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Today, we’re diving into the topic that many of us struggle with – boosting daytime productivity. We all know those moments when it’s right in the middle of the day, and productivity feels like a distant dream. Whether you’re a work-from-home mom, someone trying to get things done during the day, or just looking to up your productivity game, this episode is for you.
So, let’s break it down into key topics and discover eight tips to supercharge your daytime productivity.
This episode will help:
👉 work-from-home moms struggling to manage their time effectively
👉 entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to optimize their daily routines and accomplish more in less time
👉 anyone who finds it difficult to stay focused during the day
Tip #1: Get Dressed
You might be wondering why getting dressed even matters when you’re not leaving the house. Well, research has shown that we’re more productive when we feel ready for the day. It’s all about triggering your brain to get in the right mindset. Just like putting on workout clothes gets you pumped for a workout, dressing up can make you feel more energized and ready to tackle your tasks.
Tip #2: Set Up a Workspace
Having a dedicated workspace is crucial for staying focused and organized. Even if you have the flexibility of a laptop lifestyle, having a designated workspace helps you maintain boundaries between work and home life. I’ve even found myself setting up shop in a local Starbucks during my travel year to ensure I had a productive environment.
Tip #3: Schedule Breaks
It’s a common misconception that powering through without breaks is the key to productivity. However, research shows that the longer we work without breaks, the less effective we become. Try using timers to work in focused intervals, and when the timer goes off, take a short break to recharge. Trust me; it works wonders.
Tip #4: Create Your Daily Five
Instead of overwhelming yourself with a massive to-do list, focus on three to five key tasks for the day. Long lists can lead to feeling unaccomplished and distract you from what truly matters. Achieving your daily five tasks ensures you’re moving the needle in the right direction.
You can grab my own daily planner here!
Tip #5: Own Your Time
Distractions are everywhere, whether you’re working from home or in an office. Remember, some massive companies thrive on keeping you distracted. Take control of your time by setting boundaries, turning off notifications, and even communicating your working hours to family members.
The Luxafor Busy Light I mentioned in this episode. I wish I could show you it on my office door but since we don’t live in our house right now (house fire problems – I have a story highlight about it here), that will have to wait!
Tip #6: Set Realistic Goals
Don’t set yourself up for failure by cramming your day with unrealistic goals. Being realistic about what you can accomplish in a day ensures you end the day feeling accomplished rather than overwhelmed.
Tip #7: Know Your Plan for the Rest of the Day
Worrying about dinner plans or family schedules can chip away at your productivity. By having a clear plan for the day, including meals and activities, you can stay focused and free your mind from subconscious distractions.
Tip #8: Use Technology Wisely
Technology can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Leverage it to your advantage by using apps, online tools, and even the simple act of turning off notifications. Sometimes, the best way to use technology to your advantage is simply putting it away to eliminate distractions.
These eight tips may not be groundbreaking, but they’re powerful when implemented. Remember, productivity is about doing less but doing it better. You shouldn’t have to choose between success and your personal life. With these strategies, you can find that balance and boost your daytime productivity.
I’d love to hear which tip resonated with you the most or if you have your productivity hacks. Feel free to reach out through DMs, newsletters, or leave a review to share your thoughts. Thank you for joining me today on Balancing Busy, where we’re all about helping you achieve both your dreams and a fulfilling life. Until next time, keep striving for that perfect balance.
Links You Need:
The Luxafor Busy Light I mentioned in this episode
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Connect with me over on Instagram, and let me know what you’re taking away from this episode!
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Other Episodes You’ll Love:
The Simplicity Hack 5 Strategies for a More Balanced Life (Ep 6)
The Calendar Cure: 4 Steps to Balance Your Schedule ( Ep 66)
- Leah:It’s the middle of the day that is the hardest to be productive. Ifeel like mornings we can do pretty good with your morning routine. You’regetting going. You’re like, yeah, and you, you know, do great. And then theevening is your wind down time whereyou shouldn’t have to be as productive.And it’s somewhere in the middle of the day where we’re really trying to makethe things happen, get the things done.[00:00:19]Leah:And it can be really hard. So today I have eight tips to boostthat daytime productivity. And this is for. anyone during the day, but I’mespecially looking at and thinking about work from home moms, anyone whoworks or is trying to get stuff done during the day. This is your time to make thethings happen.[00:00:42]Leah:These are some strategies and tips that will just help youboost that productivity and accomplish more.[00:00:50]Leah:So tip number one is get dressed. The research has proven thatwe are more productive when we get dressed, when we feel ready for the day.So evenif you’re not going anywhere, you are not going to leave the house.Getting dressed can make you feel more productive. You’re going to feel moreenergized and you’re going to be ready to tackle the day.[00:01:42]Leah:There’s some really interesting research about how when wehave different attire for different tasks, it’s a trigger to our brain to say, okay,brain, now it’s time to do this. So when we put on the workout clothes and weactually work out, we’re telling our brain, when I put this on, boostyour energy.[00:02:01]Leah:Let’s go. Cause we’re about to, you know, move our body.When I… Take off my makeup and put on my pajamas. I’m telling my brain. It’srelaxed time. It’s quiet time We’re gonna go to sleep. And when I get dressedand I’m like feeling good and ready, it’s like, okay, let’s go We are getting thingsdone. Number two set up a workspace Having a dedicated workspace can helpyou stay focused and organized It also helps to create those mental boundariesbetween work and home life Ithink it’s just really important to recognize thatWe claim and talk about, you know, this laptop lifestyle, be able to work fromanywhere.[00:02:41]Leah:And yeah, that sounds really, really cool. And I do love theidea of having the flexibility. But even, even when we had our travel year, I still
had a space, a workspace for when I needed to get work done. That was oftenStarbucks. Like, I knew, oh, I’m going to go find a Starbucks and I’m going toget work done.[00:03:02]Leah:I remember being. in Japan, in Tokyo, and leaving our littletiny flat, oh my gosh, you guys, it was the tiniest little flat you can ever imagine,like, ever. I mean, Tokyo, the, the, Apartments are just so so tiny and so it hadthis itty bitty kitchen that was like smaller thanmy closet and a little tinybedroom and then a open space which had a futon couch and it was for it wasfor five and so there were mattresses laid out like side by side next to each otherand the kids would have so much fun like doing Somersaults and jumps acrossthe mattresses.[00:03:45]Leah:I mean, it was just so so tiny There was nowhere in that littletiny flat to have my my own workspace and not be a hundred percent Distractedbecause of all the other voices and I’m that person where I work Incompletesilence. I don’t have background music. I like people who are like they watchTV shows while they work I’m like, how is that possible?[00:04:07]Leah:Like how on earth are you effective? I don’t know. Maybethat’s you I don’t get how that’s possible.And this is probably also very muchmy dyslexic ADHD brain, but no way I have to have complete silence and belike able to just focus in and so there was no way that little flat was going to doit for me.[00:04:26]Leah:So I would go to Starbucks and Iwould, you know, walk fromour little flat and walk down and go into the Starbucks and I put on myheadphones and just find a quiet corner and that was my workspace. So evenwith a laptop lifestyle, I think you have to have a designated workspace, evenstill, like it just helps us to be more effective when we’re trying to get, get herdone.[00:04:53]Leah:Okay. Number three is scheduling in breaks. If you want to bemore productive, then don’t forget to take time for a break to relax, to stand up,to stretch. The research is really, really clear. The longer we try to keep going.The more ineffective we become. So, I like to just use timers, and I set a timerand I’m like, okay, this is what I’m working on for the next 45 or 50 minutes.[00:05:24]Leah:Andthen when the timer goes off, I get up. Even if it’s just fora couple minutes and I, you know, do like a couple yoga, right? I’m like, quickswan dive or whatever and I… I stand up and move around a bit, go fill up my
water, whatever it might be, and then I come back, but scheduling in breaks orresets is really, really powerful.[00:05:45]Leah:There has been some research around kids and recess and howthey are able to distractive after recess, after they’ve had a moment. To, youknow, jump around and move and then come back. And I don’t think we growout of that. I think we as grown ups are the same way. And the more we try toforce ourselves to just keep going, the more ineffective we become.[00:06:15]Leah:And if you catch yourself where all of asudden you’re like,Oh my gosh, I’m on my phone. I’m scrolling. And I didn’t even mean to do that.You probably needed a break. And that is maybe not the most effective breakstanding up moving around and then coming back where we don’t go into thevortexof social media and all of a sudden, you know, your 5 or 10 minute breakjust became 30 minutes.[00:06:37]Leah:It’s a little more effective to just set a timer and then stand up,move around, and then come back. Number four, don’t go off of a giant todolist. Instead, create your daily five. So, we have a planner that I designed and it’sthis notepad. And I love it being a notepad because I don’t get so stuck on everysingle day.[00:06:57]Leah:I’m just like, okay, for today… What am I going to do?And Iwrite it on my notepad, I rip off that piece of paper, and that’s what I’m goingoff. And there’s a spot for the Daily Five, and I’ve been using this for years, andI just really believe that we do better on a smaller list. Number one, when wehavethese super long lifts, We never get to really feel accomplished becauseyou never get to the bottom of it.[00:07:18]Leah:And number two, we have a tendency to go a lot lower downon the list with things that really aren’t important, but they make us feel likewe’re being productive when really it’s not actually producing the results that wewant. Real productivity is about producing results around Our biggest goalsaround what we really want.[00:07:42]Leah:And so by having a daily five, it forces me to get reallyfocused in on the most important things that I could do to move the needleforward. So number four tip is create your daily five, three to five things and getthose done. Now, if you get all five done, fine. I very, very, very rarely get pastfive. I mean, day before vacation, but the rest of the time, not so much.
[00:08:12]Leah:So really hone in your to do list to the most important thingsand start with those. And then if you get them done, then you can add more.And I have an ongoing running bigger list. It’s just out of sight. It’s notsomething I’m looking at. It’s not. sitting next to me. It’s like, Oh, these are allthings.[00:08:29]Leah:And then I could go look at that and be like, Oh,I have moretime. I’ll add more to it. Okay. Tip number five is around taking ownership ofyour time. Own your time. It is really easy to get distracted. And I think it it’seasy in any, in any scenario. I don’t think, I don’t think even saying it’s easy toget distracted when you work from home, because I’m like, I think it’s easy toget distracted in an office.[00:08:55]Leah:I mean, there’s so many people I’ve had so manyconversations with people post COVID where, you know, they had all this timewhere they were working from home and then they want their, their employerwants them to go back into the office. And they’re like, I am so much lessproductive because people are stopping by my desk all the time.[00:09:13]Leah:So, I think it’s easy to getdistracted no matter what. We livein a world of distraction. And we need to be very clear and very honest aboutthe fact that There are some mega billion dollar companies whose entire focus,their goal, is to distract us. It is to keep us on their platforms because that is howthey get rich.[00:09:44]Leah:But it’s not how you get rich. You do not get rich hanging outon their platform. You might get entertained, you might be able to numb out,you might smile, or maybe it even just… Ticks you off and makes you mad, butyou are not getting rich sitting on their platform But they are and so their goal isto keep you there.[00:10:05]Leah:That means that we need to be very intentional and Take backour power and our control by putting in triggers puttingin strategies putting insystems To keep us from getting distracted and that really just comes down tosetting boundaries and Those boundaries can be in a lot of places It can be nothaving notifications on it can be putting your phone in a drawer It canbe whenI’m working on something.[00:10:33]Leah:I mean email is closed down messages is closed downNotifications are all gone Um, my phone is hidden away because I want to stayall in. I don’t want to get distracted, but it’s also goes further than that. And
there’s also the part about like our family members who might need tounderstand, Hey, during this time.[00:10:57]Leah:I need you to let me work. You can’t come in and ask mequestions because then you have to start all over getting into that zone. And theway I do that is I put my office hours on my door. My office hours are rightthere taped on my door and I’ll hear their little feet come down and look at theoffice hours and, oh, okay, mom’s coming out at noon.[00:11:19]Leah:I can wait tillnoon. The other thing that I have that is soamazing, Taylor got me this for Christmas and it’s one of my favorite gifts I’vegotten in a really long time.[00:11:27]Leah:I love it. I have a little light that is on the outside of my door,next to my door, and then I control it from my computer. So green means you’rewelcome to come in. You can walk in the office. And red means you can’tinterrupt mom right now. Or wife right now. Honestly, Taylor’s the worst.Okay, I love you honey.[00:11:49]Leah:But you are the worst and I know you know it. So this is not asurprise. He is the number one culprit for interrupting. Like, I’m doing aninterview. I’m working with a client.And that door opens. And I’m like, go!And so… It’s probably like mostly for him, but if it’s red light you cannot comein right now And if it’s green light, you’re welcome to come in and then there’sother lights, too So yellow can be like I’m working if you really really need meyou can come in But if you don’t, you know, look at the office hours, you’llknow when I’m coming back.[00:12:25]Leah:So controlling time and controlling those distractions is reallyreally important and that’s That’s two ways that I do it. Okay. Tip number six issetting realistic goals for your day. And this I think kind of goes into back intotip four, not having those huge, huge lists. And then the tendency is to go tothings that really aren’t urgent.[00:12:48]Leah:Andthey’re not those needle movers that are going to pushyou towards your goal. Tip six is just. Making sure you’re realistic about thatday and what you can accomplish and what really is feasible for you versusthinking that we can get way more done than we actually can in a day.[00:13:07]Leah:And when we’re setting really unrealistic goals for the day,we’re setting ourselves up for failure. We’re setting ourselves up to just end theday really feeling like, Oh, I didn’t get enough done, but maybe you actually
did. Maybe you did. Amazing. So achievable goals that you can work towardsand just an achievable goal for that day.[00:13:25]Leah:I really want to record three solo podcast episodes and I haveone call and that’s, that’s the goal. That’s the day. I’m not trying to add athousand things into it.[00:13:38]Leah:That brings us to tip number seven. So we have two tips left.Tip number seven is know your plan for the rest of the day. I feel like this onetook me longer than it should have to figureout, but you’re not going to be yourmost productive if even subconsciously you are worrying about.[00:13:59]Leah:the end of the day, knowing dinner, knowing schedules,knowing where you need to be for the kids or whatever that looks like. This iswhere doing a little bit of work and meal planning can make a really big impactbeing able to feel more productive. So I just work. better when I know exactlywhat the plan for dinner is, even if it’s just me accepting and embracing that it’sgonna be takeout,or it’s, you know, me knowing that it’s gonna be this certainsuper simple dinner that I’m gonna throw in the pan, it’s a one pan dish andthrow out there and it’s gonna be ready in 15 minutes or whatever that mightlook like, knowing what the plan is asa family who has what, just Being awareof all that, when I know the plan for the rest of the day, I’m more productive inthe day.[00:14:52]Leah:So that is really a combo of two things. The first is sittingdown at the beginning of the week and mappingit out. So for example, we weremapping out Our meal plan for this week, okay, and I’m recording this the it’sJuly 31st Monday I’m recording it for coming into the first week of August iswhen I’m recording it and we’re looking at our schedule And we’re like, okayMonday needs to be a really fast easy dinner because we’re gonna be out on theboat and Tuesday The tailor is taking a bunch of the youth from our church outon the boat, a bunch of the boys.[00:15:32]Leah:So that’s going to be a fast, easy dinner. Wednesday we’rehaving people over and so we were thinking about, okay, what do we want to dofun? Like that’s going to be the big dinner that we make and we’re all trying todecide what we wanted to make. I don’t remember what we were saying aboutThursday, but Friday, you know, we’re just going to keep it really simple.[00:15:48]Leah:We know we’re going to have people coming into town,staying with us. And so… I’m planning based on the activities, based onwhatthe day is looking like and is going to probably feel like or what I’m anticipating
that it’s going to feel like. But by knowing a plan for the rest of the day, mebeing able to be sitting here right now and I am recording solo podcast, but I’mnot distracted by, shoot, what am I going to do for dinner?[00:16:15]Leah:What’s our plan? What are we doing tonight? Where’severybody going to be? It helps me to just zone in better and have more focus.So know your plan for the rest of the day and that takes a little bit of work aheadof time either in the morning. You could really simply just look at the calendar,get an idea of everything, know what it is.[00:16:32]Leah:If you didn’t make a plan for dinner, just embrace that it’sgoing to be pizza or whatever and just be okay with that. But knowing your planfor how that those hours like late afternoon and night, knowing the plan for thathelps you to not be subconsciously worrying about things that maybe you don’teven really realize that you are giving energy to.[00:16:57]Leah:And the very last tip, tip number eight. To help us to be moreproductive in the day part of our day is using technology to your advantage. Sotechnology is either going to be a disadvantage or it’s going to be an advantageand we need to take back our power and make sure that we’re using it as anadvantage.[00:17:16]Leah:So leveraging technology to stay more productive. Maybethat’s through special apps that you’re using, or online tools, or just simplyhaving all notifications off. Honestly, hands down the best way that I can usetechnology to my advantage is to put it away. Is to not look at it. That’s reallythe best way.[00:17:37]Leah:If I’m working on a project on my computer, I haveeverything else minimized, so I’monly thinking about and looking about thisone thing. But, you know, I utilize timers. I utilize a lot of really simple things. Idon’t overcomplicate. But I know that there are really great apps out there.There are, um, online tools out there.[00:17:57]Leah:testing and trying and figuring out how you can make surethat you’re using technology to your advantage and not allowing technology tosuck you in and become a disadvantage. So those are our eight tips to boostproductivity for your day. And I amreally excited to hear which ones you’regoing to try, which ones you’re most excited about, which one was the most aha.[00:18:24]Leah:Now I don’t think any of these are rocket science where you’relike, Oh my gosh, that’s so profound. But sometimes wejust need to hear it in a
new way. We hear it just a little bit differently or we’re in the right place toreceive it and it’s like, oh my gosh. Yeah, I’m doing that. No wonder it’s gettingin the way of my productivity, of me producing the results that I’m after.[00:18:44]Leah:So I’m excited. I love hearing from you. It makes me feel likethis truly is a community and that I get to be part of your success story, which iswhat I am after. So leave me a DM, reply to one of my newsletters or. Um, youknow,leave a five star review and tell me how much you love this podcast. Iwould love that too.[00:19:06]Leah:Okay. Thank you so much for being part of Balancing Busyand listening to this episode where we are really about helping you do less butbetter sothat you do not have to choose between your growth, your success,your dreams, and the rest of your life, because we should be able to have both.Not have to choose
you said: