Hey guyssss! Happy Humpday.
So, today I wanted to talk about productivity. In this crazy blogging world, productivity & using your time wisely is the KEY to success, & also realllly difficult.
You are at home, there are 900000 distractions, & getting sidetracked to clean the house/play with the dog/or get lost on Buzzfeed for 5 hours is a daily thing (atleast for me?). I have noticed lately my productivity has been a bit lackluster, so I wanted to write this post for you… but selfishly, for me too.
I have been implementing the below tips for the past week & have been in a total GSD (get shit done) mode. It’s crazy how the smallest changes can make the biggest differences. Read on for my personal 10 tips to becoming a more productive blogger & if you have any tips to share or apps I should be using- please let me know!!
x, E
P.S. Did you guys see the updates to Instagram today? You can now toggle between accounts (finally!) & you videos show views rather than likes! Game changerrrrr.
[ photo cred: Arielle Levy ]
1. Create a schedule & stick to it:
Have a routine for your day, & try to not to stray. Structure is king! If you need to write it out, write it out. For me, I wake up & make a smoothie. This is non-negotiable. Next, I check my phone & clean up my junk emails before I even sit down at my computer. Then I go to my desk (but sometimes the couch, which is a BAD habit I am trying to break) & tackle my inbox. Next I do all of the social promotion for my post that day (which I typically had published the night before). After that’s done, I get ready for the day & go to any errands/appointments. Depending on the day, I will go to my trainer & end the day with dinner and working on the next days post. Rinse, repeat.
2. Sweat it Out:
I am not a fitness aficionado, but as seen above, my trainer is an integral part of my day. Sweating is scientifically proven to be good for your productivity levels & I can attest to that. I used to never work out, but now it’s the highlight of my day. After I get in a good sweat sesh I am SO motivated & I never work better or more efficiently. Plus, it’s a great break from the social world we live in! Even if it’s just taking the dog on an hour walk, DO IT. Trust me, your work will thank you.
3. Work in bulk:
I set one to two days a week to really work in bulk. If I have DIY projects to do, I do them all in one day. The house is a disaster afterwards & my computer was fully neglected, but I get it done, clean up, & have my content ready for the week. If I am doing photos, I block off two hours of time with my photog & shoot 4-5 looks. BOOM. It took up a chunk of my day (getting ready, transportation, etc.) but it’s done & that feels damn good.
4. Your calendar/planner is your boss, best friend, & bible:
I have a calendar on my phone (will tell you about my apps in a minute) that I use to schedule all of my daily appointments and I also have a planner to schedule all my posts. I suggest having both. The calendar is great, but writing down your planned content is KEY. I write down the post at hand, the social tags to use, & all of the requirements needed for the post. Having a cute planner doesn’t hurt either, I just got this one from Jot it Down & it’s seriously the cutest thing ever. Check out there whole line of office products, they are to-die-for!!!
5. AVOID multi-tasking:
Women LOVE to multi-task, but in this blog world, it’s doing you more harm then good. Focus on the deep & narrow. Multi-tasking leads to busy work & busy work is a distraction. Sit down, turn off anything that distracts you, & get sucked into the job at hand. This one is REALLY hard for me, but it is also the best thing for my productivity levels. Not only will you get one thing done faster, but the quality of that one thing will also be a lot better.
6. Do less, Plan more:
Plan, plan, & plan some more. You can go at things without a plan, but it will only eat up your time. On Sunday’s I sit and make a VERY detailed plan for the week. So, when each day hits, I already know exactly what I need to do without having to figure it out day of. If I have a DIY project due in two weeks, that week I have a plan already set with that project in mind. If I didn’t plan, I’d be scrambling to get everything done last minute & it would interfere with other things that also need to be done. Spend your time wisely by STRATEGIZING smartly.
7. Priorities > Time:
People always talk about time management, but I am more about priority management. I use Notes on my Macbook to write out all my upcoming posts & I put them in priority order. Everyone has the same amount of hours in a day, & the most succesful bloggers use that time efficiently by prioritizing!
18. Learn to say NO:
Be realistic about your time & learn to just say NO. The worst thing you can do is take on too much & dilute your work. Quality content is everything, & if you have too much on your plate, you won’t be doing anything at full force. YES, you want to help your friends cousins sister get her organic dog food line up & running, but you are running a business here & you have to (again) keep your priorities in line. Saying NO is powerful, as long as your nice about it.
9. Take a day off!!!:
I can stress this one enough, you need a break! I am also not great at this, but when I do take a day off I am so refreshed & renewed. I try to take Saturday’s off each week to just do NOTHING. I barely even Instagram or Snapchat on Saturdays. If I want to stay in bed watching stupid Lifetime movies all day, I do it. If I want to have an extra Bloody Mary at brunch, I do it. Basically, if you want to hang out with me, call me on a Saturday (if I didn’t leave my phone at home!).
10. LASTLY, utilize apps to increase productivity:
Thank goodness for the world we live in, because there are so many apps at our fingertips (literally) that do wonders for our productivity levels. My personal favorite apps are:
» Awesome Note: this is my to-do list app & it’s literally my lifeline. It let’s your organize by tabs, customize with colors/icons, & has notes integrated. If I could only choose one app on my phone, this would be it.
» Calendars Plus: There are tons of calendar apps out there, & I am sure they all work great, but for whatever reason this one is my favorite. It honestly doesn’t matter which one you use, as long as you use one!
» WhenToGram: I just got this app & I LOVE IT. It analyzes my past Instagram posts & breaks it down by day the 3 best times to post. It really works, & it’s amazing.
» Buffer: If you are really swamped for time, Buffer let’s you schedule out all of your social posts across the board. This is great for the blogger who hasn’t taken the leap into full time blogging & still works a 9-5 job or for the Mom’s out there who really have zero time (props!!).
» LaterGram: Same as the above, but for INSTAGRAM!
