Hello Call Me Sassafras Readers! I’m so happy to have the chance to fill in for Allie today. My name is Amber and I blog over at And Yes To Joy. Over there, I blog about designing a positive life filled with intention. Like many of you, I aim to have as many productive days as possible. Balancing running a blog and being a full time student with a list of other activities, I survive by making the most of the time I have to get things done. The fact of the matter is, I’m big on setting goals, and it takes a lot of focus to stay on track to achieve them.
I've blogged about useful tools to help keep you organized and productive, like creating effective to-do lists and staying organized during crunch time. But no matter how many tools you try to utilize to boost your productivity, nothing is more effective than creating effective habits. Humans, after all, are creatures of habit.
A few elements are key when you’re working towards creating new, productive habits:
Create an intention
The first step to implementing any new habit is to first create an intention. If your mind and heart aren’t really in a place to form a new habit, the rest is a waste of time. If you’re ready to really focus on the task as hand, create a powerful intention to live your most productive life by focusing on what you hope to accomplish and why forming this new habit matters to you.
Create a routine
The key to true productivity is consistency. Keeping yourself on a schedule of some sort is essential. Opting the “go with the flow” route could easily lead to days spent on the couch. Start by implementing small tasks like waking up at the same time each morning and going to bed at the same time every night. Knowing that certain things should take place during certain times of the day helps you to make better use of your time.
Organize and Plan
Take some time at the end of each day to organize and plan the next day. Write important meetings and pressing items in your planner – include times and locations to help keep you in sync. If the traditional to-do list isn’t your think, organize a “Daily Game Plan” where you break down the day into blocks and assign tasks to each time block.
Give it some time
It takes about a month to successfully initiate any habit. Be sure to practice the same routine for at least 21 days, to give it time to take. This time of repetition will give you time to strengthen your will power, and overtime the amount of will power you need to get things done becomes less and less.
Evaluate
After your 21 days are up, sit back and evaluate how things have gone. Did you find yourself less overwhelmed and pressed for time than usual? Did you get more done, and feel less stressed?
It may take some time for you to tweak your new habit to make it really work for you and your lifestyle. Remember, while staying at it is important, stressing yourself out to the point of overwhelm is never a good idea. If something doesn't feel right, change it up. Productivity should decrease your stress levels, not increase it.
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