In a world with so much on your plate every day, it’s honestly a miracle anyone gets anything done. We have work responsibilities, a social life to maintain (or Netflix shows to catch up on), plus a million other things like exercising, and eating right. The most successful people get things done, and they seem to get it all done. I once had a boss who saw clients every half hour from 10-5, but also made time to do an interview with the local radio, bake bread for the office, keep up with his garden, go on weekly dates with his wife, taught at the local University, and kept up with his church responsibilities (which included teaching a weekly class). Just re-reading that list baffles me. How does he get all this done? How does he have time for it all? We all know someone that seems like they are cruising their way through life, having everything together and then some. (One day, we will get there too, I promise! Haha)
Maybe what is happening, is we aren’t making the most of our time, but also, we just have bad habits in general (don’t worry, we all have bad habits – its not just you, its me too). So what bad habits do we have? No, not your addiction to Sodalicious – okay, MY addiction to the best soda place ever. Let’s change our bad habits to good ones like these:
Have a Morning Routine
First things first, get enough sleep. Sleep is crucial. If you do not get enough sleep (usually 7-8 hours), you are not at your prime. Be a morning person! The most successful people wake up at 5am (or so I hear). This way, you are able to take your time. Eat breakfast. No, I’m not talking a coffee and a donut type breakfast (unless it’s a coconut donut – the, YES PLEASE). Eating a filling breakfast that actually has nutrients to help make it through lunch. Meditate. In the morning, you are fueling your body from the hours it has slept, so you need to reenergize, reevaluate, and rejuvenate your body. Your brain needs some time to catch up, so let it.
Have a plan
You are more focused at the beginning of the day. Plan out your hardest tasks for that time. It may seem daunting at first, and you may want to keep pushing it off, but trust me, it will be nice to have that scratched off your to-do list. Speaking of to-do lists, MAKE ONE. I cannot tell you how much more productive this makes me every day. It not only prioritizes your day, but also helps you stay on task. Instead of stopping to think of what you have to do, it is all written there right in front of you. Let’s be honest, I’m forgetful, so without my to-do list, I would never get anything done.
Disconnect
Is your phone constantly buzzing from your Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, and Pinterest notifications? Yeah, same, we’re so popular (or pretend to be haha). We always like to be plugged in, and in the know at all times. How is this helping me get things done? I have found that if we turn off notifications even to a few of these, our time on them will decrease. Even if you have to delete the app from your phone, do it. You will notice you will soon not have the urge to constantly check your phone. Especially with social media, what could be a 2 minute distraction, could soon be a black hole of stalking your friend’s cousin’s best friend’s brother’s Spring Break picture’s from 2009. This is real, guys. Don’t lie. Limit your time. You’ll thank me later.
These small changes to your everyday routine will help increase your productivity and the quality of work you do. We can all soon be super machines, but probably not tomorrow. It is the little steps that will get us there, though.
For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, subscribe to the FreshLime Newsletter here. Connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. And last of all, if any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!