How To Be Productive

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Hey friends!

Happy New Year! I hope that the first few days of the new year has been kind to you, I've just been taking some down time and just resting (aka sleeping) a ton and just going around doing nothing much. Not going to lie, I enjoy that quite a bit BUT at the same time, I am determined to be productive in 2019 while I'm waiting for things to fall into place.

There are somethings that I'm still waiting on which will help me plan out the following months but in the mean time, I thought I'd just share with you some tips on how you can be productive. This could apply for anyone and everyone, whether you're employed/unemployed, working from an office or at home, this one is for you!

Productivity can mean a ton of things to different people because well, we all have different lifestyles don't we? Because I personally don't have much commitments these days, I find it quite challenging to get off the couch and just do something good for myself. So this post is not only written for you, but also as a little reminder for me when I need a little pick me up, lets jump right in!

1. Have a fixed time schedule

Credit: Gades

I know most people have this but not many follow to it,  myself included. But what I found to be the most helpful in getting me productive is to know what comes next. I know this can sound weird but having fixed times not only helps you to have something to look forward to, but also put your mind in a drive where you are aware that you are to do something. This can apply to all parts of your day - from the time to wake up to your breakfast, dressing up, headed out or even just get the kettle going, it can all work. Personally, I am trying to implement a strict bedtime schedule because I love staying up and just ruin my body clock royally and by the time I wake up, it's already noon time or if I get up earlier, I just feel so groggy and unmotivated.

So my bed time is definitely something that I will try to follow strictly to put my body in a proper time frame. And as silly and simple as that sounds, it can actually work wonders!

2. Start a routine

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Similar to the point above where you set yourself fixed times for different areas of your life, integrate some activities that you enjoy into the schedules so you can get excited for your day which can help in being productive! The activities doesn't have to be a massive thing, it can be as small or as big as you'd like. Some of my favourites are - getting my favourite cuppa around noon time because that's when I'm feeling a little tired, snack times, short breaks, updating social media or just simply chatting with my friends who are in a different time zone to me. All these things make me really happy and I usually do these things at a very specific time, following different activities and it keeps me going. Don't be scared to switch your routines up between the weekdays and weekends so you can not only slot in some productive things such as chores, homework or work duties, you can also include a little quick work out or a nice dessert time!

3. Meal Prep

Credit: Lucas

Meal prepping is one of my favourite things to do just because I personally love cooking and just having food available anytime, because who likes waiting ages when you're hungry right? By meal prepping you not only plan out your meals for the week/few days which can keep you active and creative, you also have something to look forward to that day. I was looking for easy meals to prep at home where it's minimal washing and cooking time and Tasty has some which I've followed a couple of recipes which have worked a pretty treat for me!

4. Make lists

Credit: Vera

I don't know about you, but making lists is a really satisfying process for me. I feel that when I write to-do lists, lists of people I need to get stuff for, upcoming dates and just little things like that, it is almost as if I'm dumping things in my brain out and it really helps to clear my head space. Sometimes when you have too many things going on in your mind, you can feel overwhelmed and often not want to tackle them just because you feel that it is all too much. But when you have them written down somewhere, you can not only look at the big picture, rank them according to urgencies/priorities and basically group them to help you do stuff in the best way for you. So if you have an old note book (or new) lying around, or even just an app which allows you to write/make list, start with something small. From what you have to do in a day, to what you want to accomplish in a week and hopefully move onto bigger things like your goals for 2019 and work towards it slowly but surely!

5. Rest

Credit: Drew

This might sound rather contrastive to being productive, but having ample rest is really important not only for your health but for productivity levels too. It is an obvious one but when you're tired (physically/mentally/emotionally), all you want to do is sleep or just do something which requires next to zero energy, so once you're sure you have your rest sorted, you can toss that tiredness aside and work on the things you want to do. This can include taking a little time out everyday to unwind with some music, books or films, or really, just to sleep? So as weird as this sounds, don't forget to rest, rest and rest.

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That being said, don't ever be too hard on yourself. Everyone has different things they want to do and view as being productive, don't compare your tasks to others and basically just slay in your lane. I hope that this post comes at a good time where we are all working towards to making 2019 the best year yet and I'm going to be right here rooting for you and helping you along as much as I can!

Once again, happy new year and I will see you in the next post! X