5 Life-Changing Things I Do To Be More Productive Daily

Hello everyone, welcome back to a fresh blog post! One of the major reasons I’ve struggled to relaunch this blog is because I’ve struggled with productivity. The pandemic has made it really….really…really hard to sit in front of a screen all day, and I can sometimes feel my brain melt. I’ve noticed that I’ve been less productive, so I made a conscious effort to do 5 new things to be more productive daily. These five little productivity tips are life-changing and I really do see a difference in my productivity daily since switching over.

1. Planner + Time Blocking

A few months ago, a friend recommended time-blocking. This is a method you can read more about here and it’s actually saved me so much time. Every night, I fill out my planner from CGD London and lay out my schedule. I block out the amount of time I want to spend on Pinterest, Instagram, and drafting content there. Also, I set aside time for any work meetings I might have during the day, or blocking when I go to bed. I do set aside some time each day for some flex time, because sometimes the day just gets away from me or I get stuck watching a new episode of Marriage or Mortgage. Time Blocking gives my day some structure, and having a physical thing to look at makes ALL the difference in being more productive daily.

Shop the Planners:

(The Planner I Use | The Next Best Option I Love)

2. Alarms on My Phone

This one is actually part of time blocking but setting little alarms at the end of each task is a lifesaver. Part of being more productive daily is to watch my time and setting alarms really puts into perspective how much time that I spend on one thing versus another. It also helps me know when to stop and just recognize that I underestimated the time limits.

3. Freedom App

I found Freedom when I was in college actually and it’s great. Since I purchased the lifetime subscription I’ve had zero regrets. I actually didn’t expect Freedom to come in handy as much as an adult but it has, especially during WFH. It’s my go-to when I have deadlines and just need to get ish done. Why? Because it sets up a temporary VPN and blocks traffic to distractions. When I use Freedom, I find myself a lot more productive than days I don’t.

4. Todoist

Todoist is a great task management app I use to separate my blog work from my political work. I have a Premium subscription which allows for even more flexibility. I order tasks by priority, date, and subject. For a really detail-oriented person like me, I need the structure but also the flexibility to move things around. Being able to set up recurring tasks in Todoist also makes sure I know to block 20 mins for Babbel or 10 to save new Pinterest pins. Plus, I even use it with my Alexa for the ultimate cheat code. Being super competitive, I also really enjoy hitting the 10/10 tasks per day done, meaning I’m more productive daily!

5. Giving Myself Grace that It’s Okay to Not Be More Productive

The last one is the most essential part of being more productive daily. Being okay that sometimes it just doesn’t work. If I told you that I had it on my calendar for a solid week to write the blog post you’re reading, would you believe me? Well, it’s true. I learned to give myself grace because sometimes I didn’t feel up to writing, or life just really got in the way. It’s okay not to be perfect and okay that things don’t always go to plan. Giving myself the grace to recognize that has helped bounds in being more productive daily.

These tips are purely what works for me. I hope that you’ll give them a chance and let me know what you think of them down in the comments below! If you have any tips you think I should try as well! If you want more tips on being productive, stay tuned and I’ll surely have more for you soon! In the meantime, you can sign up for my newsletter below! There, I send out a blast each week with the latest from my blog, what I’ve been up to in my life, some of my favorite tips, and more! You’ll have access to all of my content before anyone else there, so be sure to sign up below for more!