I usually don’t get to the keyboard this early. Usually I am still doing “kid schlep” duties and then it takes me a bit to settle into a time of focus here, at the keyboard.
This morning is different, though. I am arranging my schedule differently this morning. It is mostly good.
My mind is attempting to take away my focus me by remembering the dishes stacked close to the sink and the laundry waiting to be put away. I will get those done, but I need to nurture my love affair with words soon. The fact that my writing office is in my living room and it may appear I have all this “extra time” on my hands is wholly inaccurate.
I fill my time rather efficiently compared to the average person. When I am really serious – perhaps even today – I will fill my time blocks in thirty minute chunks. When I do this, I become a virtual whirlwind of activity.
Thirty minutes of writing followed by 30 minutes of dusting/vacuuming followed by 30 more minutes of writing followed by thirty minutes of marketing followed by thirty minutes of follow up phone calling followed by thirty minutes doing any extra detailed cleaning in my children’s rooms.
It isn’t rocket science, but between social media, the relentless buzz of my phone telling me “TEXT HAS ARRIVED” (and my subconscious mind says “oh, must be urgent and take away from everything else I am doing!) and one of my children or friends nudging me with some sort of “must be done yesterday” request, it takes fortitude to keep up one of my days of relentless time-chunking.
I realize now that when I sat down to write, this was going to be just a free flow writing moment. It turned into something that will most likely become a blog post. I did that without even trying.
Here are three simple suggestions to make you more productive:
- Use the timer on your cell phone or stove to small chunks of time. Even fifteen minute chunks may net a lot of productivity. Don’t declare, “I have no timer so I can’t follow these oh-so-simple suggestions!” You do have at least one timer. Use it.
- Make a list of tasks to fit into the chunks, but don’t be overly rigid about which chunk when. Unavoidables (like the school calling and asking you to pick up your sick child) happen. Rather than give up your entire day, do like your GPS: reroute without complaint.
- I learned this as a waitress: never waste a trip when passing through a room or hallway. Look for items that belong elsewhere or that can be tossed. It takes almost no time and believe me, it makes a big difference.
I simply blended focus with a finite amount of time and sprinkled my passion for life in splatters across everything and here I am with increased productivity.
It is more than a mighty fine way to begin my day! Ready to try it? Let’s start now!
Follow me on Twitter: @JulieJordanScot
Julie Jordan Scott has been a Life & Creativity Coach, Writer, Facilitator and Teleclass Leader since 1999. She is also an award winning Actor, Director, Artist and Mother Extraordinaire. She was twice the StoryTelling Slam champion in Bakersfield. She teaches a teleclass/ecourse "Discover the Power of Writing & Telling Engaging, Enlightening Stories" which begins again March 15, 2012. Find details by clicking this link.
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I've actually started doing that - picking up things as I pass by. It does help and it does add up! Great post!
Posted by: Tracy Mangold | February 23, 2012 at 10:20 AM
I do this with my kids when its cleaning time. We get so much more done when I say, "Okay, 30 minutes of cleaning, then 30 minutes of playtime!" We're always surprised at how much we get done and fast!
Posted by: Beansmonkeybusiness | February 23, 2012 at 11:24 AM
We can all use or time more wisely. Thanks for the reminder. Sometimes when I try to multi-task I end up getting almost nothing done. I like your idea of 30 minute increments.
Posted by: City Share | February 23, 2012 at 01:10 PM