If I’ve learned anything valuable over the past year, it would be this: being busy and being productive are not the same thing. I’ll happily admit that I am a goal-setter. I love planning projects, scheduling tasks, and organizing my life. But sometimes all this planning goes wrong…
Have you ever set big goals that you never achieved? Maybe these goals only succeeded in stressing you out, looming over your head and making you feel guilty and frustrated. Maybe you feel like no matter how hard you work on your goals, you make NO PROGRESS. My friend, YOU’RE NOT ALONE. I have felt the same way. It’s the feeling of being busy, not being productive. And it’s the sad result of not organizing your time well.
One of the questions I get a lot is: how do you do so much stuff all the time? MY SECRET IS SIMPLE: ORGANIZATION. I organize my time to an almost-obsessive degree. But don’t worry! YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE OBSESSIVE. You just need the proper structure in place. Wouldn’t it be nice to set goals, make progress on them every day/week, and achieve them by the end of the month? IF YOU’RE NODDING YOUR HEAD, YOU’RE IN THE RIGHT PLACE. Read on, my friend. Today’s post is for you.
HOW I ORGANIZE MY TIME TO BE PRODUCTIVE
As you know, I’m a freak about being productive. I need to feel like I’ve made progress on my goals each and every day, or else my universe feels “off.” ALL I REALLY NEED IN LIFE IS A CALENDAR AND WAFFLES. With those essentials, I can take on anything. My Productive Planning Method™ looks a bit like this:
STEP 1: SET YOUR GOAL(S)
That’s right! IT ALL STARTS WITH A DREAM. At the beginning of the year, I always write up a list of big goals — things I want to accomplish throughout the course of the year. My ultimate goal is to be able to check off every item on this list at the end of the year, so I try to make sure the goals I choose are reasonable. For 2018, my list looks like this:
- Edit 3 books (I’ve edited 2 out of 3)
- Write 3 new books (I’ve written 1 out of 3)
- Record and publish EP
- Record and publish 3 covers
- Improve at music/guitar
- Grow blog following (making progress!)
Move blog to WordPress- Grow YouTube channel (making progress!)
- Get one book professionally edited
- Explore indie publishing (ongoing)
- Build author website
Build new music website
As you can see, I’ve made progress on some of my goals, and others I have yet to touch. But we’re only halfway through the year! I show you this list to give you an idea of the kind of projects I take on. Is this a lot of goals for ONE YEAR? Yes. But I like that. I enjoy the process of pursuing big goals. However, EVERY PERSON IS DIFFERENT. You need to understand your own abilities to decide how much you can accomplish in one year.
Don’t underestimate yourself! Be bold, dream big…but keep your goals realistic. Is it something you can probably accomplish in a year? Good. Now it’s time to break down these vague goals into practical goals.
STEP 2: FIND YOUR GROOVE
I said in that list that I wanted to write, make music, create videos, blog, and explore publishing, among other things. So here’s the question: HOW DO I MAKE TIME TO DO ALL THIS STUFF?? For me, the best way is to break my goals down by category and by month. Because I’m a multitalented creative, my work is very diverse. I have to “switch gears” a lot. But I find it difficult to switch gears throughout the day…so instead, I switch gears throughout the week.
I choose a particular day of the week and only work on ONE PROJECT that day. This helps me to stay focused. Monday is my social/blog/wild card day, Tuesday is my writing day, Wednesday is my music day, Thursday is my blog-post-writing day, Friday is my video-filming day, Saturday is my video-editing day, and Sunday is my day off. In addition to this, I also work a part-time job for my parents’ business and any other freelance jobs that come up. I’M A BUSY LITTLE HUMAN, I KNOW. But I’m also productive! Planning out what I do each day of the week is the only way I can GET STUFF DONE.
All this to say: find your OWN groove. You have a special way of working that WORKS FOR YOU. But if you’re a multitalented creative like me and you struggle to make time for everything, I would highly recommend this method! Try it and see if it works for you.
STEP 3: PLAY DOMINOS
Now it’s time to make your dreams a reality! This is the part where I figure out all the steps involved to reach my goal. I say “play dominos” because you have to begin with the end in mind. The last domino is your Ultimate Goal™, all you have to do is set up the dominos it takes to get to the last one. I don’t care how many small, incremental steps you have to take — IT’S ALL PROGRESS.
Ask yourself: what happens RIGHT BEFORE I achieve my end goal? Let’s use my upcoming EP as an example. What happens before I can release it to the world? I need to have complete and mastered tracks. How do I get to THAT step? I need to record all the tracks. How do I get to THAT step? I need to record one song at a time, perhaps one song per month. THERE WE GO. There’s my plan! Record one song per month. Now all I have to do is make time to work on this project.
STEP 4: SCHEDULE TIME TO MAKE PROGRESS
Start by figuring out how many days in the month you need to set aside to reach your goal. This will change depending on the project. For example, if I want to write a new book, I know that’s something I can usually do in a month. However, I’ll have to write every single day to reach my goal. So now I have to set aside time every day to write. DON’T BE VAGUE. Be specific! If you want to write 2,500 words a day, STICK TO THAT GOAL. Take those small steps. At the end of the month, you’ll have a 75,000-word manuscript.
If you don’t MAKE time for your goals, you won’t achieve them!! You have to actually create time in your schedule where you commit to working on your project. Put in the time, and you WILL get results. Stay focused and stay specific — you’re not busy, remember? You’re PRODUCTIVE. There’s a difference. Busy people get stressed out and don’t make clear plans. Productive people set goals, turn those goals into practical steps, and execute on their plan.
OTHER HELPFUL ARTICLES ABOUT PRODUCTIVITY:
- 5 Things You Should Be Doing EVERY DAY To Stay Creative + Focused!
- How To Do LITERALLY EVERYTHING You Want To Do
- Healthy Habits That Will Make Your Life Better, Happier, and More Productive
STEP 5: TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
Hold yourself accountable for your decisions. (Or, if you’re the type to announce your plans to the world, have someone else hold you accountable!) Make sure you’re actually spending time where you need to. Track your goals in a notebook or via journal entries, or even a simple check mark on your calendar. Remind yourself exactly HOW you made progress on your goals today.
If you want to make your dreams come true, you have to make time for them. You have to say “no” to some things so that you can say “yes” to other things. Fill your time with things that matter… things you’re going to thank yourself for later. I understand that there are other things going on in your life – you can’t drop everything to chase your dreams. But you can take steps (no matter how small) to move forward with your goals every single day.
STEP 6: WORK WITH INTENTION
Nobody is a machine, and you shouldn’t treat yourself like one. If you don’t meet your self-imposed deadline or achieve your goals on time, ACCEPT THAT. Learn from your limitations and adjust your workflow accordingly. Try your best, but don’t beat yourself up if it’s not perfect. BE KIND TO YOURSELF. Also, you might be underestimating the amount of work you need to do on a project! This isn’t your fault, and it doesn’t mean that you “didn’t work hard enough.” It just means you’re an overcommitter.* ENJOY THE PROCESS and learn what works best for you.
It’s also important to take time for self-care. You’re a human being, not a human doing! I’d recommend taking one day per week (if you can) to relax and free yourself from a list or any rigid plan. I’ve been doing this for a while now and IT’S SO EFFECTIVE. Taking one day off to cleanse the mind and soul will boost your energy, creativity, and just remind you that YOU ARE LOVED even when you’re not being productive.
*welcome to the club lol we have waffles and insanity
If you’re a serious dream-chaser, check out this video I made!
TALK, BRO
There you have it, my friend! That’s how I organize my time to be as productive as possible and make the most out of my month. I HOPE THIS POST HAS INSPIRED YOU. Comment below and tell me your best productivity tips! What are some ways YOU like to organize your time? Are you a planner or more spontaneous?
rock on,
abbiee
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