beauty and wonder of US. We need to spend some time getting to know the parts of ourselves that have lain dormant, and take the time to explore interests and passions that we set aside.

I’d like to invite you to get the “What’s Next for Mom” workbook and jump into this growing tribe of Moms who are emptying the nest and filling the life! Let’s reignite your Mojo after Mothering!
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About Christine

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At Real Mom Life, my passion is to provide resources and reassurances for moms facing the surprising challenges of family life. In my writing and speaking, I explore solutions to unexpected issues in adoption, homeschooling, special needs, and more while encouraging moms to extract the maximum joy out of each day. Read More…

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