Are you someone who is productive during very short periods of time in the morning, but the rest of the day you tend to procrastinate and waste time? This is a very common occurrence for most people, but there are some ways to be a little more productive late in the morning until the afternoon.
Try Time Blocking
Time blocking is a great way to stay productive throughout the day since you are managing how you spend your time and can stay on track. This method involves using different blocks of time between 1 and 3 hours on average, where you dedicate that time to one type of task.
The time period will vary based on your schedule and the task, but might look like this:
- 6-6:30 am morning routine
- 6:30 am-8:30 am marketing and social media
- 8:30-9 am breakfast break
- 9 am-12 pm working on your blog
You can choose different parts of your day to work on different things, and balance it out between work and personal tasks.
Batch Your Projects
This doesn’t mean multitasking and working on multiple things at one time. Instead, you want to use the work batching method, which means you do the same type of task in one batch.
For example, if you have a YouTube channel, you might record multiple videos all in one long session. If you run a website for your business, you might brainstorm and research the next week’s worth of posts all in one sitting, then tomorrow, batch all the writing to be done together.
Choose When to Check Your Email
Having your email notifications open all day will steal your focus consistently, and make it really hard to stay productive. Every time you see that a new email has arrived, you are tempted to read it and possibly even respond.
Instead of having it open, close your email and have dedicated times during the day when you read and respond to emails. This can fit into your time blocking schedule, or just when you have free time to do so.
Go for a Walk During Your Afternoon Slump
Everyone has a slump in their day, usually around the early afternoon. This is when you tend to lose a lot of your energy and need a little pick-me-up. Instead of hitting the vending machine, consider going outside and taking a walk instead.
Plan Activities Around Your Energy Levels
It is also a good idea to be aware of when you have high or low energy during the day. During your peak work hours is of course when you should get the productive work done, especially the tasks that require a little more brainpower. Then during times of the day when your energy is lower, work on answering emails, updating your website, or doing smaller tasks that don’t require as much energy.
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