8 Tips To Increase Daily Productivity
This post will offer you simple steps to incorporate into your daily routine. These tricks help align you to your purpose and keep you focused and confident.
It’s possible you’ve arrived here because you’re a high achiever, finding yourself unable to check off all the to-dos on your list…
Or perhaps you have high hopes, but aren’t quite sure where to start.
Maybe it’s time to reevaluate your daily routines! Read on to learn how to craft and commit to activities that serve you.
The Importance Of Routines & Rituals
Daily routines and rituals help…
quell anxiety
improve performance
motivate us
boost confidence
increase productivity
heal us when grieving
We recommend above all to consider crafting some intentional daily practices.
How can establishing healthy habits and daily routines help me?
By anchoring your movements through each day. If you feel a bit untethered, or don’t know where your time goes, routines will offer you natural moments for refocusing.
Routines give us a sense of purpose and accomplishment. They are a reason to get up in the morning. Rituals can be the highlight of our day when they serve our Higher Selves.
Healthy habits feed the balance between mind / body / and spirit. Through consistent self-care we maintain our sacred energy.
What makes a ritual intentional?
To perform a ritual with intention you must uncover the true motivation behind it. If the motivation is pure and for your greatest good, focus on that intention while you perform your ritual or habit. Remind yourself of the WHY.
Use what inspires you as your guide when crafting rituals. Inspiration pulls you to act. For optimum productivity, it helps to have motivation pushing you and inspiration pulling.
I’ve set daily goals before, but I always give up. How can I truly commit to a routine?
Set realistic expectations for yourself to avoid overwhelm.
If you consistently skip a desired habit, take a moment to assess why and alter your practice.
Tune back in to your intention. Perhaps there is something driving you that doesn’t serve your Higher Self.
If you feel you are getting restless, reawaken your body and mind through tactics that require movement and change. Take a moment for transition. Step outside. Stretch for five minutes. Brew a cup of tea. Relocate to another room.
Tip #1: Write It Down!
Each day, write down every task you would like to get done.
Now go through your list and circle the 3 top priority items. These are your goals for the day.
The remainder are your stretch goals. If you accomplish your top three, congratulations, your day is already a success! All the rest are bonus accomplishments.
Celebrate every win! Focus on the accomplishments instead of perfection.
If you don’t have time to brain dump a list of all your ideal to-dos, consider filling a single post-it note with some tasks. I’d suggest a mix. Perhaps one that you’ve been meaning to do, but will take no more than 15 minutes. One medium one that you should carve a bit of time out for. Maybe a big one that will take half the day or more. If you already feel your energy is sapped, make it a list of all simple items. Listen to yourself. Don’t cheat and write tiny! The point of this exercise is to be realistic about the time we have available in a day and acknowledge that things often take a bit longer than we anticipate.
Remember: If you look at the enormity of all the things you must do to reach your dream, it may lead to overwhelm and stunt your progress.
Tip: Consider breaking your goal into more manageable pieces, then triage from there.
Tip # 2: The 5-Second Rule
Here's how it looks:
You feel intuition to act toward your goal.
You consider avoiding the task.
Don't put it off! Start counting down from 5. By the time you reach 1 you must physically begin the task. These can be long Mississippi seconds or quick consecutive seconds.
Taking action like this creates that sought after spark which spurs momentum and empowers you to act more in the future!
Learn more about the 5-Second Rule from Mel Robbins.
Tip #3: Mindfulness
Be aware without harsh judgement. Observe how you’re feeling while working through your to-do list.
Show yourself compassion. If you notice you’re consistently going to a dark place as you attempt to check off items, take a moment to ask yourself why? Listen to your intuition and make whatever adjustments you can.
If you feel that deluge of negativity, but still must complete the task at hand, take a pause and transition. This task is not more important than your own well-being. Give yourself 1-5 minutes to re-group.
Stand up / move to a new room / step outside.
Take a deep breath and venture outside of your mind for a moment to observe.
Try to gently shift your thoughts to think of something more positive.
Do something quick and kind for yourself to refresh.
Ask yourself:
What thoughts are causing my emotions?
Are they true?
What can I do in this moment to feel joy?
Tip # 5: Just For Ten Minutes
There are always things on our list that we have to do, but REALLY don’t want to.
Here is an easy way to get around those dreaded tasks:
Commit to only 10 minutes and give yourself the option to walk away after that. Usually the hardest part of these activities is just getting started. If you only have to commit to a small amount of work, the negative feelings aren’t so strong.
Anyone can do just 10 minutes of nearly anything!
Set a timer or track on the clock. Once 10 minutes are up, assess your feelings. Do you want to keep going? Most likely you will because you’ve seen that it’s not as bad as you were making it out to be.
If you are just in a funk and want to stop, allow it! Show yourself some compassion. Be easy on yourself and set a time to come back to the work.
Tip #6: Devotion To Self
Make time each day just for you. If you are falling behind in your work, your energy bank may be depleted. Perhaps it’s time to align your focus away from your responsibilities and take care of your SELF.
Self-Care is sacred. We should all be doing something each day that is just for us.
Self-care doesn’t have to be a grand planned extended experience. It could be something as simple as lighting a candle in your work space or taking a break for some tea.
You may already be doing things each day that you don’t realize is self-care. Like your exercise routine, taking a walk, pausing in the shower to let the water fall on your head. These are all great things! Make it sacred by bringing some intention & attention to these actions and you will reap even more benefits. Speak a little mantra to yourself. Take a pause to practice mindfulness during your self-care and really feel it feeding your soul.
Tip #7: Daily Rituals
Start your day on the right foot.
Don’t rush into work or begin your day with mindless scrolling. Make your mornings meaningful. Your morning ritual should inspire you to do great work. Even if you have a poor day, at least you had a successful morning.
To craft your morning ritual, give yourself enough time to do the things that serve your love for YOU.
Make the bed
Drink a peaceful cup of coffee or tea
Write in a journal
Read for 10 minutes
Browse through articles
Sort your planner for the day
Brush you teeth / do your hair / dress for the day
Do the same while crafting an evening routine. You deserve this time. You deserve this devotion.
Tip: Make a rule not to do the things that bring you down before or after a certain time.
Example: No phone scrolling before 10am and after 9pm.
Tip #8: Tracking
Have you ever wondered where your time goes each day? Do you have trouble identifying why repeat habits or emotions stick around or where they even come up?
The Mindfulness Collection helps you answer those questions through fun, interactive exercises:
Sunrise to Sunset | Get to know your emotions on a deeper level through a month of reflection. Giving yourself space each day to practice presence catalyzes change in your life and develops resilience.
Radiant Rainbow | Catalog the recurrence or absence of your positive habits throughout the course of a month. See what your dream life looks like in full color!
Mindful Moon | Take a microscopic look at the ecosystem of your actions and emotions throughout each hour of a single day.
What tips do you have in your arsenal? Have you tried these out? How did they work for you? Share your wisdom with us in the comments below!
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Thank you,
Broadbill Bird
Inspired by dreaming big, this illustration of a proud broadbill bird was created by in-house artist Nicole Baker. You can find it featured on items in our shop.
The interrogation of our feelings unlocks a deeper understanding of our values, purpose and fears. Instead of fleeing from uncomfortable emotions, let us practice exploration.