Be Productive & Own Your Day

A little bit of inspiration on how to dominate the day and to NOT have that feeling of waking up dreading all those tasks you need to get done…

 

Rise and Shine Lovely!

Yes, this is the first thing for owning your day.

You can achieve so much more when you wake up earlier. Even if it’s just waking up 1 hour earlier, you will feel so much better knowing you have more time during the day for yourself.

I get a lot done in the early morning. Many who know me will tell you I wake up every morning between 5-5:30 am and go for a 10 km walk along the beach.

Not only does the walk clear my head but it’s also a nice time to plan the day ahead. There’s no distractions in the early morning, no one texting you or calling you, and nothing is majorly important that you need to get done by the crack of dawn.

Write a Hit List

List down everything you need to get done for the day and prioritise them in order of most important to least or even the most dreaded task to the easiest one. I call it a Hit List. My Hit List covers my top 3 priorities of the day starting with the most important task.

Writing things down saves you time. It’s the worst feeling when you have so much to do, and you’re trying to remember what you need to get done. I write everything in my phone calendar and my daily planner.

Also making the most dreaded task your first priority of the day makes you feel a lot better. You know it’s done, and you don’t need to think about it for the rest of the day!

Plan Ahead

When you have meetings or a deadline, you need to allow time to get there early or get the job done and do it well.

When planning my day, I like to schedule things in order of location. Doing so saves driving back and forth, wasting fuel and miles on your car.

A good way is travelling the furthermost away first and working back from there until you’re home. If your priorities don’t permit this, then make sure you wake up earlier to ensure you’re accomplishing your day’s Hit List.

No Means No

If you can’t say no, then you should try to. Stop trying to please everyone if it interferes with your day.

If you can’t collect your friend or drop her off, then say no. Tell her to meet you somewhere where it’s more convenient or on the way to where you need to be next.

Doing this is especially important when you have important deadlines. No, I can’t do lunch today. No, I can’t go drinking with the girls this evening… it’s all about focusing on what’s important because once you finish your tasks, the rest of the time is yours!

Outsource

I learned to outsource from the best in the business- my mother!

Not everyone has a million hours in a day. Delegating or outsourcing things you don’t need to do yourself is a great way to create more time in the day. You can easily find help online these days- try something like Fiverr.com

Work within your budget and means. If you don’t have enough time to clean the house, get a cleaner in for a few hours. I have a friend who drops off his washing to a Dry Cleaner every few days on his way to work. They wash, press and do any alterations that are needed. He swears by this, as we all know how much time washing and ironing takes!

There are also services out there that come to your home to pick up your washing and alterations and drop them off all cleaned, folded or hung.

Focus on the things that will make you money or make you more effective during the day.

No Overbooking

There’s always something going on. If you don’t think you can make it, say no, especially if it’s not a priority.

Instead of saying yes and letting people down, schedule time for yourself that allows you to do the things you want to do or can fit into the day.

You also don’t want to burn yourself out because of FOMO. If it’s a weeknight and you can fit in a quick wine with your friend, make sure it’s not too late.

Reward Yourself

Been a stressful day? Accomplished everything you’ve had to do?

Make sure you have some ‘me’ time to yourself…