Finding Focus

If you are like me, some mornings you arrive in the office with the best of intentions to get things done, and before you know it, half the day is gone and you’ve spent a whole lot of time doing a whole lot of things that aren’t on your to-do list. There is nothing more frustrating than a busy, chaotic day, where you feel like you accomplished nothing you had hoped to, yet never stopped working. Or, you spent a lot of time being distracted by unimportant things or browsing Facebook instead of pushing through important tasks.

Coming into 2019, I decided I was going to change up my work day a bit in an effort to increase productivity! Here are the tips I’ve gathered up, and want to pass along to you:

1)  Ditch Your Phone

Seriously. Even for ONE hour. When it’s within reach, most of us will grab it without even thinking, and there goes five minutes, 10 minutes, etc. Yes, I realize this is a 24/7 business, and you can’t ignore your phone if a loss comes in, but figure out a way to put the phone aside when you can.

2)  Goal & To-Do Lists

At the start of every day, I create list of goals or things I want to accomplish. Sometimes, I actually create this list the day prior after wrapping up and assessing what I’d done on that particular day. By creating to-do or goal lists the day or evening before bed, you have the opportunity to clear your mind and stresses, and wake up in the morning knowing exactly what’s ahead for the day. This list is not always work related! In today’s busy world, I often find I need to plan out my whole day in order to truly accomplish what I want. For example, if I have errands to run and really want to get a workout in, on top of a busy work day and deadlines, I plan it out!

3)  Prioritize

Failing to prioritize and rank your goals can lead you down the rabbit hole of unproductivity. Start with tasks that both need to be done, and are weighing you down. As you’re able to check those off your list as the day progresses, my guess is you’ll feel lighter and more motivated to keep your productivity going!

4)  Keep Your Promises

Have you noticed the first things to go from our to-do lists are often the things that help US the most?! Like working out? Consider this: you have to take care of yourself and pour into your own cup before you can expect it to overflow and pour into others!

Cheers to a new level of productivity in 2019!