More super exciting stuff coming your way! I know these topics may seem a bit boring but they are important so here me out. Also, keep me accountable in the future when I think I’m just that good that I don’t need them anymore. (Hint: I’ll never be that good!)
Let’s start with logging. I have recently started logging everything. Every workout. Everything I eat. My moods throughout the day. My energy levels throughout the day. Where I spend my time. Every task that pops into my head (no matter how small). The list goes on and on. Basically, if it’s in my head, it’s going down on paper.
One reason I do this is because it frees up so much mental clutter. It’s like minimalism for your brain. 🙂 Another reason I do this is to improve my productivity and schedule my day appropriately. When are my high-energy/brain clarity moments? You better believe I’m scheduling my creative tasks, like preparing presentations, during this time. When do I feel like I need a break and need to put my feet up? This is when I schedule in admin work or other jobs that don’t take a lot of brainpower or creativity.
I plan out close to every minute of my day and then look back to see when I deviated. Then, I try to diagnose why I deviated. Sometimes it is an unexpected phone call or meeting. Other times, I didn’t have the energy to do a good job with the task I had scheduled in that time block. I need to know that so it doesn’t happen again! Basically, what I’m getting to is that logging helps you analyze your days and find trends in order to optimize your time and energy. The reason some people are uber-productive? They know how to plan out their day accordingly.
Incredibly productive people don’t walk into their day with no plan and just sit down and miraculously solve the world’s problems. They look at what is on their plate, prioritize and make a plan. This also keeps you from being bored or looking for work. When is the most likely time for someone to open up Facebook and lose several hours? When they have just finished a project and aren’t sure what to do next. That hasn’t happened to me in a long time thankfully. On days when I don’t plan appropriately, the thought sneaks into my head and I get frustrated with myself!
For me, the Bullet Journal is my go-to strategy. I have spent hundreds (probably thousands) of dollars on various paper planners and apps trying to find the right ones. For my paper planner, I need a Bullet Journal because I need it to be 100% mine. I don’t fit in a nice, shiny box. I am juggling so many things and the off-the-shelf pre-configured paper planners just don’t cut it for me. I also use the “2DO” app for managing all of my tasks. If I leave it to just my paper planner, things will get lost. For me, it just doesn’t work for planning projects and future tasks properly. Things were always getting lost. Finally, I use Evernote and Dropbox for note-taking and document management respectively.
Ultimately, don’t search for a tool to solve all of your problems. That was my key mistake in the beginning. I would buy the pretty paper planner thinking all of a sudden I would be productive. The reality is, you have to do the work and the tool needs to complement your processes.
Last but not least, keep an open mind and evolve. What you implement today will not work one year from now. You are changing. The world around you is changing. Your processes need to change as well. Realign with your goals and priorities and let your planning follow suit.
GlowLoveThrive 