3 things that will increase your productivity
Kitty on January 4, 2015 in Musings, Writing No Comments »This is our year! We’ve picked our words and set our intentions. Our To Do lists are checked off and we passed on the donuts some skinny guy brought into the office. But it’s been less than a week. What can we do to maintain our momentum?
1. Turn off the TV.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But we’re on a budget. Television is our main source of entertainment. Snuggling in the flickering blue light makes up the majority of our evenings. We have several shows that we each watch and even more that we watch together. After making a list of just the shows I love, I found at least an hour each day to spend on activities that will improve our lives. I didn’t have to give up every show, just the ones that I wasn’t enjoying, and the ones that I slept through the ending on a regular basis. I filled those time slots on my calendar with writing time, exercise time, and an earlier bedtime on Sunday nights.
My favorite quote
2. Read and reflect on a favorite quote or photo before you get started.
Personally, I love quotes. Little bursts of someone’s wisdom posted on the bathroom mirror, scribbled inside a notebook cover, beautifully framed. Quotes inspire and motivate. I get most of my writing done in the early morning hours. But before I open the computer, I sit down with my cup of coffee. I empty my mind of the few thoughts that rattle around before the world awakens. Then, I look at my favorite quote. I read it. I speak it out loud. I breathe. And off I go.
3. Use a timer.
Tim got me a beautiful hourglass for Christmas. It takes 60 minutes for the sand to travel through the narrow passage. It’s easy to get distracted when I work in the evenings, but as long as the sand is falling I keep working.
Mornings are a bit more difficult, because I have a day job. Instead of a timer to keep me on task, I use an alarm to let me know when I need to wrap it up. It’s no secret that I’d rather write and edit all day. Someday I won’t need the alarm, because I used the timer earlier.
These three small things have made a difference in the quantity and the quality of my work. Hugs and Happy Writing!
