productivity tips for women

I have a lot of female role models that I love to read and learn about. What is their secret to success? How can I be more like them? What’s the magic formula that they have harnessed to make their lives so productive and interesting? Wouldn’t we all like to know? The truth is, as much as I look to other women, these role models for inspiration, I know deep down in my heart, that it really is just simple hard work that brings you from average to extraordinary. It’s all about the doing, making things happen and having the follow through to see a project from start to finish! You may be familiar with this popular quote seen all over the internet lately “You Have the Same Hours in a Day as Beyonce!” Yes, we all do, so it’s all about how you spend that time and making every minute count. So here it is, the not so secret 7 Habits of Highly Productive Women!

1. Exit bed as soon as you wake: How many times do you wake up in the morning and just lay around in bed playing on your phone or trying to catch a few extra minutes of sleep? I know I am very guilty of this one, but the truth is, when we wake up in the morning, it’s very important that we don’t waste those precious early moments. Get out of bed immediately to wake yourself up and just start your day without delay!

2. Read first & last thing everyday: The most productive women in the world all have something major in common. They are all readers. More specifically, they are all constant learners who read anything from the daily news, to industry updates, to popular literature on a constant basis. When you start to prioritize this sort of important knowledge, you begin to sharpen your edge and boost your personal productivity. For some, it can be a challenge, but give yourself a goal of reading something, even a short news story or a chapter of a book first thing in the morning and last thing before bed!

3. Drink plenty of water: Hydration really does play a major part in our overall wellbeing throughout the day. When I haven’t had a drink of water after a few hours I begin to lag and feel myself drying up, not just physically but physiologically! Although we are often told to drink 8-10 glasses of water a day, that is actually not a precise figure. To figure out how many ounces of water you need per day, take your body weight and divide it in half. That is how many ounces of water you need! So, get yourself a large water bottle or tumbler, keep it with you all day long and feel the energy and productivity boost a simple element like water can bring to your day!

4. Focus on one thing at a time: Although most women would consider themselves professional multi-taskers, when it comes to being productive, it’s actually better for you to focus on one thing at a time. Yes, we all have a lot on our plates, and yes, we will need to move between multiple different tasks and projects throughout our days, not just for work, but for many of us, home and personal obligations as well. But, when you go to complete a task or series or tasks, it’s much better if you onto do one thing at a time. This is precisely why I prefer to batch my work, taking care of all my calls at one time, my emails at one time, and doing certain receptive tasks in bulk, instead of moving from one thing to another more frequently. Give it a try to see how your productivity improves!

5. Recharge regularly: I think there is a major misconception out there that in order to be productive, you need to be focused on work. It’s all work, work, work, right? No time to dilly dally! Well, that’s not exactly true. You can’t expect to carry on non-stop forever, that would be a disaster, which is why it is so important to take time off and recharge your batteries. Throughout a busy work day, schedule in 5-15 minutes every 2 hours or so for you to just take a moment and gather your thoughts. Send a quick text to a loved one, play a quick game on your smartphone or browse a few pages of your favorite magazine, anything that will take your mind off of work and bring a little happiness to your soul. During days off, make sure you really spend a little time resting and relaxing. Go to bed early or schedule some time to sleep in, enjoy the company of friends and family, and just give yourself time and permission to turn off from work. It will do you wonders!

6. Accept criticism gracefully and move on: Everyone faces criticism, that’s a fact! And the truth is, the higher you rise the more criticism you are gonna get because more people are going to be aware of you and your work. Is that any reason to stop what you’re doing or spend hours of your precious time worrying about what other people are going to think? No way! The most productive women in the world face terrible criticism each and every day and they just smile through it and move on.

7. Prioritize you: As women, we are often lured into something of a mart complex, a sense that we need to put everyone else above ourselves in order to be successful and productive members of society. Let’s be honest, we all know women like this, or are ourselves striving for this delusional ideal that a women needs to be everything to all people, a wife, a mother, an employee, a student, you name it, we have to become it! With all that time spent focusing on the external elements of our lives, we often find that we put ourselves last. Unfortunately, this leads to some devastating developments for women, health-wise especially! We need to stop perpetuating this notion that women must do it all in order to have it all, so that we can start putting ourselves first! I’ve written about this before, but one of my favorite examples of why it is important to put yourself first, comes inside a little safety pamphlet found in each and every airplane. You’ve heard the phrase before, “secure your own mask first before attempting to help others.” That’s right, in the event of an emergency during air travel, you are directed to make sure you have taken care of your own safety before attempting to help those around you. Why? Because if you aren’t taken care of, how in the world can you be expected to take care of others? It’s common sense. So, seriously, start putting yourself and your needs first! Make sure you do all those little seemingly insignificant things that help support your well-being, because in the end, all those little things add up to something very, very important!

productivity tips for women

10 Comments on 7 Habits of Highly Productive Women!

  1. BRILLIANT post, you totally hit the nail on the head! I especially love the part about ‘fit your own mask before assisting others’ – what a great, simple way to remember such a powerful message throughout the day. Awesome. X

    • Thank you so much! I am so glad that you enjoyed this post and that you love that airline safety quote as much as me! LOL! It’s just the best darn example I can think of to explain why people need to take care of themselves first and foremost!

  2. This is amazing!!!! I think this is my favorite blog post ever, from anyone. These were such great tips, fabulous advice and things that are actually doable. I’m going to write all of these down and keep them somewhere so I could reference every day.

    Thank you!
    Briana
    RoyallyPink.blogspot.com

  3. I loved it, it’s funny I been thinking about this subject for about a week how to be a bit more productive since I feel that all my day I’m at work . This blog has help me come to a lot of conclusion I swear I’ve read it 5 times already lol. Great blog !

  4. This is such a well written piece! It’s a lot of things we know in isolation, but having them all in one place is really motivating and makes “being productive” seem like something even I can accomplish.

  5. Absolutely brilliant article! I need to make a dashboard like this. I hope you don’t mind, but you’ve completely inspired me to add this to my list of free printables to make 🙂

    • I’m so glad you like the article! If you do happen to make a printable of this available to the public, please make sure to credit me as you would credit an author to a quote, as this is my original written work.

  6. I love your post! It is always refreshing to be reminded of the simple things. I love the phrase “secure your own mask before helping others”. As women, we need to learn to live by that mantra. Thank you.

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