How To Find More Time

How many times have you said to yourself that there are just not enough hours in the day?

I mean, you have all these dreams and goals but no time to work on them, right?

Start a business.

Try a new hobby.

Spend more time with family and friends.

Travel more.

Not to mention all of life’s everyday responsibilities.

Take care of the kids.

Clean the house.

Do the laundry.

Get groceries.

There are only 24 hours in a day, you can’t change that and if you are being smart, you are not sacrificing sleep for doing.

So how to do find more time to be able to do all, or at least some, of these things?

Well, there are 2 things you can do.

Identify what is wasting time and deal with it.

Most of us waste quite a bit of time and we don’t even realize it. A large part of what we do during the day is habitual, which doesn’t mean its necessarily productive. We can habitually waste a lot of time!

Spend a few days keeping a time journal. Set an alarm every hour if need be so you take notes as you go, otherwise you are likely going to forget what you actually spent your time doing.

Chances you are going to surprised by how much time you spend doing things you don’t need to be doing. #scrolling.

Once you have identified the things or periods of the day that are wasting your time, stop the activity, deal with the distraction or find a way to be intentional with that time.

Create organization and systems

Think about the things you do that take a lot of time, or even just more time then they should.

Chances are, there is a way you could structure these tasks so that they take less time. The goal is to work smarter, not harder, so simply trying to work faster is not the solution here.

That is a recipe for burnout. Instead, look at how you go about these tasks and see what you can:

Condense (shorten or remove steps)
Remove
Automate
Delegate

The systems I use are the secret to how much I can get done, without working harder and I can’t stress this enough. Great systems will give you more time, flexibility and freedom!

One of the most important ones is the planner system I use. The combination of my paper planner, a couple of apps and a small purse calendar, are the foundation of my organized and productive life. (note I didn’t say perfect!)

This is the planner I use; The Life Book planner is a complete goal planner and day planner in one and allows me to organize all the moving parts of my life in one spot. SOOO much easier to manage!

You can test it out for free here!

I hope you find these tips helpful, just keep in mind that whatever you do, small changes are much more likely to stick so don’t try to overhaul your life overnight!

If you implement these things, you WILL find more time!

Jennifer

p.s. If you enjoyed this post and would like access to daily free content on all things organization and productivity, you can find me on IG @organized_owl.

How To Have Killer Focus

The key to getting things done quickly and efficiently so you have more time for whatever you please, is being able to prioritize the right tasks and having strong focus while you do them.

The problem is that a lot of us struggle to focus well.

A lot of things can get in the way of great focus however, so here are my top recommendations on how to dial in killer focus:

Deal with distractions.

This one seems pretty obvious, however most of us don’t actually deal with our distractions and simply try to ignore them…which would have worked already if it was ever going to. Be honest with yourself about what yours truly are and remove yourself or the distraction.

Get it down on paper.

Tasks, reminders, things that are stressing you, etc. Get everything swirling around in your mind, down onto paper. It’s practically impossible to truly focus when you are trying to manage things in your mind.

Stop multitasking.

You can’t actually multitask. Trying to do 2 things that require focus takes longer than doing them one after the other because your brain is wasting precious time and energy re-focusing on one task then the other.

Get clarity.

The more clear it is exactly what you have to do, the easier it is to focus on it. Make a plan with clear actions steps or do some research so you know exactly what to do in order to complete tasks that feel vague.

Also, make sure to plan out your days. Wondering what you need to do next is another distraction. Use a planner, paper ultimately works best for your brain but if you prefer digital, do that. I use my own planner that I created precisely to keep me organized and focused on my goals. Complete day planner and goal planner in one, The Life Book planner has had the biggest impact on making progress on my goals the past few years. You can learn more about it here.

Or, you can give it a test drive with the free 1 month printable version here. Just keep in mind the mini version doesn’t have all the features the full size Life Book does.

Prioritize your health.

You can’t focus well if you are tired, stressed or unhealthy. Laser sharp focus starts with a healthy body and mind. In fact, this should probably be number 1 because if you are unhealthy the other points are going to have very limited effect.

Whatever you do, just make sure you don’t try to fix all of these things as once. Bonus tip: Spreading yourself too thin makes it hard to really focus on any one thing. The more things you’ve got going on, the smaller the progress on each one.

This goes for goals, problems you are trying to solve, new habits or things you’ve got going on in your life.

Jennifer

p.s. If you enjoyed this post and would like access to daily free content on all things organization and productivity, you can find me on IG @organized_owl.

How To Have More Flexibility and Freedom In Your Life

Most of us want more freedom in our lives.

To be able to schedule out days the way we want, to able to do things the way we want, when we want.

Heck, if you’re an entrepreneur its probably one of the main reasons you decided to open your business.

Because of this desire for freedom and flexibility we often shy away from things that we think are only going to force us to be more rigid and structured.

This tends to include anything that has to do with organization and productivity because the belief is that any system designed to make us more organized and productive dictates how we spend all our time and must be followed precisely everyday to work, thereby taking away the freedom and flexibility we desire.

But its actually the opposite.

Its these very things that allow us to have the freedom and flexibility we want.

Imagine 2 people who have the exact same work load. One is super organized and knows how to work efficiently.

The other is a hot mess who struggles to manage their time and rarely gets things done quickly.

The first, using the organizational systems they have, gets to work and is done by noon. They decide to tackle a bit of tomorrows work and then quit for the day at 2pm.

The other has to work into the evening and still doesn’t finish everything that needed to get done. Which means that tomorrow before even starting whats scheduled to be done, they will have to finish today’s work first.

Which one of those people has more freedom do you think?

Its not hard to see that its the first one.

Lets continue the hypothetical situation:

The next day, person number 1 gets a call from a friend who invites them to go shopping and out for lunch. Since they already got some of their work done the day before and because they have a great morning routine that lets them get started on their day early, by the time they get the call, they already have their work for the day done. Woo hoo, impromptu friend date!

Person number 2 gets this call but the lets it go to voice mail because they are frantically trying to figure out how they are going to play catch up. They struggle through a few hours of work and finally listen to their messages. Even if they wanted to ditch work and go, its already 1 pm and lunch is over, not to mention the friend found someone else to go with.

I think we all aspire to be person number 1.

Of course, in the real world, there will still be days you have a too much to do to play hooky and moments when your mind and body just won’t allow you to be all that productive. We are humans after all.

But imagine the life you could be leading if you would embrace organization, systems and great time management skills? The best systems are ones that are personalized to suit your unique life and personality so this won’t look the same for every person.

Some people will benefit greatly from an early morning routine and some won’t, some will be super productive with time blocking and others won’t.

One thing that most people will benefit from however, is a planner. Personally I believe a paper planner to be more effective but if digital is your thing, then do it. If you don’t have a planner, The Life Book is a great option for ambitious woman with a full life and big dreams. You can learn more about it here.

You can also test it out for free here.

So I hope, if you have resisted organization and productivity systems so far, that I have at least convinced you to do more research. Test out some things and see what impact they have on your life.

Freedom is right around the next well planned out day.

Jennifer

p.s. If you enjoyed this post and would like access to daily free content on all things organization and productivity, you can find me on IG @organized_owl.

5 Habits That No One Talks About That Make You More Productive

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

You probably have heard about a lot of productivity habits that help you to get more done. Ways to manage your time and be organized that help you to work smarter so that you can be productive without burning yourself out.

But there are also some seemingly unrelated habits that have a big impact on your productivity and they don’t have anything to do with time management.

Self centering habits like meditating or journaling

Anything that calms your nervous system, reduces anxiety and helps you to process your thoughts, will aid you to be more productive on a daily basis.

Exercise

Energy begets energy. Daily movement will boost your energy and ability to concentrate.

Cooking

This one may seem weird but hear me out; Cooking is actually the most common habit you see among people who are the healthiest. Not exercise, but cooking. When you cook your own meals you have control over the quality of your food which means you are likely to be healthier and have more energy. That translates into increased cognition and that means you get more done in less time.

Reading

Again, this one may seem strange but reading is like exercise for the brain so it helps with cognition on a long term basis. Plus, all the information you take in is inevitably going to help you along the way to make smarter decisions and work more efficiently.

Socializing (with the right people)

This one probably even seems counter productive, but we are social creatures (yes, even us introverts) and being around people who lift us up, hold us accountable, encourage us to be better people and provide us with strong emotional connection, has a direct impact on our happiness and fulfillment. And if you have ever tried to get stuff done in a time in your life when you felt depressed or unfulfilled, you know how this impacts your productivity.

As you might have noticed, there’s a common theme with these habits: They make you a healthier, happier person.

And healthier and happier people tend to get more done.

So if you are struggling with getting things done or have found that all the time management and productivity tips in the world are not really working, its likely because one or more of these things are off for you.

Focus on being a overall healthier, happier person and your ability to be productive is going to improve for sure.

Of course, things like using a planner daily are also important and if you are not currently using one, I recommend you check out the Life Book Planner. This planner is like no other and with its unique features and layouts, its bound to get your more organized and productive so you can get things done without burning yourself out and still have time for rest, fun and family!

Want to give it a test run first? Try the free one month version here.

Jennifer

What Is Business Automation And Why It Is the Biggest Time Saver

What exactly is automation when it comes to your business?

You might have heard this term before and wonder what the heck people are talking about.

Are you supposed to buy a robot or something?

Thankfully, no.

Automation is setting up systems that do things automatically for you so you don’t have to.

It frees you up to concentrate on what only YOU can do and reduces the amount of time and energy you need to spend on our business.

If you don’t currently have anything automated in your business, you could save HOURS of work each week getting certain things automated.

There is a reason there are so many programs and platform functions that automation features; Its key to running a business that actually gives you the freedom you desire.

So where should you start?

Regardless if you have been in business a long time, or are just starting out, the following are the most helpful things to automate:

Email automation( freebies) and funnels.

Imagine if the only thing you needed to do in order to have someone join your email list for a freebie and have them actually get the freebie, is to send them or share a link?

Creating a simple, short landing page with a optin that is linked to your email management program (CRM), that then sends out the freebie for you once they sign up AND adds their email to your list is waaaayyy simpler then it sounds and will save you loads of time.

The first thing you need is a CRM, if you don’t already. This is a program that stores your list and from which you send them emails. Depending on your CRM, you can also create webpages where people will go to sign up for your freebie. Personally, I use Kartra because its a one stop shop for almost EVERYTHING and is reasonably priced. However, if you are new and don’t have the budget, there are plenty of free ones like Mail Chimp and Constant Contact. You will need to link a Landing page program, like Lead Pages however (also free) in order to create sign up pages.

Once that is set up, you will create your landing page (most sites have pre made templates that you can use and seriously makes it super simple), set up the optin with an automatic email that goes out with your freebie once someone signs up.

You can also use an optin page for things without a freebie, like Newsletters, however, not a lot of people sign up for a Newsletter unless they are OBSSESSED with your content. Offering something of value for free typically works better.

On boarding customer and clients

The good news here, is once you have the previous one done, this is pretty much the same idea. You simply set up another opt in page where people can buy your offer and set up another automation where all the necessary information is sent to the new client or customer automatically. This works for digital products memberships and coaching, and even partly for physical products (you’ll have to ship the product yourself obviously…)

Funnels

This may be another term you are not familiar with but its simply a serious a emails that leads your subscribers to your paid offers. Take minute to imagine what it would be like if once someone signs up for a freebie or buys a low priced product, they then receive a series of emails (with real value!) from you over the course of a few weeks that leads them to buy something else…and it all happened automatically! Not only is this a time saver but its going to make you more money too!

There are plenty of other things you can automate as you go, but these are a great place to start and as a smaller business, likely the only ones you will need for a while. Eventually, you can automate things like email campaigns to sell products.

There are also many sites that do just automations of all kinds, like ifttt.com (if this then that) that allows you to sync your various programs and create automations for them. For example: IF someone opts in to THIS freebie, THEN send them THAT document.

Now, I can imagine that if you are new to all of this, you might be seriously overwhelmed! I was too when I first started out but none of these things are all that complicated, most programs are super beginner friendly and there are a ton of people who can help you with this process.

Myself being one of them! I help my clients get their businesses (and life) super organized and set up with systems like the ones I mentioned above so that they can be optimally productive, spend less time working and get back to enjoying life.

If you would like to learn more about how I can help you can go here or send me at jennifer@organizedowl.com. I would love to hear from you and help you achieve your business goals without the 24/7 hustle!

Jennifer

p.s. If you enjoyed this post and would like access to daily free content on all things organization and productivity, you can find me on IG @organized_owl.

How To Prioritize Your To Do List So You Can Get The Important Things Done

Has this ever happened to you?

You make a to do list but at the end of the day you realize you still didn’t get done the things that really needed to get done, so you end up working until midnight?

It makes life feel like an endless hamster wheel doesn’t it? Like you just can’t get ahead and are always working 5 minutes before deadlines.

The good news is its fixable and the even better news is, its not that hard.

What you need to do is prioritize your tasks. As you create a monthly to-do list, weekly to-do list and daily to-do list, you are going to add items in based on urgency and importance.

The following 3 questions will help you decide which items should be on whichever list you are crafting.

The first 2 evaluate urgency, the 3rd importance:

Will there be an negative consequence if I don’t do it today/this week/this month?
If I don’t do this today/this week/this month, will there be time to do it before the deadline?
How important is this compared to the other tasks on my list?

Its comes down to this:

If it’s urgent and important, it comes first.

If it’s urgent but not important, you might want to let it go.

If it’s important but not urgent, it comes second if you have time.

If it’s not important and not urgent…well I think you know what to do.

THIS IS IMPORTANT: Once you have made your list, you need to tackle things in order of importance as much as possible. Life has a way of happening as the day goes on and if you wait to do the important things until close to the end of the day, you are far more likely to run out of time and not get them done.

Interruptions, distractions and unexpected things come up no matter how organized you are so if you accept this and act accordingly, you will be able to get far more done then if you keep trying to create the perfect day.

When you start with the most important things, what might not get done are the things that can be rescheduled another day with little to no consequences.

Prioritizing is en essential part of a productive day and now you know exactly how to do it so you can get the things done that move the needle the most.

Jennifer

p.s. If you enjoyed this post and would like access to daily free content on all things organization and productivity, you can find me on IG @organized_owl.

How To Multitask The Right Way

So you may know by now that multitasking is actually counterproductive most of the time.

(Spoiler alert : We can’t actually multitask. Our brains are simply switching back and forth between tasks.)

When we are trying to do 2 or more things at once that require our focus we are actually wasting more time then we are saving, not to mention we are tiring our brains out like crazy.

(reason number 4847 why parents are so tired…)

Of course, life is life and its impossible to avoid the wrong kind of multitasking 100% of the time. The goal is never perfection, but rather improvement.

HOWEVER, there is one exception to this and that is when we combine a task that requires focus with one that doesn’t.

A mindful task and a mindless task, if you will.

So things like walking and listening to a podcast, or folding laundry and watching a training.

You might notice a common theme with the mindless activities in that they are almost always movement of some kind, something thats physical, rather then mental.

In fact, some studies show improved cognition from doing something physical when trying to learn.

So that treadmill desk is good for you for another reason!

And thank goodness this type of multitasking is good because otherwise I don’t think I would ever find the time to listen to all the podcasts the I do!

One of the easiest ways to avoid multitasking is by making a plan each day. The Life Book planner has all the unique features you need to do just that, including a complete goal planning section, master to-do list, important dates, meal and exercise planing, bullet journal, weekly and monthly to-do lists, deadlines and more. Check it out here. Or head on over here to try out the mini 1 month version for FREE!

Jennifer

p.s. If you enjoyed this post and would like access to daily free content on all things organization and productivity, you can find me on IG @organized_owl.

How To Create Business Systems To Save Time And Energy

Systems make life easier.

Its that simple. It may not be glamorous or it may seem boring to you, but if you take the time to implement various systems into your business, you are going to save a ton and time and energy.

And more time and energy for enjoying life IS fun and glamorous!

So here’s what you do.

Figure out where you need them

What areas of your business seem to take more time then they should? Or where do mistakes or confusion happen often? Basically, you are looking for the problems areas. The things that take too much time, don’t get done efficiently or don’t get done well.

Create the system

Now its time to actually create the system. If this is something you do often, then this won’t take a lot of time. Just make sure you are thorough and don’t forget any steps. It helps if you do this while actually doing the task.

List out all the things and/or steps included in this task.
Put these things in order in which they should be done.
Look at each step and see if there is a short cut or quicker way of doing it. If you need to, ask experts, business friends or do some research.
Look at each step and see if there is anything that could be done in advance (planning) to make things more efficient.
Rewrite the order of the steps with any new changes from step 3 and 4, being really specific about how to do each step. Create, set up any new things you need to in order to be able to follow your new system. (ie: file folders, documents, memory aid, planning space, etc)
Keep this list to refer to whenever you do this step until it’s memorized as well as to use as SOP should you hire someone to do this in the future.

And there you go! You might have to modify or add things in after a couple of times through because its normal to forget the little things sometimes.

You can create a system for almost anything you do in your business, should you feel the need but some of the first or most common ones are:

Content creation
Social media posting and engagement
How and where files are saved and used.
Quick access to commonly used links, lists and other information.
Graphic creation

And lastly, a planner system. This is probably the most important one to create as it is the secret sauce to staying organized, managing your time and well and being able to prioritize and stay focused on what matters. The solid foundation to a great planner systems is a well designed planner.

And I don’t mean pretty design, I’m talking useful features and an effective layout. A planner that has what you need as well as the space to be personalized is the golden standard and the Life Book planner has both. Check it out here.

Systems are meant to make life easier but sometimes they can seem overwhelming to put in place. Head on over to the work with me section if you would like some help!

Jennifer

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

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