A new year always feels like a fresh start and a clean slate to build new habits, eliminate distractions, and feed our focus. Often times we have great intentions, and yet lack the "know how" to get started at making these changes. I've made the mistake in the past of trying to tackle all my "issues" at once, when I would have been better off taking action and making progress in just a few areas of my life that needed improvement. Here are a few tips that could help you purge, prioritize, and become a pro at being productive in 2016 so you can make it your best year yet!
1. Learn to say no. I love this quote and have to remind myself of this daily. "You can do anything you want, just not everything you want."
2. Keep only what you need. Get in the habit of throwing or giving away things that no longer serve a purpose. Mess creates stress, so eliminate it. This is something you can apply on a daily basis, like clearing your desk or throwing away mail, but also pertains to bigger projects like cleaning out closets, drawers, or maybe even rooms. In that case tackle one project at a time, creating 3 piles; to keep, to give, to throw away. Make it a goal to complete one "project" a week until you have all your problem areas eliminated.
Throw it away! Declutter regularly so that "life" doesn't pile up on you.
3. We all spend a significant amount of time in our vehicles which tends to be another place where we create a mess. Make a commitment to clean out any trash in your car every time you stop for gas. This has helped me keep my vehicle from becoming a moving landfill.
Monthly trip to Goodwill to drop off my trash that could be someone else's treasure.
4. Develop a system for things. These systems will look different for each of us because we each live unique lives. But for example, one system I live by is filling and running the dishwasher every night before I go to bed and emptying it first thing in the morning. It took some time for me to get committed to emptying it every morning, but see if you can accomplish it before your first cup of coffee is ready. Make it a game. You won't be sorry. With the dishwasher empty it will be ready to take in all the dirty dishes for that day. This system has eliminated tackling piles of dishes before bed or waking up to them in the morning. Find your own system for those daily tasks that you wish would magically disappear, but in reality never will.
5. Give everything a home. I love using baskets and bins. For example, just recently I bought a new bin for bath toys, a basket for blankets in my living room and another for the clothes that need to be dropped at the dry cleaner that can be taken back and forth between my house and my car. If you can't find a "home" for it, you probably don't need it.
6. Work on one task at at time. Multi-tasking sounds impressive but many times it only ends up distracting you from getting anything done. Tackle one thing at a time, and go for the task you despise the most first. Get it done, off your list, and now you won't have to think about it anymore.
Baskets and bins provide homes for blankets, bath toys, dry cleaning and preschool keepsakes.
7. Develop routines which will be helpful to you and even your children if you have a family. Your daily routine may include the time you get up and how you start your day, when you exercise, spend time with your kids, designated work hours, and bedtime rituals as well. Again, these routines will look differently for everyone but establishing one that works for you, that you can stick with, will significantly improve your productivity.
8. Keep an ongoing list. Two of the lists I like to keep are "To-do lists" and "Grocery List." Whether you write them down on a piece of paper or type them into the NOTES in your phone, having a place to keep your tasks and thoughts is so important when it comes to peace of mind and getting things done.
9. While I just suggested no multi-tasking, there can be moments when it's necessary and even productive. For instance, use your commute or time getting ready in the morning to listen to a podcast or motivational audio. Another example would be when my e-mail has piled up after traveling etc. and I still need to get to the gym, rather than running I will bike because I can respond to messages while biking.
Keep your workspace an appealing place to be away from where you spend family time or sleep.
A pretty notebook is the perfect place for all those lists and don't forget to reward yourself (can you say cupcake?) along the way.
10. Last but not least, reward yourself. That could mean taking a break for a snack, walk, or to read that magazine you've been wanting to tear into, or maybe buying something new after getting rid of the "old" that's been laying around for too long. Find simple ways to reward yourself for staying organized & productive. Before long you'll have developed new habits and will find yourself less stressed and doing more of what you love.
