When you decide to start your own business, I bet you didn’t realize the millions of things there are for you to do daily and the time it takes, did you? Finding a balance between life, family, business and for a lot of us when we first launch, we have our ‘day job’ to deal with too. It’s enough to put your head into a complete spin! Trust me, I’ve been there, a million and one things running through your head making it hard to focus on a task or switch off at the end of the day.
People often say to me, “there is just too much to do” “I don’t have enough time to fit it all in” “I’m not spending enough time with my family”. Ever heard yourself saying those things?
If you are sick of feeling like this, then you need to get productive! “But how do I do that?” I hear you ask, implement these simple steps and feel the calm returning to your mind.
– Have a morning routine –
Make this one of your non-negotiables, it will change your whole day and I’m not afraid to say it, but it will change your life too! I’m sure you’ve heard it said before, successful people get up an hour earlier. While the thought of getting up a whole hour earlier than normal may make you cringe & already feel tired, just think you’ll get to enjoy a hot cuppa in the peace & quiet while your children are still sleeping (mmm bliss!).
I absolutely love starting my day with a miracle morning, a full miracle morning includes six things.
- Silence (meditation is great)
- Affirmations
- Visualisation
- Exercise
- Reading
- Scribing (gratitude or journaling)
It can sound like a lot, but you can do all of this in just six minutes or in sixty minutes. Whatever works for you which is the key here! Read The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod to really understand the effects this can have on your day to day life. Also, it doesn’t have to be a 5am start, it can be half an hour before the household start waking to have a bit of ME time and start the day calm, focused and raring to go!
– Set yourself a timer –
No matter how long your to-do list is, a great way to make it seem much more manageable is to set yourself work intervals. 60-90 minute intervals with a short break in between will increase your productivity and leave you feeling relaxed and accomplished at the end of every day (yes!). Leaving you with more time to spend with your family, read a book or Netflix & chill – whatever you enjoy at the end of your day!
The night before schedule your diary into intervals with a task to complete in that time. If you’re anything like me having a structured plan reduces the stress, reduces the faffing around and well, makes me work more productively. In between those intervals take a breather, grab another cuppa, have a stretch or why not blast a bit of music and have a boogie; allowing you to clear your head in preparation to carry on with your day. Researchers at Florida State University have found elite performers (athletes, musicians etc.) who work in intervals of no more than 90 minutes are more productive AND those top performers work no more than 4.5 hours per day!! Sounds like goals to me 🙂
– DELEGATE!! –
I cannot emphasise this enough! Although we are badass women capable of anything, we can’t be expected to do it all by ourselves. Think of the most powerful women in the world, Oprah, Kamala Harris, Queen Elizabeth II, NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Beyonce Knowles (all named in Forbes The World’s 100 most powerful women of 2020), they all have an entourage of people who support them whether it’s their loved ones, staff or businesses around the world. So how can you be a productivity queen and make the most of every day if you are trying to do five million things all by yourself? It can be hard (I know!) to let go of some of the control and allow people in, especially when it comes to our businesses.
It can also be hard to even decide what to outsource or delegate to someone else, what could make your life easier. I always suggest to think firstly, what tasks do you love to do. Write them down. Next, write down what you HATE to do so always end up procrastinating over. Lastly, write down tasks you like doing but generally just don’t have time to do which hinders your growth. This will give you a basis for what to find a way to outsource, what to remove from your mind so you can get on with focusing on what you love, freeing up more of your time and empowering you to grow!!
When it all comes down to it “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you are right” Henry Ford your mindset plays a part in every aspect of your day so start your day as you mean to go on! Take time for yourself, set time limits and let someone else do what you don’t want to. These are just a few, simple steps you can take to getting more out of your day. There are many, many more, of which I share a few in my top 5 productivity hacks!
Becoming a powerful badass doesn’t mean you need lose your mind or be on the go 24/7, it just means you need to become a productivity queen!!
