If you’re anything like me then you just have some days when your shit is not together and you can’t pull yourself out of the “WTF! I’ve been working for 2 hours and have accomplished NOTHING” rut. The struggle is so real sometimes; and with being a full time mom and running a business, I just can’t deal with that! I need to be as efficient as possible because I NEED my sleep! When I sleep I’m happy, and when I’m happy I am a much better wife and mama.
Here are 5 efficiency rituals that I practice that help me keep my poop in a group…
1. Do ONE Thing at a Time
Multitasking is NOT the way to go! Focus on ONE thing and mothaf*cking crush it!! Start with one task on your list and throw yourself into it. Be really good at working on that one goal you have to accomplish. You will make fewer mistakes, create better quality content, and ultimately complete the task faster!
Also try to apply this in your personal life… THIS is where I find it the hardest to do one thing at a time. I constantly have to remind myself to get rid of my phone and focus on my 1 year old and really, truly get down and play with him. If not, the guilt sets in and then I dwell all day long on the fact that I didn’t spend quality time with my son when I had the chance… and I then become less efficient in both my work and my personal life. Same goes with my husband. When the babe goes to bed, it’s time to give him 100% of myself.
So moral of the story is to throw your entire being into what you are doing at that moment in time, be really proud of what you accomplished, and then conquer the next task.
2. Close all Unused Website Tabs
This goes along with the “1 thing at a time” concept. How many times have you had 10+ webpages open while only working in only 2 of them, and every time you try to swap between the two pages you actually end up clicking on all 10 before you get to the page you were actually looking for? That drives me NUTS!! And it takes up so much time.
This also applies to closing all documents that you are not currently using. Even if you are going to use them for your second task, STILL, get rid of them. You can pull them up later. I promise it will help you complete a task faster.
3. REMOVE ALL DISTRACTIONS IN YOUR WORKSPACE
I’m all for having a fun space that gets your creative juices flowing and inspires your mind; but, you really do need one clean and clear space where you can get shit done! Having brainstorm notes, to-do post-its and your vision board right in front of your face can be quite a distraction whether you realize it or not. Every time you glance at them your brain gets sidetracked. Even if it loses track for a few seconds every minute, that can start to add up. I personally think I need a big sign on my wall that just says “Get back to work!” Lol.
4. UTILIZE FOLDERS!
I swear by my folders. I have folders for EVERYTHING – Digital folders & physical folders. Folders for expenses, folders for income, folders for every client, with a subfolder for every different project for that client, folders for my brainstorm notes, folders for my Insta page, folders for my website, etc. etc. Seriously, folders are magical! You can feel good about dumping your documents in your folders and knowing you will be able to find it quickly when you need it. But just to clarify, if you are dumping items into a digital folder make sure you are titling them appropriately!
I don’t always put documents in folders right away, but I DO set aside time once a week to organize everything. If you haven’t started organizing, start doing a little at a time. Maybe 10 minutes per day until you get caught up. While it might be time consuming at first it will save you a ton of time in the future!
5. UNSUBSCRIBE FROM EMAILS THAT AREN’T SERVING YOU
This is another tip that if you are in the trenches it might take some time to get out, but dear lord it will be SO worth it. I used to waste so much time throughout the day just mindlessly deleting emails. I would constantly get email alerts, stop what I was doing (bye bye productivity), realize that it was an email I didn’t want, and then just delete it because I was too lazy to actually unsubscribe. Sometimes I would tell myself that I didn’t want to unsubscribe because I didn’t want to miss out on something in the future. If that’s what you are thinking then that’s a sign that you SHOULD unsubscribe. If the brand is really that important then you will remember it when the time does come to make a purchase. We have so much junk thrown at us in email, physical mail, social channels, TV, and this is the one area that we can actually control and silence all those messages. I promise you it will feel SO good when you get an email alert and know that it will be an important email and not a waste of time!
What are some of your favorite tips to keep your day running smoothly and efficiently? I would love to hear your thoughts? Comment below!