6 PRACTICAL TIPS TO GET THROUGH YOUR TO-DO LIST

9 PRACTICAL TIPS TO GET THROUGH YOUR TO-DO LIST

I, for one, have had an extremely busy April/May – it has been a good busy but I am so happy to say that I can finally feel things slowing down a bit and getting back to normal. To catch some of you up, I recently started a new job which I really, really like but as always there is a lot of learning when starting a new role so that has kept me much busier than usual and if that was not enough I was also planning a baby shower for my sister who is expecting her second child. I am happy to report that the baby shower went off without a hitch this past weekend and I cannot express enough the relief I feel to get past it!

With so many things going on in my personal life and professional life I have been heavily reliant on my planner. I purchased the Inkwell Press planner for 2016 and I LOVE IT – I can go into a more in depth review for another blog post but in a nutshell that little planner has seriously helped me get through my busy days and weekends. Except for the time I wrote down an event I was invited to on the wrong day altogether – that wasn’t good! Here the nine tips I have followed these past several weeks to get through my never-ending to do list while not going completely crazy.

Take three deep breaths and hold

Breathing can easily fix a cluttered mind. There were a few instances in the last several weeks when I felt so over-whelmed that I was a complete scatter brain. In those instances I reminded myself to breath – I stopped doing whatever I was doing and I took three very deep breaths and I held my breath for a count of 5 and then I released. This very simple technique does wonders to bring clarity and peacefulness that always finds a way to put things into perspective.

Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize

This is such an obvious thing to point out but at times I did not prioritize very well because I did the things I felt were easy but not totally important that day while I put off the things that NEEDED to get done. So, yes, it is oh so important to prioritize your to-do list. Take 5-10 minutes at the start of your day and run through your to-do list in order of importance.

Don’t be afraid to adjust your priorities

Sometimes things change and it impacts our short term to-do list – when this happens its okay to re-adjust your to-do list and move on to the next thing and get back to the task you moved when it is ready to be addressed again.

Use the Pomodoro technique

I recently began using this and I love it! The Pomodoro technique is a time management technique with which you set yourself a timer of 25 minutes and dedicate every second of those 25 minutes to ONE task and then you take a 5-10 minute break and you repeat that for up to 4 sessions before you give yourself a longer break of 30-45 minutes.  I have to admit I was pretty hesitant of this technique when I first heard of it but I went in to it with an open mind and I have to tell you that it dramatically boosted my productivity. I do not do this every day because it is hard to fit this in on days that are jam packed with meetings but on the days when I do not have meetings scheduled this is my preferred productivity hack.

Give yourself some breathing room

Be sure to allot yourself some time to do something not on you’re to do list – but it has to be something you enjoy doing. You can walk your dog, read through a magazine, listen to music or read a blog – whatever your heart desires. The point here is to understand that not everything has to be work, work, work, we need to fit in things we love to do even with a busy schedule. Life is supposed to be enjoyed not consumed by a never ending to do list.

Delegate

There is nothing wrong with asking for a little help whether it be at work or at home. So take advantage in the best sense of that word) of the people around you – you may realize that people are much more giving with their time than you thought.

How do you get through your to do lists? Share your tips and tricks below!

17 RULES TO LIVE BY TO LEAD A HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL LIFE

Living the life you want requires a lot of work but most of it is internal work. Some of it can be easy and some of it can take a long time to get a good hold of, but, it is never too late to start.

1 - Get out of your comfort zone

Do at least one uncomfortable things everyday it can be tiny or it can be big. But push yourself do something you normally wouldn’t.

2 -  Slow it down a notch

We breeze through life in such a hurry that we often miss the beauty that is right in front of us. So, slow it down and take in your present.

3 -  Know your worth

Don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone has their own journey and purpose. Be happy for those who are succeeding and supportive to those that are on their way.

4 - Keep moving

It’s easy to give up and quit. Don’t. Just don’t.

5 - Focus on what you want

We tend to put too much energy into the things we do not like or want in our lives. Let’s reverse that and put your thoughts and energy into the things we like and we want.

6 - Be kind

Be an overall kinder person. Period.

7 - Don’t criticize

Its easy to get caught up in gossip but you will see life through a brighter perspective when you end all of the non-constructive critiquing.

8 - Find a passion

And dedicate time to it.

9 - Be grateful for what you have

Always strive to better yourself and your life situation but while you are doing that do not forget to be grateful for the things and people you have today.

10 - Break out a smile

Just be grateful that you are alive.

11 - Get enough sleep

Make sleep a priority. You mind, body and soul will thank you.

12 - Look toward the future

Don’t dwell on your past. Its unchangeable. Focus on your future.

13 - Take a break

Listen to your body and take a break when it is asking for one.

14 - Meditate

Incorporate meditation into your life. 10 minutes a day is enough.

15 - Read

Books, newspapers, magazines, online articles – always expand your mind. It will expand your horizons.

16 - Be creative

We all have creativity within us. Let it shine through.

17 - Don’t over-analyze

It’s a natural reaction, one that I’m guilty of. But it’s just not worth the trouble.

What rules do you live your life by? Share below!

MY CURRENT INSPIRATIONAL, THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND FUN READING LIST

I have always liked to read. I remember secretly loving school trips to the library, haha!  But as school workload increased throughout the years and as college came along and then grad school I had no extra time to devote to reading anything that was not school related. But, now that I have been out of school for over 2 years my book collection is consistently growing. There are SO many great books I cannot wait to get my hands on!

Earlier this year I told myself that I would aim to read one book a month. That didn’t happen. As much as I tried to stick to one book at a time I just couldn’t do it. The untouched books just sitting on my bookshelf were such a distraction that I had to dive into those too! So now, I am juggling three great reads:

This book has been around for quite a bit of time and it has been on my short list of books to read for several months. One of the main reasons I really wanted to get my hands on this book is because it is referenced SO frequently by many great speakers and entrepreneurs’ and I really wanted to know first had what it was all about.

This book has a very solid core message around society, education and our modern corporate world. It is a definite must read that will allow you to view our modern society from a new perspective and may or may not influence future decisions you may need to make.

The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

This book is very different from all of the other ones I have read in that it is partly written from a musical conductor’s point-of-view and experiences. The main takeaway from this book is certain practices that can be incorporated into our daily lives that will enhance the way we view events, people and society. I will admit that some of these practices will take time for them to feel like second nature to you BUT if we take small steps daily towards making them second nature I will drastically change your outlook. It is a must read!

I have a constant smile on my face when I read this book. Jen does a great, great job at turning what would be and are serious topics into these funny stories and experiences that just get the point across so well.  This book is most definitely in my list of top books to re-read – aside from being inspirational it does it in such a fun was that I totally lose track of time while I am reading this.

Now your turn – what is on your current reading list for the next couple of months? 

WHAT I HAVE DONE TO BECOME SOMEWHAT OF A MORNING PERSON

Being a “morning person” has always been a foreign subject to me. Even when I think back to my grade school days I remember my dad prodding me to wake up and even pulling my toes – that always got me right up!

I’ve heard people equate “non-morning” people to lazy people and from first-hand experience I know that is not necessarily the case. We all have an internal clock, also known as a circadian rhythm which is a biological function that operates on a (roughly) 24 hour cycle. 

So, there are morning people, night owls and I’d like to throw a third category in there or intermediaries (which is me!) I am neither a morning person nor a night owl – even if I fall asleep at a decent time (say 10:30-11PM) I STILL hit the snooze button at 7AM.

If you can afford or have a lifestyle that can support your internal clock then have at it! Sleep at whatever time that rocks your boat. I on the other hand need to be up in the morning and be at work by 9AM (although I have been shooting to get in by 8:30 and not too successful at that lately).

I used to think that my snooze hitting habits were a by-product of our long and cold Boston winters but I've come to the conclusion that that is not the case - it's simply me.

Here are the things I have worked on in the past couple of years that have helped me become (somewhat) of a morning person.

Consistency

In order to make a long term change in your life it is crucial to be consistent. This means that, in my case, I set my alarm clock for 7AM every day including weekends. Yes, even weekends. Even though I usually allow myself to fall back to sleep on Saturdays and Sundays I want my body to get used to a 7AM wake up call.

Time Management

If you know how many hours your body needs to function to its optimal level make sure you do everything in your power to make those hours sacred. For me that means I need a solid 8 hours to feel good in the morning, therefore, I do all of the miscellaneous things that need to get done in the morning at night. This includes, picking my outfit, prepping my lunch bag and prepping my coffee machine. I do all of this at night because I want to get every minute of sleep I can in the morning.

Drink water

Since I have started to drink water in the morning at I am getting ready I have noticed such a positive change in my morning attitude. It is such a simple and easy thing to add to your morning routine that will immediately give you positive results.

Aside from beginning to drink water every morning becoming consistent and effectively managing my time has by far taken the longest time to work on. For example, if I knew I had to be at work by 8AM on any given day I would go to sleep earlier and set my alarm earlier for the next morning. Then, the next day came along and I reverted back to my normal sleeping schedule which completely threw any progress I had made out the door.

In order to combat that from happening I landed on 7AM as a good time for me to wake up every morning. If I need to be at work by 8AMthen I know that 1 hour is just enough time for me to get ready and get to work (those days Iprep a little extra to make my morning routine as quick and simple as possible). But if it’s a normal work day I know I can take my time getting ready – I can watch a video as I get dressed and as I make my coffee.

Those early days do not happen very often so I am OK with the tight timeline I have created for myself on those days. My main goal here is to train my body to wake up at a consistent time every day and hopefully someday I will not even need an alarm clock!

And, while I still end up hitting the snooze button it is not nearly as bad as it was a few years ago. I can say that I do have a little more discipline around that these days.

So, as a “non-morning” person or intermediary I’d like to say that no, we are all not just lazy people. And some of us do try very hard to train our bodies to adjust to the work hours we need to adhere to.

As for me, I still envy people to wake up early in the morning without even trying!

How about you – are you a morning person, a night owl or an in-between like me? And have you always been that way? Do share below!