Unexpected Things That Make You More Productive

There are of course, the obvious things that make a person more productive, things like batching certain tasks, creating a schedule, getting rid of distractions, etc.

But there are some surprising things that can make a big impact on how much you get done and the great thing is how easy and simply they can be to implement.

So let’s get right to it, because after all, you’e got stuff to do!

Putting LESS on your to-do list. Overwhelm can seriously get in the way of getting things done.
Getting dressed. Doesn’t have to be office attire, but putting on an outfit that feels put together signals to your brain it’s time to be productive.
Your view. Looking at a sink of dirty dishes from your desk in the kitchen? Not helpful.
Lots of natural light. Unless you are a serious night owl, having natural light in your work space energizes you.
Tackling the big stuff first. Ok, so this may not be so surprising if you’ve been following me for a while but doing the bigger, often less desirable tasks first makes you so much more productive the rest of the day. It’s like a weight gets lifted off your shoulders and you get a shot of adrenaline. Seriously, try it, you will see.

Of course, none of these replace some of the classic producvity powerhouses, like using a planner, but they can give you a surprising boost.

Speaking of planners, you do have one, right?…

If not, thats the absolute first thing I recommend you doing. Head on over here to check out the one I use, the Life Book Planner. It has all the features you need (Master to do list, important dates page, budget page, complete goal planning section, meal and exercise planning, bullet journal tracking and more) and none of the fluff you don’t. Most importantly, the design allows you to personalize it to YOUR unique life and needs. Now thats a planner worth getting excited over! (Full transparency; I created this planner. Initially, for myself because I couldn’t find a planner that really worked. Then I realized there were probably a lot of people just like me and they NEEDED this planner in their hands)

Got some Q’s or just want more awesome tips and tricks on how to live more organized and productive? Find me on IG @organized_owl or FB @organizedowl.

Jennifer

How To Build Self Discipline

Having really strong discipline seems like the key to success, but while I do believe its a great skill to have and build on, its not the only key to success. In fact, most successful people do as much as they can to AVOID having to rely on self discipline or willpower in their day to day lives because it greatly increases their success. They do this by installing habits that help them live a healthy lifestyle and achieve their goals, by using outer accountability and by making sure their environment is conducive to their success (Like removing temptations or distractions)

But, of course, a certain amount of self discipline is necessary and more will never hurt!

So how do you build your self discipline?

The short answer:

By practicing.

Let me explain what this looks like.

Self discipline is like a muscle. So that means that you are not going to get any stronger by going to the gym and doing olympic lifts for 6 hours every single day without rest.

In fact, after a couple of days you will probably start feeling weaker and it will only be a matter of time before you give up and stop training altogether because it’s just way too hard and it feels like you are going backwards.

Self discipline is the same way.

You can’t just set a bunch of goals, decide to start several new healthy habits and then just force yourself through it, expecting your self discipline to grow and things to get easier.

You will burn out.

But you do need to practice.

And you do that by keeping small promises to yourself daily, as Mel Robbins puts it.

You need to start small. so maybe that’s the promise of doing 2 minutes of stretching every day.

Or 5 minutes of doing anything to work towards a goal you have. As time goes on, it will become easy to get yourself to do it.

The little promises don’t even need to be related to your goals. Just small things you won’t always feel like doing, but that are easy enough to increase your chances of following through long enough to build your self discipline.

Then you build on each little promise and make them a bit bigger.

Over time, this is how you will develop the self discipline you desire.

Of course, like I always say, it’s only 1 tool that you need to reach your goals. Habits, outer accountability (like a great planner, I recommend THIS one) and your environment are also an important part of the equation.

So what’s one small promise you are going to make to yourself today?

Love this content? Head on over to my IG (or search @organized_owl) to more great tips and tricks to help you stay organized, productive and achieve your goals.

Jennifer

What You Need To Know About Motivation.

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

We know by now that internal motivation can be fleeting. Its strong when we get inspired and set a goal but it can disappear as the days and weeks go on.

Most of us need to find an external source of motivation to keep us going, a form of accountability that gives us the push we need to act.

But what if there was a way to boost your internal motivation? Or at the very least keep it higher as you work towards your goals?

Well there is, and it starts with your mindset, not willpower or self discipline.

Your mindset determines how you interpret and respond to situations and your motivation is the desire or drive you have to do a particular task or behaviour.

So your mindset determines how motivated you are to do a particular behaviour. Meaning, it determines how you respond to the fact that you need to do this thing to achieve your goal.

Since your mindset is based on the beliefs you hold, the ones you have around what it takes to achieve your goals and how hard it will be, affects the motivation you have to do the things you need to do to reach your goals.

So what does this look like in real life?

If you think it’s hard, you will have a harder time finding the motivation.

If you think you’re going to fail anyway, you will struggle to find motivation.

If you think its a drag, your motivation will dip.

Everything about our ‘reality’ is actually just a reflexion of our own perceptions.

Of course, internal motivation is not the single key to success, most of us need some outer forms of accountability to motivate us along, at some point. Things like coaches, mentors or a really good planner, like the Life Book Planner, that holds us accountable to our to do list.

But imagine how much easier it would be if you had more internal motivation?

So how is your mindset around your goals? Does it help your motivation or hurt it?

Jennifer

Why You Need To Write Things Down

There’s a magic trick to getting things done, staying organized and achieving your goals.

Want to know what it is?

Writing things down on paper.

Not on your phone, computer or tablet.

And certainly not on the imaginary to-do list in your brain.

It may sound silly if you are not in the habit of using a planner or writing out your goal plans but hear me out:

Science has shown that actually writing things down improves cognitive function, more specifically the ability to learn new things and memory.

What does that mean?

It means that you are more likely to not only remember and understand, but also actually DO the things you write down.

Which translates to less stress, more clarity and increased productivity.

So basically, feeling zen while achieving your goals.

Have I convinced you yet?

If you are still on the fence or would like the exact scientific explanation, I highly recommend you spend a couple of minutes researching. Google will provide you with all you need to know.

Start with writing in a planner that has the features and space for you to write ALL THE THINGS down.

If you are looking for a great planner, check out the Life Book planner. Complete goal planner and day planner in one, the Life Book is going to be your writing secret sauce to success. Go to www.organizedowl.com to learn more and get your copy.

Jennifer

My Favourite Planner Accessories

I’ll admit it, I’m not a huge sticker person (nor, sadly, do I have any drawing artistic abilities). If using stickers gets you to use your planner and you enjoy doing it, thats awesome. However, I don’t think its necessary or even helpful for a lot of people. I find most people, like myself, get all excited about them at first but then either forget to use them or they become more like a chore.

But if that’s your jam, stick away!

There are, however, a few things I use with my planner that I absolutely LOVE and believe to betray helpful in keeping you organized and productive. (** I am not an affiliate or benefit in any way from recommending these items, I simply truly like them!)

Pilot Frixion Erasable pens. Pens that erase, need I say more? Ok, you get to have the organized, easy on the brain colour coded system you want AND have it not get ruined by white out marks. Because #thingschange.

Post it notes. For the notes you need to remember AND take with you on the go.

MildLiner highlighters in colours that match my pens. They come in a ton of different colours and shades, have a pointed end and a flat end and are slim like a pen so you can fit several into your pencil case.

A really good pencil. No clickable lead pencils, just a good ol’ fashioned H2 pencil.

That’s it!

It’s basically stuff to write with and some sticky notes. Nothing complicated, but often it’s the little things that makes the biggest difference. Of course, you can use other brands, these are simply the ones I like best.

The common denominator here is that it is all things that fit into the system I use with my planner. A system that makes it easier for me to stay organized and for my brain to assimilate the information I’ve written down.

So if stickers do that for you, then go get yourself some shiny new stickers!

Jennifer

How To Make Sure You Use Your Planner

Don’t waste your money on another planner you don’t use!

I heard someone say the other day that planners are like personal assistants and I couldn’t agree more.

Mine absolutely runs my life!

Of course, making sure you use it is the first step to making your planner your most important employee.

So here are 3 tips to making sure you actually use your new planner.

Make sure the planner is well designed

And I don’t mean pretty. I mean the layout is designed in a way that truly works AND it has the features you really need, like customizable spaces and planning pages. One whole page per day may give you lots of room each day, but its hard to organize your week and have a clear idea of whats going on when you can’t see it all out in front of you. Make sure the planner you choose lets you customize it to suit your unique life and personality.

Put all the things in it

Its not simply for your schedule. Your planners needs to contain things like habit tracking, planning, to-do lists, important dates to remember, reminders, deadlines and more. Having all these things organized in ONE place is the secret sauce of a planner that really makes your life easier. Having it all in once place gives you try clarity and helps you to avoid forgetting things and double booking.

Create a planner habit

Make sure to set up a new habit of using the planner. Otherwise, when the novelty wears off, you will stop. Not sure how to create a habit that sticks? Check out this blog post that explains how.

In other words, your planner has to deliver, otherwise you won’t keep using it and it will be hard to create a habit.

Can’t find one? The Life Book planner has the unique features and layout that will deliver big time!
Learn more at www.organizedowl.com (link in bio)

Jennifer

How To Identify Your Priority Goal (a.k.a. Your Push Goal)

Goals Goal setting Push goal Planner Agenda

The most important goal you will set this year:

Your Push goal.

If you are not familiar with that term, it’s something I learned from Chalene Johnson and the premise is simple.

It’s the goal that by achieving it, it makes accomplishing most of your other goals easier.

So how do you do this?

1- Figure out what you need

In order to achieve a goal you need one or more of the following; Money, time, a new skill or knowledge or accountability/self discipline. Look at each of your goals and identify which of the four you need for each goal. You may feel like you need a little bit of all of them but the idea is to identify the one (s) you primarily need.

2- Which one do you need the most of?

Now add them up; which of those 4 do you have the most of? Obviously you won’t likely need the same one for every single goal, but there is probably going to be a common theme. Now, is there a goal already on your list that will give you that? If not, create a new goal that will.

This goal is your Push goal and is your priority goal.

Oftentimes your push goal will be a financial goal and that’s ok! It doesn’t make you shallow. It’s simply the means by which you will achieve most of your other goals.

For example: If you were to make an additional 2000$ in your business you could hire a personal trainer to help you with your health goals, and outsource some business tasks so you could have more time to spend with your kids.

A push goal is not necessarily the goal that is most important to you, but its the goal that will PUSH you into achieving the goals that are.

See how this works?

Need a place to do your goal planning this year? The Life Book Planner is the perfect place! Complete day planner and goal planner in one, it’s been the secret sauce in achieving my goals since I created it and I know it will do the same for you!

Head on over to www.organizedowl.com to learn more about its unique features and to get your copy.

Jennifer

push goal how to achieve your goals faster

4 BIG Time Savers You Need In Your Business

Business time savers. Organized, productive.

Feeling like your biz is taking up way too much of your time?

It doesn’t have to.

Besides the fact that we so often get caught up in a lot of busy work that is not even necessary in the first place, there are a lot of time savers you can put into place to make you way more efficient.

Leaving you with time to do whatever the heck your heart desires!

The following are 3 of my best tips to help you save time in your business:

1- Automations

This. Is. Key. This one thing is going to be what saves you the most time in the long run. Everything from automated e-mail opt-ins, e-mail welcome series, on boarding for new clients or team members, to scheduling programs and tools.

2- Batching

A certain amount of the time you take to do a task is actually getting set up for that task. So batching certain work together like writing content or creating graphics saves precious time.

3- Link Page

I’m not talking a link tree for your IG, but a easy to access place (from both your phone and computer) that has all the links to all of your sites, social media pages, landing pages, blog posts and anything else you link in inside your business. Adding a link to your FB post just got a lot quicker!

4- Planner

If you don’t use a planner for your business and personal life, you are wasting time and energy. That may sound extreme but organizing and planning things out in advance inside planner allows you to work efficiently and be ahead of the ball which means more time and energy saved for other things.

Personally I recommend a planner where you can manage your personal life and business in once place. It prevents a lot of double booking and confusion and you get a much clearer idea of what exactly you have going on. Of course, detailed business plans like content planning and such can be done in a separate place but your scheduling and to-do’s are best managed in the same place your manage the rest of your life.

I know from experience it can be hard to find a planner that has space enough for you to do this. In fact, I never found one so I created my own! Its a complete day planner and goal planner in one that has unique features that you won’t find in any other planner. You can check it out here.

As with a lot of organization and time management tips, these can also apply to your personal life outside of business as well so don’t be afraid to see what could be automated or batched at home either!

Feeling overwhelmed just thinking about applying these? Let me help! If you are struggling with organization, productivity, time management or accountability either in your biz or personal life, this is for you!

Head on over here to my IG account (or search for @organizedowl) where you will find daily tips on how to get yourself, your business and your life organized and working productively.

Jennifer

How To Choose Your Goals For The New Year

Thinking you should set some goals but not sure where to start?

If you have ever set a goal you weren’t sure about, didn’t really want or set because it felt expected of you, you know first hand how useless that can be.

There’s not much point in setting goals, just to set goals.

They need to be things you TRULY want for you. Not that someone else wants or expects for you.

So how to figure it out?

1- Have a little fun daydreaming

Picture your perfect life. Career, relationships, hobbies. What does your daily life look like and include? The people, places and things? How does it feel? How are you different then you are today? Now, what has to change in your current life in order for this to happen? These are some tentative long term goals.

2- Do a gut check

What does it take to achieve these goals? Does the goal itself and what it requires to achieve it align with your values and priorities? (Ie: being a traveling journalist may not be in alignment with your priority of being home with your family while your kids are young)

3- Make them measurable and specific

You’ve got some long term goals now. Thinking about the end goal, what can you achieve this year? All of it? Halfway there? Set a goal that is measurable and specific for this year (or quarter if you prefer to only set quarterly goals). For example, starting a business is too vague and hard to measure. Instead, try Start my business doing X and be making X amount by the end of the year.

Last step? Download my free Goal Setting Guide to help you set the perfect goals that stretch you but are still possible and that are truly in alignment with what you desire for your life.

Jennifer

How To Repurpose Content To Save A Ton Of Time

How do you repurpose content to save a TON of time using only 1 or 2 original pieces of content?

Content creation can take up a lot of time if you are creating entirely new pieces for each platform post and story.

And lets be honest, most of us have other things we need to do too!

But if you follow these simple tricks you can save a whole bunch of time and who doesn’t want that!

Start with video. Create a longer form video on a certain topic and use it for Youtube, IGTV or Facebook.
Take that video content and transcribe it for a blog post. Create graphics for it and share on Pinterest and other social media.
Take the transcript and use smaller sections for written posts, emails.
Take impactful one-liners from the transcript for tweets and quote cards.
Take snippets from the longform video for Stories and shorter videos
Save the date each piece was last used in the title of the file and use it again in a few months!

If you have the capacity, this is a great job to outsource. Imagine content creation being a couple of 15-20 minute videos each month and that’s it?!

If not, skip the transcription and do a video and blog post. Then take snippets of each for various posts on the social media platforms you use.

Don’t do longform videos? You can use the same idea but start with a blog post and shorter video. Regardless of what platforms and types of media you use, you can use this concept to quickly create content and save yourself a ton of time!

Interested in more tips and tricks to keep you and your business organized and productive?! Find me here or search @organized_owl on IG, where I share a ton of free content to help you with just that!

Jennifer