Top Three Productivity Tips

Our culture is obsessed with productivity. We want to make sure we produce the most outcome possible. Increased outputs = increased profits. Increased profits means more money. Hundreds of posts have been written on this topic alone, showing you the best ways to get things done. Many even make an entire career on advising others on increasing their production. It's an over-flooded topic, which probably leads you to wonder why anyone would bother writing about it anymore.

Honestly, I don't know why I'm writing this to begin with. I'm not super productive all of the time. I mean, I have bursts of insane productivity, but with illness, there are just as many days where I'm unable to do anything at all. But I'm still going to write this thing because I've found several things that help me through unproductive slumps. Maybe y'all might find some sort of encouragement and help by reading it.

~Find Your To-Do List Style~

To-do lists are friends. They keep us on track during the day and help us achieve our goals. Now, I know different people have different list styles that they like. I encourage you to find one that works for you and use it to the best of your abilities. Pinterest has TONS of different kinds that you can find, from daily planners to monthly spreadsheets. 

I've pinned a lot of different to-do lists and planners to my Bullet Journal board, even though I don't have them in my bullet journal. My personal favorite currently is a free weekly planner from Skip to My Lou (it's pictured in the header). It's simple and clean, but super pretty. I absolutely love using it! I use it to keep track of what I need to do during the week. I have a place for goals, for habits, and daily planning. There's even a line each day to write something you're thankful for! It's really awesome.

~Know the Different Forms of Work~

Ever get frustrated because there's time in your life where you can't seem to get as much done in a certain task as you used to? Where you have to drive your family all over the place, so writing and blogging take a back seat? Or you have a lot of things to make for events, so you're not able to focus on studying or exercise? Here's the good news: you don't have to beat yourself up!

One lesson I learned last month is that work takes different forms. It doesn't always look the same. Some weeks you might be able to knock out several thousand words on your WIP and others you might put a lot of miles on your car. Neither one is more important than the other. Both represent work. So don't get frustrated. Know that you sometimes have to set aside one form of work to focus on another. You're still productive. Stay positive and keep working hard. 

~Take Breaks~

Productive breaks are wonderful for the brain. Now, I don't necessarily mean to take a twenty-minute nap after ten minutes of work (though naps are helpful in their own time and place), but do get up and move around every so often. Walk around the house or office. Get some water. Stand in the sunshine for a few minutes. Do some bodyweight moves. Whatever you need to help your brain refocus on the problem at hand.

I usually take walks every morning with my mom. While I walk, I try to think about what I'm going to work on that day. I'm usually able to work out any problems that I might find along the way. Once I get back home, I'm quite ready to get down to work. Then throughout the day, I take breaks to go get water, walk around the house, or stand outside or weed my garden. So helpful!

I know this post was super short and probably not profound in any way, but they're all points that I've found helpful in creating a productive lifestyle. I hope you found some sort of help here!

So what about y'all? What sorts of things do you do to stay productive? Are there times where you don't feel so productive, but are? What sorts of encouragement can you give others to stay productive even when you don't feel like you are?