5 Ways to be More Productive and Get More Out of Each Day

I get asked pretty frequently, “when do you have time to do that?” or “how are you able to do all of this?” With a full-time job as a manager in finance, an amazing husband, a blog, and many other commitments, I’ve got a lot on my plate. And we haven’t even added kids into the mix! The truth is that I don’t get it all done. Ask my husband! There are things that I absolutely do not prioritize: cooking dinner every night, keeping the house clean, etc. That being said, I have a few tips that work for me on how to get the most out of each and every day. A lot of my tips are specific to bloggers (or side hustlers) but can be incorporated by everyone!

Don’t Try To “Do It All”

As I mentioned, I am not able to “do it all” and frankly, I don’t want to. If there are things that you are having trouble getting done, hire it out. Don’t have time to grocery shop? Use Instacart or a grocery delivery service. If you don’t have time to cook, buy frozen meals and heat them up. Can’t find time to clean? Hire a housekeeper. You don’t have to do it all. If you can simplify the tasks that frankly don’t give most people any energy or enjoyment, you can spend time doing what you want (i.e. spending time with family, working on your side hustle, exercising, etc.).

Maybe it’s the millennial in me, but time is absolutely the most precious thing to me and I want to spend it doing what I want. Whether that’s a date with my husband, a trip, a learning opportunity, or a blog post. Spend time doing things that you actually like doing. Revolutionary, right?

Find a Calendar or Planning Tool That Works For You

Tony and I have a shared Google calendar that we use for our major plans. Tony’s events (mostly work related) are in blue, mine are in pink, and if it involves both of us it’s in purple. This helps us to be on the same page with what is going on that day, week, or month. This also helps us a lot with logistics because we share one car.

I have a separate ‘blog calendar’ that I keep in Excel (because I’m an accounting nerd). I plan blog content out weeks (or sometimes months) in advance and I color code this calendar as well. For blog/Instagram posts in the ideation phase (i.e. I have not done anything for these yet) I color them pink, anything that is “in process” is yellow, and blue for when it’s complete. This blog calendar was a game changer for me in my blogging process.

Google Calendars and Excel spreadsheets are pretty simple, but I know there are a lot of great tools out there as well. Find one that works for you!

To-Do Lists Are Life

To-do lists are kind of in the same spirit as calendars. It’s all about finding ways to plan and simplify your life. I make to-do lists in Excel or sometimes just use good old pen and paper. Again, there are a lot of great tools out there (iPhone apps and such), but find what works for you.

A recent tip I learned is to only put 3 things on your to-do list. Whatever 3 things you want to get done that day, only put those on your list. Maybe it’s something as small as doing a load of laundry or making a phone call. Goals can be small! In fact, they should be! Try not to clutter your list with goals that are days or weeks in front of you. I love the satisfaction of crossing things off a list. Am I right? This let’s you do that hopefully three times a day!

Get Yourself a Night Time Routine

The night before is critical. Whatever you can do to simplify your life at night you should absolutely do so. This will make the next day exponentially easier and also will help you sleep better. I swear. Before I ever even get into bed, I shower at night (time saver!), plan my outfit, pack my lunch, pack my work bag, schedule my blog post (if necessary), plan my Instagram post, and plan whatever else is needed for the day.

This process will differ depending on your needs, but I highly recommend having some sort of routine each night. I am not a morning person, and I have the hardest time getting out of bed, so anything I can do the night before helps.

Be Flexible

I feel like this tip goes against a lot of what I just said, but try to be flexible on when you do things. Having a routine is nice, but life happens and you need to adjust. Sometimes I am trying to get something done for the blog, but fun dinner plans come up. I try not to miss out on fun opportunities because of my to-do list. This is specific to blogging, but if there is something I didn’t get done for the blog that day, I like to have content ‘on deck’ (that is older/evergreen) that I can post. But this idea works for other things too. Let’s say you planned on cooking dinner for your family and then an urgent request happens at work and you stay late. Have that backup Costco lasagna ‘on deck’ for those nights that you can’t get dinner done.

Do you have any great tips on how to be more productive? I am always looking for tips on how to simplify my life!