15 Secrets of Productivity (Good and Bad!)

Dress: Leopard shift dress. Similar here and I also love how airy this one is. | Shoes: Everlane Modern Loafers. Can’t get enough of these – I wear them with everything from dresses to jeans! Also love these blush options, which are under $30!| Scarf: Prior season. This Kate Spade option and this floral option are perfect! | Earrings: No longer available, but these are nearly identical. Also, this pair, this pair, and this pair are making me swoon.

This week, I’m in Los Angeles for a work project. You know those ones that start off as a great idea and as it comes to life, the details turn into a beast of their own? I’m paddling in that boat now. All good things, of course, but I won’t lie to you, I’m happy to finally be at the point where it’s aaaall coming together. 

While I usually love traveling, since having kids it’s getting harder and harder. Being gone feels refreshing for a hiccup of time, and then all I want to do is be back home with my family. Does anyone else feel that way? The first day I’m usually like, “Oh my gosh, a moment to think feels so good!”, but after a day I’m like, “DOUG SEND ME EVERY SECOND CAPTURED ON VIDEO NOW!” Ah, motherhood.

Anyways.

:: Shop Shift Dresses Perfect For Spring ::

While on my flight here, I was browsing Fast Company, and came across an ongoing series that they do called Secrets of the Most Productive People. It’s a Q&A of sorts, where they ask high profile, successful people how they do what they do on a daily basis. I thought their answers were so interesting — wake up times, best and worst habits, and productivity tips. You can really learn a lot from someone based on how they approach productivity.

It all brought the question, “How do I stack up?” I thought I’d collect some of the main questions I saw, and answer them myself. Not that I’m this model person for productivity — that’s hardly the case and I have so much to work on — but I do balance quite a bit in my little world of being a working mother and blogging, so I thought it’d be interesting to write down some of those tactics.

Here is a little about how I approach getting things done!Best Habit: I don’t hesitate to dive in. Not knowing something, or not being the best, doesn’t bother me. I assume I will learn along the way and get better as I go. Even if it’s a new idea or topic.

Worst Habit: Drinking too much coffee. It’s a part of my mental routine for starting the day, but is multiple cups really necessary? Also, I have a tendency to procrastinate, which is the biggest thing I’m trying to work on.

Secret Weapon: I can get into the zone, and fast. When I’m focused, I tend to block out everything else around me and work until it’s done. I’m able to complete projects and tasks very efficiently because of that skill set.

What time I go to bed: Between 10 – 11 pm

What time I get up: Between 6:30 – 7:30 am

First Thing I Do When I Wake Up: Press snooze. Once I’ve mustered up the energy to open my eyes, I usually grab my phone and scroll through Instagram. (I know – terrible.)

Commuting Routine: My commute every day varies, depending on if I’m driving or taking the el, but the one constant is music blaring, whether it’s in the car or in my headphones.

:: Shop Neck Scarves ::

Productivity Tools: Google Calendar literally organizes my life. Also, I love my Apple products because they all sync up, which makes organization really easy. For example, every day all my photos/videos from my phone or computer are uploaded into the cloud, where I can access them anywhere, which is a huge time saver.

Productivity Advice: Done is better than perfect.

What I Let Slide: Household chores. For example, we’re not sticklers for making our bed, nor do we have Grace do it every morning. Our house is fairly tidy (with the exception of the occasional pile of clothes – Ah-hem…me – or daily gear), but we save the deep cleaning for once we notice it’s time. I try not to put too much pressure on those types of things. Especially with kids, it all gets messy again anyways.

Motivational Object: My notepad, which I write down my to-do’s in, ideas, or notes from meetings. I’m a list person!

Advice on turning off: Prioritize it. Motivational Quote: “The Man In The Arena” by Theodore Roosevelt. Doug and I discovered this a few years back and reference it constantly because it’s so motivating.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Lunch Routine: I consider myself an extrovert, but at work and while exercising my work style, I do best when I can get into the zone. It sounds anti-social, but I don’t prefer to eat with others or go out. I love to grab food, come back to my desk, and hammer away at things while listening to music.

Email strategy: As with text, I prefer “one and done”. I try to respond to things as soon as I read/see them, and if that task takes a long time, I’ll put it on my to-do list as a follow up. However, that means that I compartmentalize my time with tech. I often don’t check email unless I have a block of time to dedicate to it, which unfortunately means that I’ll sometimes take longer than preferred to respond. Between work, my blog, personal email, and my blog’s social media management in the mix, I’ve found that this way works for me as a way to manage my tech communications while still finding balance. However, it’s an area that I’d like to find a better time management system behind.

What are your secrets of productivity? Would love to hear in the comments below!

PS – Secrets of productivity with a baby in tow + Advice to your younger self + What were your first seven jobs?