I have a load of different things going on at the moment. From being a mum, blog posts, freelance work, the restyle and name change of the blog, and then there’s Christmas and all of the end of year celebrations that are quickly filling my calendar. Juggling these in an unstructured environment, like working from home can be a bit of a trap for inefficiency. So what do I often find myself doing when it all feels too much? I procrastinate. Yep, that’s right, and I bet a lot you do too.
I’ve been reading a lot of things about time management lately. This is something that I feel that I really need to perfect; otherwise, all of the bits and pieces just spill over into my family time, which is not fair on them. Most of the time this could have been avoided if I had been just a little bit more efficient with my time.
If like me, you’re feeling a little disorganised working from home, you might want to introduce these five points that has helped me, into your day. Why not make an experiment? Stick to it for an entire week and see if you feel more in control and organised.
I warn you, these points are kind of obvious but still, most of us just don’t practice it. So here it goes…
A time for everything
Schedule a time in your calendar for it all. Writing that blog post, meetings, even reading your emails, social media, time with the children and partner etc. Some of these can be scheduled at repeating intervals throughout the day. Allow time in between for spill over, and a couple of hours for the unexpected.
Shut it down
When you’re not working on something, close the application so that you can concentrate on the task at hand and be less tempted to check if there is a reply to your email, how many people like your IG photo… you get my drift. Simply applying this to your work will improve your efficiency enormously.
Deal with it immediately
To avoid an inbox full of unread emails, or ones that you will never find again, deal with each email that comes in during the allocated time and then bin or file it. If the email requires too much time, schedule a time in your calendar to deal with it properly.
Time off, switch off
Down time each day and on the weekends is key and this includes time away from social media so that you can truly be there in the moment with your loved ones. Time out for yourself is also really important; read a good book, take a bath, get a facial have a walk in the forest and book that holiday. It’s quite often these moments when we feel reenergised that all of those great ideas come to us.
Write a list
When new things come to mind, add it to the to do list and then forget about until time has been scheduled for it. My husband bought me this A4 Planner by Toodles Noodles (I graciously took the hint) which has been such a great help that I added it to my store.
This weekend I’m planning to do something that I’ve been procrastinating for some time – creating a designated workspace. I will also ensure that I switch off on Sunday. What about you? Are you a procrastinator at times? Perhaps you have some tips on time management you’d like to share?
Happy weekend!
Mel xx
24 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Great tips, Mel! I’m a big fan of “dealing with it immediately”, it helps to keep my inbox close to 0, or at least I try to ;) And procrastination is nice too, sometimes you just have to let your mind wander and click and read blogs, like yours ;) It can be so nice to be unproductive from time to time! Also, I’m very curious about your rebranding too. It’s so personal and can totally change your entire (blog/biz) perspective. Good Luck with that, Mel!
Thanks Judith. Still working on being super effective with my time, but definitely an improvement. I love working at home but it can be so distracting. I’m impressed with your inbox, I won’t tell you how many I have in mine! x
oh a great post Mel – our time is precious, our passions are precious too but we all strive for that work /life balance – when blogging and online fun takes over my ‘life’ yes its time to look at how I can can improve the way I do things…
It’s such a juggle and one I’m forever working on…x
You know when I most productive? On a flight! And the one single reason is: I am not connected to the internet and there is anything that can distract me. There is two things I usually do on a plane: I browse through magazines and READ them, and/or I work with the laptop. Both are in more qualitative way than being home. Interesting, isn’t it? I should start traveling again:-) G, xx
Guillaume is the same, he always tells me how much work he gets done. Being disciplined with one thing at a time is really helping though although there are MANY temptations. Mel x
Brilliant tips, I know I could definitely do with following them, I always find the lure of the washing machine far too tempting, that and Instagram! Xx
The washing machine? Haha you surprise me Emma!
All really good tips Mel and desperately needed by me, I find so much gets in the way when I’m working from home. My goal is to be more organised in 2015 so will implement some of your advice. Thank you! Catherine x
Oh good Catherine, glad it helps:) You should see my calendar, full of tasks… if I stick to it I’ll be super efficient I think! I did forget to put in some time for miscellaneous though and immediately needed it after realising that my mac calendar doesn’t sync with my new iPhone. Piff – I think I need about 2 hours to figure that one out! Big hugs, Mel xx
These are great tips, Mel! I have never been much of a procrastinator but lack of mindfulness does slip in sideways sometimes and I notice it right away which usually leads me to giggling to myself for allowing my mind to be my Master. Dealing with the task immediately is such a great tip…in my experience when this principle is practiced procrastination goes out the window! YAY!
With respect,
Jocelyn
Wow Jocelyn, you’re lucky that you’ve never had that problem! Hugs to you. Mel xx
Very good advice! For anything business related I start the month by writing down a very detailed list of what I want to achieve that month using categories (marketing, social media, sales,…) then I allocate time to dig into each category and make a plan to achieve each goal. The following month I check on my list, see what was successful or not, analyze it all and make a new list for the new month :) that way I feel like I focus once for all on what is important for the business and don’t move away from that list and waist time on other things that aren’t as relevant that month, it gives a clear direction to my work and I feel more productive!
Wow that’s really focused Audrey! I’d love to know if you reach the goals you set out or if you come close? Fantastic stuff! Mel x
Yes I do reach most goals! I think it is part of creating a plan, you know what you have to focus on and don’t wonder out of the map that was created for the month, time is really condensed on what you want to achieve that way. If I don’t achieve some goals it is part of next month’s plan to analyse what did not work and why!
I’m going introduce this short term goal setting into my monthly post planning session. You’ve inspired me, thank you Audrey! x
Do I procrastinate? Of course, right now, reading your Blog instead of working… I know this is something I have to work on, too. Because, like you said, it is not fair for the rest of the family if I don’t stick to my working hours. But I will still find the time to read your blog, I promise! Have a nice weekend, Mel!
… and schedule blog reading time too! Happy weekend Lena xx
Great advice Mel! I could definitely benefit from all of the tips above. It’s particularly hard to “switch off” from work when it’s something you love doing so much! But I will try… x
So hard to switch off but so very important. Have a great weekend! Mel x
I’m so glad that others have the same problems that I do. My new years (actually for December) is to designate a time for everything. You’re right – its so tempting to answer that e-mail that comes across your screen when you’re in the middle of crafting a post or etc…Thanks for the reminder.
We all suffer from it! If you give it a go, I’d love to know if it made some good change. x
Love this, and so important at this time of year when everything seems to pile up! Good reminder about completing tasks more efficiently so it’s possible to have some relaxing downtime later … Thanks Mel!
Oh good, glad it helped some! Hope you get some nice relax time this weekend. Mel x