How to Have the Most Productive Day Ever!
Like everyone in the world, I have good days and bad days and it always seems like the days when I am most productive just sort of randomly happen. They are usually unplanned; one day I just wake up and things seem to flow. There are no obstacles and the day just passes easily while I remain focused on the things I need to accomplish. When this happens, it’s easy to think that I just got lucky. Like the stars have aligned for me to have a productive day, but tomorrow I might not be so lucky. The truth is, however, although we might experience these days as random occurrences, there are things we can do to mimic the conditions and have the most productive day ever, whenever we want. I’ve actually figured out four important steps or phases we can take to have the most productive day ever, and if you also follow these steps you can create the right conditions to have your own productive day on demand as well!
Your Productive Day Starts the Night Before
The most productive days always begin with a few key actions taken the night before, but for each of us, the exact actions to take to set tomorrow up for success might be different. Think about the things that cause resistance in your mornings. Are you exhausted when you wake up? Do you struggle to pick out your clothes? Do you make a mess in the kitchen preparing breakfast and you’re brown bagged lunch? Whatever elements of your morning are a struggle for you, identify them and decide what action you can take the night before to vault those hurdles. Getting to bed earlier, laying out your clothes, prepping a breakfast and lunch? Maybe it’s not your own resistance you face and the struggle is with partners or children. Get them on board if necessary and take some time prepping with or for them so tomorrow morning is a breeze.
Make Your Morning Count
Now that you have mitigated the biggest sources of resistance in your morning, you can start your day with more peace and ease. Begin by spending a little more time in bed this morning. I know what you’re thinking- but I promise, this will be time well spent. After all, you took key actions last night, so now you can spend 15-20 minutes before exiting bed in quiet prayer or meditation. If it helps to use a guided meditation track, have some options bookmarked on your phone so you can pop on your headphones and get yourself aligned before your feet hit the ground.
Plan the Big Priorities
Once it’s time to get down to business for the day, no matter what sort of work you do, spend a another 10-15 minutes with your planner working out time when you will focus on your most important priorities. Decide what those priorities are; time with family, a workout before or after work, an important event or meeting, or specific work that is due. Once you know those top 3 priorities for the day, make sure you have the time blocked off for their completion in your schedule. Then of course wrap up your planning with any other scheduled events or tasks you need to remember.
Wrap Up and Wind Down
Towards the end of your workday it’s incredibly important that you intentionally wrap up any work that may need to be carried over for the next day and get your workspace or inbox in good order. This will make it much easier for you to have a productive work day again tomorrow. Spend perhaps the final 30 minutes of your workday intentionally winding down for the transition from work back to home life. Set the intention that you are leaving work at work and moving into the next phase of your day with peace and ease so that you can now step into being your best self for your personal priorities. Whether you work outside or inside the home, that intention mental switch is an important daily transition to make so that you are showing up as your best self for yourself and other, and also making the most of the next phase of your day.
Simple, right? Maybe not necessarily easy, but a pretty simple four step plan. I’d love for you to test this plan out in your own life and report back on how it worked out for you. Remember, this plan is intended to be general steps for you to take, but you need to hammer our the specifics for your day and your life for things to work out as productively as possible for you. But, it is great to have this template or outline to work off. Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
xoxo,