Pencil It In: Strategies to Keep you Productive

Staying on track without a set schedule can be hard, even for the best of us. With the distractions of our 24-hour news cycle, ever changing world events and having to work from home where there are the things that give us comfort more than motivation, it’s a miracle somedays that anything gets accomplished.

To help dig into the day, there are easy strategies that can help you stay on track and head in the right direction so you can end each day with a sense of accomplishment. Check out these three key tools to put into practice that will help make things run smoother.

Schedule Your Way

You may not be a schedule-setter by nature, but there is no time like the now to learn how to do it effectively in a style that works for you. Do you need to divide your day into three time slots and set goals for each chunk of time? Do you need to keep your schedule down to 15-minute blocks so you can dedicate one of them to Candy Crush and give yourself a break? This is the time to really look at your work style and figure out how a schedule best works to keep you focused.

Set alarms on your phone to alert you when it’s time to change tasks, schedule check ins with your co-workers to keep up the camaraderie, and work to the deadlines you set for yourself.

Set Goals You Can Reach

It’s all well and good to outline all of your tasks and goals for the day, but before you set your bar too high, consider what you will be able to accomplish in any given day, or block of time. Larger tasks should be broken down into smaller, achievable goals so you can cross things off your list, stay motivated by understanding that there has been progress, and at the end of the day, reflect on what has been accomplished.

Feed Your Needs

Working from home can often make a work/life balance difficult, especially if your time out of the house is limited. But taking time for yourself is an important part of recharging and bringing your best. Dedicate a set time to start, and finish, your day and avoid “staying late at the office.” It may feel good in the moment to clear as much as you can “off your desk,” but just because you’re working in your comfortable clothes doesn’t mean that you can’t suffer from burn out.

Remember to take breaks for meals away from the computer too. And remember to wait until after your first cup of caffeine in the morning to dig into your emails.