31 Days of Productivity - Day 8

Yesterday I got back in the swing of things ... I had a lot on my plate and managed to get done the 3 most important things on my list.

I still have a few things lingering from last week that I honestly just didn't want to do and those I will attack tomorrow, full steam ahead!

I left work a little bit early, even though I know that is a problem I have that I need to work on ... I needed some new shoes for work and I went on a manhunt and found a pair.

After work, my goals were to cook dinner and not go out to eat and to make it to Zumba.  I accomplished both of those things and they both made me feel very good!  I slept much easier last night knowing that I got done what I really needed to get done.

Productivity Lesson of the day: It's okay to have a few setbacks ... but get back up on the horse and keep trotting along.  No more wasted days!

31 Days of Productivity - Days 6 & 7

I have slacked on my postings ... but not for lack of productivity ... I took a break from everything over the weekend to spend some time with my husband and do some cleaning around the house.

We definitely did not get all the cleaning done I would've like to do, BUT we had a great day together on Saturday looking for furniture for the new house and hanging out at the library.  I definitely didn't NEED to check out about 15 books, but it was free and fun.

On Sunday, I worked my part time job after church and came home to Hubby cooking dinner and he had done some of the cleaning that was on my list but never happened :)

Overall, it was a great weekend and got me prepared for the week ahead.

31 Days of Productivity - Day 5

"Catch-up day" which is what I call my Friday's was a success today ... laundry, lunch and catching up with a friend, and helping out my sister ... Not a typical workday to-do list, but I have set up my schedule to have Friday be a "catch-up day" for me ...

It has been a great day ... However, I have noticed that I rely on Friday as an extra weekend day even when I know there are things I could do.  I have a few things sitting on my desk that could get done ... that probably should get done but I have put them off until next week ... Partly because right now my commute is an hour so unless there are a few reasons to go, I don't ... but honestly, I should be putting my clients first instead of my own selfish desires for what I would like to do.

My clients do not care if I have an extra day off or "catch-up" day in the week ... They don't really care about my commute ... And they don't care about how much Mt. Laundry is about to explode.

My goal should be to serve my clients ... that means I should be putting myself behind my clients and their needs and what they have asked me to do.

This is something that I need to focus on and work on in my life ... It is part of this 31 Days to really examining my current level of productivity and increasing it by 50% at most.  I know it is what I need to do. I know it is how I should be and I know that successful business people eat, sleep, and breathe my business ... and only then will be I as successful as they are.

31 Days of Productivity - Days 3 & 4

Well, I definitely missed my post yesterday ... I don't really have an excuse other than I just plain forgot about it ...

Yesterday was a pretty mellow day, but after my 12 hour workday on Tuesday and the raging headache that threatened to have me keeled over, I'd say I needed it.

I honestly didn't have too much on my To-Do list, but I was able to complete the most important few things that we on the list ... the most important of which was to get my butt to Zumba last night!  I was strong in my commitment to go when I woke up in the morning, but throughout the day, the aches that come with cloudy, rainy days starting setting in and I tried to make excuses that I couldn't go.

Luckily, I talked my sister into joining me (which gave me more motivation to prove just how much more superior at dancing than she is ;) ).  I will admit that once I was there I had a blast dancing around, got my sweat on, and felt fabulous for going after I left.

Productivity Lesson for Day 3: Sometimes the things that we don't want to do and put off doing actually make us feel great once we do them.  They give us a sense of peace for having accomplished what we said we would do, even if we grumbled the whole way.  We also sleep easier and better knowing that we accomplished what we wanted to accomplish.


Now onto today ... Today I am back in my office and ready to tackle the things on my list ... So far I have completed two tasks that were lingering on my to-do list from Tuesday.  I have several others but I am still waiting on information from clients to make those things happen.

So right now I am looking to get the few things done that I have listed on my To-Do list that I can accomplish and going into a long weekend feeling good about the things I have gotten done this week!

Productivity Lesson for Day 4: Don't sweat the things that are out of your control.  You can't control what other people do and on what time frame they are working.  The best you can do is be ready when the time comes that they are ready to move forward!

31 Days of Productivity - Day 2

Today I have managed to get through a few things on my to-do list and make it through a few meetings ... but I have reached a stand-still because I have had a horrible headache all day.  Even typing this looking at the computer screen hurts.  I have worked with the lights off to help get the most important things done that I need to do.

Luckily, there are several things on my to-do list that I cannot finish because I am waiting on information from others so I do not feel guilty continuing to leave those items on the corner on my desk.  I have a few phone calls that need to be made and emails that need to be sent, but I'm just losing the battle of focus to these hammer pounding in my head.

I took a long lunch and went to my mom's house to take a nap ... knowing that I work my second job this evening.  At first I felt guilty about that "waste of time" and then I thought about how much better I would feel and how much more I could get done, if I could just get rid of the migraine ... Unfortunately, the migraine is still there BUT it has dulled and I feel much more refreshed to take on the world for the evening.

Productivity lessons of the day: It is okay to just get the importnat things of the day done ... those meetings that were already scheduled and just the items of immediate priority on your desk .... Productivity is fluid ... It will ebb and change and flow ... And as long as the work that needs to be done is getting done in a timely manner, we are allowed to slack a bit one day ....

And last, but not least, one of the most importnat lessons I have learned about productivity:  Sometimes we won't feel well ... Sometimes our heads will hurt or our stomachs or our noses ... It happens.  That is life.  And, yes, those days make being productive even harder, but the longer those illnesses and pains last, the more off track we get with our productivity ... So sometimes it is the most productive you can be to take a long lunch and take a nap ... or stay home, take medicine and sleep.  You might think that is a waste of time, but it might be just what you need to get your productivity back on track.

Day 1 - 31 Day Productivity Challenge

I struggle with procrastination ... I mean who doesn't?!  I complain about how little time I have to get everything done ... but the reality is most of the time I'm just lazy.  I don't want to clean the kitchen, instead I want to watch the HIMYM rerun I've seen 10 times ... I don't want to finish the work I know I need to finish bc I want to clear off my email and Google Reader feed ...

I spend a lot of time justifying my procrastinating actions ... But they haven't gotten me anywhere ...

Here's why this is so important to me!

In May of last year I opened my own law practice ... At times I have been quite busy and others have been incredibly slow ... I like being busy because that means less financial stress ... but I wil be honest in saying that I love the slow times more ... Why? Because I can read a book, check Facebook, spend hours on Pinterest, house hunt, go shopping, get my hair done, etc ... I have been pretty justified that when I do not have work to do and things are slow that I can just do whatever I want ...

But this mentality is killing my business.  There is always something that can be done ... ALWAYS.  There are always blog posts I can write, marketing events I can attend, or simply taking the time to catch up with old clients or friends who might be in need of my services.

So today I embark on a 31 day journey to become more productive and use my time for wisely ... If you tips, tricks, marketing tools ... anything that can pull me and my business out the slump I would love to hear them!

So far today I have been the most productive I have been in a while ... It is 1:52 p.m. and a good chunk of my To-Do list is finished ...

And as much as I hate to admit it - the cause for my extreme productivity to start the week: Getting up at 5:30!  I got up and carpooled with my husband this morning, which meant that I had roughly 2 hours of downtime before work even started today (oh, I know I'm going to be paying for it later when I'm too tired to function).  It gave me some "me time" to catch up on some reading, read my Bible, check Facebook updates, make a good action list for the day, and de-stress before the day even started!

I don't think I will continue getting up at 5:30 in the morning, but I think I need to start setting my alarm 30 minutes earlier so I can use that extra time to get  a few of the things done that I know need to be done before my day truly starts ...

Just a note:  This was extremely hard for me to admit since I LOVE to sleep!  I hate alarm clocks with a passion.  And last but not least ... I am NOT a morning person!  But maybe that is just the change I need.

Any tips or tricks for turning yourself into a morning person?

A New Day

I originally started this blog with the intention of writing about books ... And now I've realized after months of un-use and complaining that I don't have the time to devote to blogging, I've decided on a more practical approach ... A blog to just write about whatever!  Share my favorite quotes, verses, etc., but also to share my thoughts and feelings.

I am joining a writing challenge for the month of October to write on a topic for 31 days!  I've decided to write about my battle with productivity ... It will be my account of the distractions and I face daily and my battle to overcome them to get more done!

I hope these posts will encourage others who struggle from the same procrastination disorder to overcome the obstacles that get in our way.