Do you know how to be more productive? When you only have limited time, the best way to get more free time back is to be more productive in the time you already have. Last week, we talked about the challenge of time management, and this week we are talking about how to be efficient and productive in the 24 hours we get every day.
In this episode, you will learn how to be more productive in eight different ways based on the chapter Supermoms Work Smarter, Not Harder | The Secret of Productivity. And, as always, we will talk about one small step you can take TODAY to be more productive (and this one literally takes like 15 seconds–do not miss it!)
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Rather read? Check out the show notes and episode content right here!
Show Notes and Transcript | How to be More Productive
Hey, hey friend! Welcome to Episode #15 of The Secrets of Supermom Show! If you have been listening along, you know that we are in Part 3 of the book which is The Secret Skills supermoms use to succeed. Y’all we are getting super close to the end of the book! If you have made it this far, kudos! If you skipped some episodes, there is always time to go back and check them out!
Last week we talked time management and this week we are digging in on how to be more productive with the time you have so carefully scheduled. If you could get back an hour a week or even an hour a day, how would that change your life? Based on Chapter 14 from the book Secrets of Supermom, let’s dive into Supermoms Work Smarter, Not Harder | The Secret of Productivity. We are going to learn eight ways you can be more productive, and don’t forget to stick around until the end because we always talk about one small step that you can take TODAY to get started with the strategies from the episode. This one takes like fifteen seconds, y’all so do not miss it.
Why do you want to be more productive? Does this trigger feelings for you of just doing more, more, more? Being productive, the way we are going to talk about it today, is not about doing more for the sake of doing more. It is being efficient with the time you have so you have the freedom to do the things you WANT to do. That, my friend, is the beauty of productivity.
Use super small pockets of time.
You know that 5 minutes when you are sitting in the car outside the dance studio waiting for your tiny tapper to walk out. What are you doing? If I had to guess, I would say scrolling. Not productive scrolling. Just scrolling. What if you had a list of things you could do in super small pockets of time? How much could you get done in the little corners of the day?
Supermoms use these super small pockets of time to get the tiny tasks off the list. There are things that you simply must do. Make dentist and doctor’s appointments. Sign permission slips. Call the vet. There are also things that you love to do but never seem to have time for. Send your friend a quick voice text. Read a few pages of your book.
When you start to look for them, these small pockets are everywhere. They can be time drains or time savers.
Know your energy flow.
You know you. You know when you are high energy and when you are an exhausted blob. Plan things that require the most mental brainpower during times of high energy. Why? Because you will get them done better and faster. If you are a snooze after the kids go to bed, don’t write your most important brief at 11 p.m.
Stop trying to be perfect.
You might have heard that “done is better than perfect”. Your desire to be perfect is draining you of massive amounts of time. Your over research and re-writing that email sixteen times and choosing the perfect paint color…all of that is taking up time you simply don’t have to waste. So….cut it out. Nothing is permanent. Everything can be changed if you did it wrong or you don’t like it. Just get it done.
Batch your tasks together.
In the book, I tell the story of shopping when the kids were little. Instead of taking trips out every day, I would batch stores and trips together so we spent less time in the hot car in the Arizona sun. This saved us time tons of time driving back and forth. The same idea can be applied to any tasks you have that require the same location, the same set of supplies, or the same thought process. For example, you could clean all the bathrooms (assuming you have more than one) since you already have everything out anyway. If you are reviewing finances for your job or business, do all the finance tasks at the same time since your mind is already ready for numbers.
Block your time.
Time blocking is assigning specific tasks to blocks of time. The power of time blocking is that you are focused on one specific task for the full block of time. These blocks of time are, ideally, distraction-free. Those of us with lots of tiny humans living with us understand that distractions are the name of the game. Naptime, babysitter time, daycare time, school time, and trading with your partner are all great ways to limit those precious distractions.
A few tips:
- Never block your time for more than about an hour at a time without a planned break. Research shows that you need breaks to maintain the highest level of energy and brainpower.
- Don’t try to multitask. Multitasking—which is actually jumping quickly from task to task and not “multitasking” at all—is not productive. It is not efficient, and it is not an effective way to schedule your time.
Use your phone to win.
There are a few ways you can actually use your phone to win instead of waste your time.
- Set a reminder for your arrival at a certain place. For example, you can set a reminder to go off every time you get to your house or the grocery store, or baseball practice. If you want to get better at being productive during baseball practice, you could set a reminder that says “Time to GET THINGS DONE” every time you get to the ball field. You will be surprised at how powerful these little reminders can be to keep you on track.
- My second favorite way to use my phone to remind me of my goals is by setting alarms. When I was writing this very book, I had an alarm set on my phone to go off at 2:45 p.m. every day. It said, “You are an author! You will change lives!” (It really said that and my family thought it was hilarious.) I never remembered this alarm was going to go off, and it was a solid reminder of my biggest goal every single day.
- A final way to use your phone for staying strong and efficient I learned from Brendon Burchard on his podcast, The Brendon Show. He recommends setting alarms in your phone with three words reminding you who you want to be. For example, I have three alarms set at various times throughout the day. They read:
HAPPY | CALM | HEALTHY
SUPPORTIVE | POSITIVE | ENTHUSIASTIC
ENERGIZED | PATIENT | SUPERMOM
I never remember these are going to go off, but they remind me that I need to be my best. They remind me especially when I am not being my best. You will start to find your phone reminding you at just the right moment when you get these alarms right.
Organize yourself (at least a little).
We won’t dig too much into this one, but if you are completely unorganized, everything will take longer. I mean it. You don’t have to be a neat freak, but having systems in place will help you save time and energy
Evaluate what is actually working.
How will you know if any of your productivity changes are actually working? How will you know if you are getting things done faster or with higher quality?
Here is where daily or weekly reviews that we talked about last week can come into play. Do I need to shift tasks? Did I give myself enough time for every work activity, every home activity, and time to rest? Do I need help? When you get into the habit of doing this every single week, you get better at managing your time. You get better at knowing how long recurring tasks take. You get better at paying attention to how you feel.
One Small Step: The Secret of Productivity
Every week we share one small step you can take to get started today. I like for them to take 5 minutes or less but today’s will take you just 15 seconds. Get on your phone, go to the alarm, and set one of the alarms we talked about earlier in the episode. Do you want to feel a certain way every time you get home, set that reminder!
Next week, we are changing it up a bit and talking about solving problems and how to stay out of that “culture of complaint”. The last year has been HARD. We have all succumbed to complaining at some point. Next week we learn why that is making you feel terrible and how to cut that out. Alright, big hug, y’all! Have a super week!
