The beautiful world of productivity. It could be such an amazing journey where you can check off every to do at the end of your day. But let’s be honest, that’s just not reality, is it? We all know the kind of day that leaves us utterly exhausted, but our to do-list is just as long as the day before. Who’s with me? Don’t be too hard on yourself. We’re all in this together. And it took me 12 years of experience to get this right. Do you want to know how I tackle my task list every day? Let’s go then!
1. Start the day before
That’s right. End your working days by planning the day ahead. It should take no longer than 15 minutes, but it will save you a lot of time and headaches.
I’m fairly sure you recognize this problem: you’ve closed your laptop, managed to eat something and went to bed. Pure bliss, right? Wrong! Because just as you’re falling asleep, you remember that meeting tomorrow at noon.
- Did I send out the meeting link?
- Do I need to prepare the call?
- Will it interfere with the rest of my planning?
As I frequently said to myself at my first job: “Tomorrow-Sarah will deal with it!”
I can guarantee this is a thing of the past when you plan your day ahead of time.
Your result? A well-deserved good night’s sleep.
2. Creativity comes first
The start of your day is most likely very hectic. Your mailbox exploded, your team or clients need you and your phone hasn’t stopped ringing since 8 AM.
There is a solution for this problem as well: shut everything out! Give yourself 2 hours at the beginning of each workday to focus on your creative process. Choose tasks that need your full creative focus and let those to do’s be your priority.
That means:
- No checking your e-mails before 10 o’clock
- Putting your phone on silent
- Shutting out every possible distraction
Pro tip:
Add your ‘available hours’ to your email signature. That way, clients know when you will check your mailbox and when to expect an answer from you. It’s a win-win situation, if you ask me!
3. Don’t forget to pitch your offer
It’s the task we tend to overlook the most. Our clients come first. And while that’s admirable, it’s not really profitable.
So, promise yourself to take at least 15 minutes a day to focus on selling your offer.
This can be:
- Showing yourself on social media
- Getting your target audience right
- Preparing pitch emails
- Getting your launch content on point
- Staying in contact with your followers and checking their needs
I know, this can be pretty uncomfortable. But you believe in your offer, right? Then why not share it with the rest of the world. I’m sure they would love to hear from you.
There is no set guide to fit everybody’s productivity needs. Trial and error is the way to go here. But to get you going on finding the right plan for you and your business, I’ve created a Productivity Checklist. Download the Productivity Checklist for free right here and save your precious time (and sanity) to spend on your deserving customers and yourself!
