In theory, we should all be productivity masters due to the amount of technology we have at our fingertips at any given time. We are walking around with tiny personal assistants in our back pockets (Siri drank too much coffee as a young girl) and in our living rooms (Alexa just has short girl genes). Hey Siri, schedule this appointment. Alexa, do life for me today. So why do we still feel so overwhelmed and unorganized? It’s because we haven’t yet mastered our personal productivity hacks.
I believe we all have our own unique set of productivity hacks. You might read an article that says “people who wake up at 5 a.m. are mega-productive robots!”. So, you start waking up every morning at 5 a.m. and you turn into the walking dead because you’re so tired and just overall confused as to why you’re awake that early. After a few times of thinking, “this doesn’t work me” you enter into scientist mode and start to be curious about what could work for you. You eventually learn that it’s actually 5:30 a.m. that makes you most productive. Can you think of one of your personal productivity hacks?
Here are 3 productivity hacks to try for a more productive week (remember: the key is to try it enough times so that you are able to put your own spin on it!):
Stop using your inbox as your to-do list. This is the most psychotic thing we do as human beings. Why on earth do we say to the world “Hello world! Email me and tell me what to do today!”. We give up so much of our control by relying on our inbox as our to-do list. One way to wean off the inbox to-do list is to spend the first hour of your day off of email (whether that’s at home in your bed or start once you arrive at the office). What do you do when you’re not checking your email? What is the most important task that needs to be done? Start there versus what everyone and their mom think you should be doing.
Start planning your week on Sunday. I don’t believe in calendars that start on Monday (even though I currently own one that does). If you take just 30 minutes on Sunday to plan out your week, you enter the week feeling clear and prepared rather than scrambling out of bed every morning wondering what on earth you’re supposed to do that day. Here is a simple three step process for scheduling your week.
Find your golden hour. Your golden hour is one hour a week that is just for you. In the hour you can do whatever you want to do. Usually, it’s something that makes you feel purposeful, alive, excited, etc. There is only one rule to the golden hour: it is a non-negotiable calendar item. It is the only thing in your week that you will get to come hell or high water. NOTHING gets scheduled over this hour and it does not get rescheduled. It is your personal challenge to make a commitment to yourself. You wouldn’t dare reschedule a meeting with the CEO of your company? Well, why would you reschedule a meeting with the CEO of your life AKA you? Exactly.
Happy hacking!
Kelsey