Please share with me the productivity tips / tricks / changes habits (however small) that have helped you!

[peachyandkeen]

Just that!

What have you implemented in your life / what changes have you made / what have you trialled but no longer do that has helped with productivity? However small.

E.g things like switching phone off during work hours, only checking email at certain times, task batching, calendar blocking, ANYTHING - ALL OF IT - HIT ME!

Just making lists and doing it without procrastinating. Basically.

Everything goes on an online calendar all the family have access to. Everything.

@Newchallenge

Everything goes on an online calendar all the family have access to. Everything.

Even a gynae appointment? Not that it shouldn't! But just curious.

I don’t have any but I’m following with interest

Work:-
I set up in calendar any weekly/monthly tasks on recurring.
I keep a paper to do list as well as only keeping emails in my inbox which are not done. Once done I drag them into a folder

Home:-
Enough uniform for a full week
Kids have night time drinking water bottles and school ones. The school ones stay downstairs.
I have low housework standards
(This one is the most beneficial) I have a husband who does just as much in the house and with the kids as me without any requesting on my part.

@shouldistop

Just making lists and doing it without procrastinating. Basically.

Ha! Yeah... that's insufficient for my procrastinator's brain unfortunately!

While working from home I fill every spare minute. So while the kettle is boiling, I’m unloading the dishwasher or putting the washing on.
Either before starting work or during my lunch break I prep as much as I can for dinner which makes it seem like much less of a chore by the end of the day.

Also watching with interest. I’m currently working a 3 month notice period and have very little to do so have become very sluggish and aware I’m going to have to get much more productive in a few weeks.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Work:- I set up in calendar any weekly/monthly tasks on recurring. I keep a paper to do list as well as only keeping emails in my inbox which are not done. Once done I drag them into a folder

Home:-
Enough uniform for a full week
Kids have night time drinking water bottles and school ones. The school ones stay downstairs.
I have low housework standards
(This one is the most beneficial) I have a husband who does just as much in the house and with the kids as me without any requesting on my part.

What calendar do you use? And do you have any sort of 'system' for your paper to do list or is it just as it sounds?

I like your email organisation method and will implement! Thanks :)

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

@FizzyPink

While working from home I fill every spare minute. So while the kettle is boiling, I’m unloading the dishwasher or putting the washing on. Either before starting work or during my lunch break I prep as much as I can for dinner which makes it seem like much less of a chore by the end of the day.

Also watching with interest. I’m currently working a 3 month notice period and have very little to do so have become very sluggish and aware I’m going to have to get much more productive in a few weeks.

I like this fill every minute plan and I try to do it also but frequently find myself slipping / daydreaming!

What calendar do you use?

The one in Outlook (work email account) A

And do you have any sort of 'system' for your paper to do list or is it just as it sounds?

I bought a To Do List notebook from Amazon. I add to the page as new tasks come up, and I tick down them as I go. I have a rule that once I go onto the next page, I have to move anything left from the page before onto the new page. I dont allow the tasks to go across more than one page. Means then as I'm looking down the ones left to transfer, some of them its quicker to do it than to re-write it on the new list. So I do it and tick it off.

When I'm finished a page, I fold it in half (vertical) and its "gone".

Commitment devices - I make promises I don't want to look bad breaking "I'll have it to you on Monday" etc

I have a list of stuff to do that I score through when I'm done (feels good, not sure why)

I say no when people ask me to do stuff, or I'll ask what they want me to stop doing so that I'll have time to do it.

I work backwards from deadlines so I know what wee things I need to have done by when.

I don't run inbox zero (more like inbox 4000), task box, use planning tools or file things.

Don't leave your work email running all day
Do it in "chunks" so you have time to focus on "real work"
I try to aim for pre 9am, around lunchtime and close of day

Eufy.
My children will tidy up for eufy in a way they never do for me

I get notifications of documents to approve all through the day. I delete all apart from the first one I get (all take me to the same dashboard).

First thing after I eat my lunch I go onto the dashboard and do all the approvals. Then I delete the first email reminder and dont go back onto the dashboard til the same time the next day.

I leave the one email there as a reminder incase I get way laid.

Work or home? I'm guessing from the way you've phrased it, work...

1. Block time in your Google or outlook calendar for routine tasks, set reminders and colour code it into categories

1. Identify any external distraction sources and mitigate or remove them from the environment if possible

1. Do exercise or mindfulness before starting work.

1. Use a brightly coloured notebook or paper (easy to find) to make lists of ad hoc tasks. Write them down quickly as they arise and cross them out when done.

Work
Right click on it & red flag urgent emails. Make anything non urgent blue. Stuff that can wait a week or longer, green. That way at a glance you can se what to prioritise. Or you can select what colour you see certain emails as, so SWOT Report emails could be red coloured. Once it's actioned, file it under subject matter. You can set up autofile by subject too. One click & your inbox will file selected emails for you.Put reminders in your Calendar 2 days before reports due etc. Have a to do list ,paper or electronic & date when you did stuff ( handy if someone tries to imply you're not on top of stuff).
Home
If you need an hour to just veg & wind down after work great, but do 5 min tasks in ad breaks ( dusting, put washing in , take rubbish out etc). While kettle boils wipe down cupboards or surfaces etc. While bath runs, clean toilet etc. Do a 5 min sweep whenever you leave a room of mugs, rubbish, anything left out etc. I can't face a 2 hour weekly blitz so this keeps it mostly tidy. It becomes automatic & just habit, not a 'chore' that way.

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Work:- I set up in calendar any weekly/monthly tasks on recurring. I keep a paper to do list as well as only keeping emails in my inbox which are not done. Once done I drag them into a folder

Home:-
Enough uniform for a full week
Kids have night time drinking water bottles and school ones. The school ones stay downstairs.
I have low housework standards
(This one is the most beneficial) I have a husband who does just as much in the house and with the kids as me without any requesting on my part.

Great ideas. Where do I get a husband like this please?

I asked something similar recently as was in a productivity slump and someone shared this which has been a LIFESAVER
theantiburnoutclub.com/how-to-get-motivated-to-do-anything-14-ways-to-get-and-stay-motivated/

I found the book 'Get Your Sh*t Together' really helpful.
It has tips for managing email, tasks, finances, big life decisions.
Some examples are write everything you possibly need to do on a 'To Do' list. Then rearrange in order of urgency. This is like your running total of shit that needs to be done.
Then every day on a separate sheet of paper write a 'Must Do Today' list. I find this really helpful, it's often only one or two things that really seriously need to be done today but I feel weirdly so on top of things. And I often feel like I want to do more after my 'must dos' as you're kinda on a roll.
She also advises uni-tasking. Doing one thing at a time and focusing on that.
As well as making to do lists etc she recommends scheduling and this is the step I was missing before - commit to a time when you are just going to fucking do it. So rather than having three things to do in a day, you have x to do at 10am for 15 mins, y to do at 1pm for an hour, and z to do at 5pm. She says you can put the laundry on and then do a job but schedule it.
She says if you have poor time management it's helpful to time how long tasks actually take you. Like you might think you can shower and get ready in 15 mins but in reality your assessment can be way off and it's why you always run late. Ditto with how long it take to 'finish up at work' etc.
I'm only halfway through the book but have found it really helpful so far

I used to be REALLY scatty, but it's all improved massively lately (since lockdown) and I've been trying to work out why! I was honestly just thinking about it this morning.

Things I changed:

1. I don't drink booze anymore. It just makes me foggy and tired the next day.
2. I started HRT oestrogen and got a Mirena.
3. I started doing The Morning Sidekick Journal, where you list all tomorrow's tasks the night before.
4. I started taking Vitamin D, and vitamins for hair growth which include a lot of B vitamins.
5. I lost 4.5 stone doing WW.

Something in there has transformed me. I'm so calm now. I make lists and do them. I balance housework around WFH and a P/T job. I just get on with stuff. I have savings. I meet deadlines. I barely recognise myself.

I set reminders in my calendar for EVERYTHING and add an alert to go off before. If it involves someone else, I add them as an invitee to the reminder.

I do stuff in advance - like make the packed lunches while I'm cooking dinner so it's all done in one go.

I deep-clean in bursts, but keep on top of smaller stuff (like hoovering) every other day.

Honestly -- it's so calm, I'm almost bored.

ADHD Youtube is your friend :-)

Pomodoro app. I read about it on here last week and am finding it helps!

Oh yes to ADHD YouTube and tiktok too, as PP mentioned. Loads of great tips for productivity/organisation there too.

@ThatOtherPoster

I used to be REALLY scatty, but it's all improved massively lately (since lockdown) and I've been trying to work out why! I was honestly just thinking about it this morning.

Things I changed:

1. I don't drink booze anymore. It just makes me foggy and tired the next day.
2. I started HRT oestrogen and got a Mirena.
3. I started doing The Morning Sidekick Journal, where you list all tomorrow's tasks the night before.
4. I started taking Vitamin D, and vitamins for hair growth which include a lot of B vitamins.
5. I lost 4.5 stone doing WW.

Something in there has transformed me. I'm so calm now. I make lists and do them. I balance housework around WFH and a P/T job. I just get on with stuff. I have savings. I meet deadlines. I barely recognise myself.

I set reminders in my calendar for EVERYTHING and add an alert to go off before. If it involves someone else, I add them as an invitee to the reminder.

I do stuff in advance - like make the packed lunches while I'm cooking dinner so it's all done in one go.

I deep-clean in bursts, but keep on top of smaller stuff (like hoovering) every other day.

Honestly -- it's so calm, I'm almost bored.

Congratulations on your big change! You should be proud of yourself :) - and thanks for sharing!