I am always trying to be more productive. Between blogging, working, and maintaining all of my other responsibilities, it can be hard for me to accomplish things if I don’t use my time wisely. Like many of us, I am constantly in a search for a balance, attempting to get as much done as I can without overwhelming myself or leaving myself no free time. It’s a difficult feat in and of itself. But what makes it even more challenging is when I am not being productive.

Finding the motivation + energy to be productive requires you to push yourself. When it comes to how I keep myself focused, these are some of the main strategies I like to take:

A  C O N S T R U C T I V E  M I N D S E T

Lately, my biggest focus with productivity has been maintaining a constructive mindset. I think it’s natural to be tough on yourself, especially when you feel like you haven’t been doing as much as you would hope. However, it’s equally as important to recognize the things you are doing + see ways that you can grow. Tearing yourself down is just as useless and depleting as any other time waster out there. If you dwell on your flaws, you’ll never be able to develop the confidence to overcome them. Instead of being critical of myself after an unproductive day, I start focusing on how I can improve upon my work habits during the following one. I might not be able to get back the time I misused, but I can prevent it from happening in the future. But it’s also crucial to remember that not every day needs to be your most productive. We aren’t always at our 100% best, and sometimes we need to give ourselves a break. We’re all human, which means we’re all allowed to have days that are just OK. No one is at their absolute best every single minute.

T H E   P O M O D O R O   T E C H N I Q U E

Another way I’m kicking myself into gear is by focusing on my time management. More specifically, I’ve been using the pomodoro technique, a time management strategy that forces you to work in intervals. When I need to get going on a project, I set a timer for 25 minutes and start working. After that timer goes off, I take a five-minute break before picking up on the project for another 25 minutes or moving on to my next task. What I’ve found is that having a timer adds a healthy dose of pressure to whatever I’m working on. It’s especially great for activities like blogging because unless you’re doing it full-time or working on a schedule with a brand, you don’t always have a sense of urgency to what you do, which makes it easy to slip up or fall behind. Even though the deadlines I set using the pomodoro technique are self-imposed, I still feel compelled to get a substantial amount of work done before the timer goes off. It encourages me to get stuff done and reminds me not to waste my time — that’s what the breaks are for.

O U T F I T  D E T A I L S:

Set: Moa Moa* | Sandals (similar): DSW* | Sunglasses (similar): Off 5th*

T O  –  D O  L I S T S

I love to-do lists. I rarely go a day without making one. I always feel better when I have my goals written down in my planner or on a Post-It note. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about being able to add a check mark next to tasks as I complete them. For me, to-do lists function best when they’re simple + realistic. I don’t load them up with so many things that I know I’ll never be able to get to all of them. But at the same time, I don’t make them so short that they pose no real challenge. Typically, I’ll include between 5-7 items, decreasing in importance the further they go along. I make this list first thing in the morning when I sit down at my desk. Once I have it done, I feel like my priorities have been aligned + I can begin my day with a clearly developed plan.

L E S S  S C R E E N  T I M E  I N  T H E  A. M. 

There’s a time and place for scrolling through Instagram, but the morning isn’t it. Recently, I made the decision to stay away from social media first thing in the a.m., and I haven’t looked back since. Not only do I think staying offline in the morning puts me in a better headspace, but I end up spending less time sitting in bed before I get moving, which has given me more opportunities to be productive early on. Ultimately, the choice has helped me use my time more efficiently.

Thank you for reading!

What do you do to be more productive?

Instagram  | Twitter | Bloglovin | Pinterest

FYI: This post contains affiliate links. Any link marked with a (*) is an affiliate link.