I’ve been working a lot on my personal routine lately. I’ve been suffering from a little bit of burn out and have had a hard time finding my stride, since I’ve also had a lot going on in my life outside of my online writing career.
As a result, I’ve been thinking more and more about what I can do to improve my routine, and I’ve been making it a point to pay attention to what works — and what doesn’t — when it comes to my productivity.
Here are my tips for adjusting your routine and improving your productivity.
Pay Attention to Your Work Routine
Part of what I’ve been doing is paying attention to my work routine. When do I get the most done? When is my work easier to do? When do I have the most focus? I already know that I work best in the morning.
After really looking at my workflow, I decided to try to schedule phone interviews and other non-writing tasks for the afternoon. That way, I have more of an uninterrupted workflow during the time that I am most likely to get work done. I’ve also moved answering emails (unless it looks urgent) to the evening. It’s the last thing I do before bed. Making these small tweaks, based on my workflow, has helped a lot.
I also pay attention to how well I work, depending on my location. I get a lot more done when I sit at my desktop in my dedicated home office space. Sitting on the couch with my laptop just doesn’t seem to be as effective.
By looking at my work routine, I’ve been able to increase my productivity quite a bit. I’m still battling burnout, but am getting more done in general.
Remember to Stay Flexible
Establishing a routine and a workflow takes a little effort and tinkering, but once you have it down, it’s usually possible to move things along smoothly. What’s hard is when a wrench gets thrown into the process.
Not too long ago, my son’s teacher sent out a frantic email, asking for parents to accompany the class on a field trip. I decided to go, even though that’s not really my thing, because I felt I should help out since I was technically available.
That field trip destroyed the four hours of my morning work routine that are most productive for me. So, what happens when you get off track? Unfortunately, I’m still not entirely sure how to deal with such situations gracefully. I tried to cram in extra work, and though I got some things done, I wasn’t overly happy with the quality or speed of the work.
One thing I’m starting to do: if I come to the end of my day’s work before the optimal productivity has run its course, I work ahead. Being able to work ahead a little bit, when you feel like getting things done, can provide you with more flexibility in your schedule. That way, when the unexpected does come up, the interruption to your routine isn’t devastating.
What are your best productivity tips?
{ read the comments below or add one }
I would add to the list “have a productive morning routine”.
If you start off your mornings right and charge yourself with energy for the rest of the day, you are ensuring your own success in terms of productivity.
I really like your style of writing. You don’t speak to the reader like you’re the one and only expert on this topic after one attempt at working on your routine. You admit you haven’t necessarily found the best way, while also sharing your ideas and successes. Love it! And thank you!
I work with intenet and SEO, I use 80 percent of my work I do on a routine schedule that I follow and do everything on a schedule that I follow to the point and dots, 20 percent are flexible with elements of innovation and tests etc.
I am a big todo list type of person. I always have a todo list for my daily activities, for the week, and for the month. This lets me accomplish all the small things need to accomplish those bigger things.
Having a clear plan made the night before helps me start the day better. Instead of procrastinating, I go directly to do the tasks. Keeping track of my time, using the pomodoro technique and prioritizing also help me. Am not the most focused person, but these tricks help me be pretty productive