A client recently asked us to share some of our go-to productivity tips (both personally & professionally). As members of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals, and as owners of an organizing business, we love getting these kinds of questions. Here are 6 quick Tidy Nest approved productivity tips that we use every day.
1. Create a to-do list (every night)
Always end the day by creating a to-do list for the next day (whether it’s for work or for personal tasts) in order of priority. This way you’ll know exactly what needs to be done before you wake up. There’s no wasted time figuring out what needs doing or coming up with the day’s schedule. Wake up and dive right in!
2. Designate time slots
At the office, designate time slots for answering emails otherwise you will be answering emails all day....think proactive vs reactive! At home, designate time slots for your self-care practice...if your mind and body are not recharged, your productivity will suffer the following day.
3. Take breaks
There’s no rule for the amount of time you should work and break - just do whatever works for you. Shannon likes to work for an hour and take a 10 minute break. Taylor likes to work for a few hours and take a longer break and Jared takes breaks based on project completion, not necessarily specific timing. Just have some sort of break factored into your day!
4. Identify time traps
Try to identify time traps - what takes a long time to accomplish? Can someone help lift the burden? Is there an app / program / system to help streamline the process? Is the task a good use of your time? Everyone is super busy so it’s important to weed out the unnecessary tasks so you have more room for the important items on your agenda (and more free time for yourself/family/friends).
5. Only touch something once
When tidying, only touch something once. Otherwise you may find myself moving the item from room to room or even counter to counter and never actually dealing with it. You can apply this to tasks at the office - get a project or task done first before moving on to something else.
6. Tackle Quick Tasks First
If a task can be done in less than five minutes, tackle it immediately. Don’t add it to your to-do list for a later date. As Benjamin Franklin (and Shannon’s grandma) would say “don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today.”