Tips and Tools for Productivity

Lately, due to sickness, I have been less than productive. However, I am usually pretty productive.
I like to get things done and I like to do a lot of things. My freelance work has also had me juggling a variety of different responsibilities. Being a mom is busy. In general… I have a permanent to do list that will never, ever be finished because I keep adding items to it!

I am always utilizing a variety of tools to help keep me organized and on track. Hopefully some of these items will be as useful to you as they are to me.

My Tools & Tips for Productivity:

Tool: Pen & Paper— I have a lot of tools I use that are more digitally based. However, there just isn’t anything like pen and paper for keeping my head on straight. When I am stressed out my husband hands me my notebook and tells me to make a list. He knows me well. I sometimes just need to write things out and get a game plan before I can move on to getting things done. I really like my Semikolon Mucho Spiral Book (affiliate link) because it has perforated pages that are divided into three sections of lined, blank, and graph paper. There is also a pocket in the back that I can put loose paper or business cards in while I am out.

Tips for Pen & Paper Productivity: 

• Keep all of your daily notes in one notebook. It is hard to keep up with several different notebooks from day to day. I like getting a notebook that will easily fit in my purse.
• Keep a pen & notebook with you at all times.
• Use post it notes to bookmark important pages.
• Use binders to organize information that you have put down in your notebook and finished or need to refer to later. I have notebooks for my different websites and freelance jobs to organize things that I need to keep long-term.

Tool: Todoist.com— As I’ve said before… I like lists. I like that Todoist.com has the ability for me to schedule to do items, prioritize, organize by project, and mark off individually. I also like that there is a mobile app and a bookmark bar widget. Whenever I open my browser I see the red TD symbol and the number of items I need to do. I also like that if I miss something I can “postpone” or “do today” and it will automatically be added to the appropriate list. Finally, Todoist.com has “Karma” that adds up when you do items on your todo list. You don’t really get anything out of it… but, it does motivate me to get more items done on my list.

• Use if you are often online for work. You’ll see it more often than if you only get on your computer once a day.
• Utilize the ability to separate your projects out. It will help you prioritize your needs. This tool works really well for me in scheduling out posts.

• Be realistic with your time— If you have two hours to work… know that you will not be able to spend all of that time on one task.
• Give yourself small breaks.
• Stick to the times you set yourself. If you work for thirty minutes on a project and are still not finished. Take your break and come back to the project when you have more allotted time. You’ll find that the more you use this technique, the more efficient your work becomes.

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