So it’s been a little while since my last post. I’ve been stuck between trying to sort out a multitude of things, working the current job and applying for new roles. Something that struck me shortly after the last post, was that one way to get something done effectively or accomplish goals (however small they may be) is to condense life and make it simpler. But I’m not saying that you should cut down on activities, friends or other things (though in some cases this may help). There are actually two awesome little tricks that can give you the productivity boost you need in order to get things done:
Productivity Boost #1: Complete all your chores at the same time.
Of course I don’t mean that you should clean the bathroom, do the laundry and vacuum the place at once, but grouping them together can actually save time. Why not make a list throughout the week of chores you have to complete? Then you designate a time when you will tackle them all at once, such as on a Monday evening or Saturday morning and try to complete them in that allotted period of time.
There is a reason why the likes of US Presidents try to minimize their decisions to an absolute minimum and filter out all the unnecessary decisions such as picking a suit, tie and shirt in the morning or deciding what to eat for breakfast. They do this because there is a certain amount of decision-making capacity in everyone’s day which can easily be exhausted. So by avoiding having to decide on the “small stuff”, they can focus on the bigger decisions. In this case on how to best run their country.
Although I’ve always been a proponent of ironing all of the coming week’s shirts, I’ve taken it to an extreme by ironing all of the coming two week’s shirts on a Sunday afternoon/evening. That way, each weekday morning when I wake up I can just hop straight into my prepared work outfit. I also feel happier with the fact that I have ironed all the shirts for the coming week and that one task is already completed. There is an awesome sense of satisfaction that appears when I complete a task and know that I don’t have to do it for another two weeks.
Additionally, I’ve also started doing my laundry and (try) to clear my room at the same time (though the latter task, I often don’t finish 🙂 .
Productivity Boost #2: Make a list
Although this could be a blogpost by itself, I should add that I’m a huge fan of making lists. I often tend to forget the things I need to accomplish and find it very annoying when I think I’m done, only to realise that there is a task outstanding. To avoid this, I make lists and cross each job off as I finish it. Ticking something off always makes me feel rather happy, and I start on the new task with uncommon elan. As such, I think it’s definitely a core part of boosting productivity to keep a list as you’re tackling your chores.
Having completed chores earlier frees up evenings and mornings to do more productive and worthwhile things. At the same time I feel like I do not have to worry about having to do chores (or feel bad about putting them off).
Anyhow, next time you feel like you need a productivity boost as you have some chores piling up, why not make a list and tackle them all in one go? You may just feel happier after having ticked off the last task on your list 🙂
Happy Monday!
I loooove making lists…but I have to admit that sometimes I add a few things I’ve already/just finished! It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished a bit more and gives me motivation to keep going and tick more things off.
Haha, that’s a clever tactic. For me ticking off another thing on my list gives me immense satisfaction, although I find myself deviating from the list once I reach 2/3 completion. Need to work on that haha!