Skift Take
There is no need to rely on anyone else, take charge of your event planner life with these self-management hacks and reclaim your day.
Productivity is the key to managing your life but this can be hard to find and while we can’t control the amount of hours in the day, we can make a difference in how we spend them. We all get the same amount of hours per day, entrepreneurs and overly productive people have just mastered how to use these hours better and to their advantage. With these hacks you can practice better self-management too and get more things done!
-
Act There And Then
If you have picked up a task, deal with it there and then to avoid the piles mounting up. If you are looking at your emails and you receive one that needs replying to, reply to it, what are you waiting for? That’s why you’re on your emails in the first place. The same goes for your home life, if you have finished with your plate, put it straight in the dishwasher or give it a rinse, a full sink is a metaphor for all of the tasks you have put to one side that are building up.
-
Determine Your Productive Time
Are you an early riser that likes to get things done before noon (or before breakfast!) or are you a night owl who can’t function in the morning? Either way, decide on your most productive time and schedule tasks that are the hardest for these times. If you lag in the afternoons then opt for something easier at that point and it will stop you procrastinating.
-
Learn To Say No
If you often find yourself doing things for other people, just stop. It is ok to tell people no and set boundaries, particularly if you don’t have time to complete things yourself. While you want to help, there’s a fine line between helping and being taken advantage of and the latter will make you a lot less productive so be wary who you give your time too.
-
Take The Break
For whatever reason you may need to work through your lunch break and while this is not ideal, it is also not uncommon and work or life often gets in the way. Contrary to popular belief, working solidly all day can be more harmful than helpful with productivity levels so it becomes doubly important to take your shorter breaks as it can give your mind a rest, refresh you and lead to more productivity.
-
Collaborative Calendars
Whether you are trying to let the family know of your plans or you are scheduling with your boss, collaborative calendars can avoid clashes and putting too much on our plate at once. They are a useful organizational tool that can help you better plan your day, reduce the need for meetings and can also help you organize time to yourself!
-
Make Social Media Count, or Limit It
Social media is an excellent marketing tool and can be used to boost your personal brand as well as your business one, but if going on social media isn’t relevant to your work or you’re not working on improving your business following, it’s not worth it. Instead, limit social media during the day by opting for 10 minute increments as “rewards” in the morning, lunchtime and afternoon. Trivial social media and cat videos, while hilarious, can eat away at the time you have in your day without you ever really noticing.
-
Set Goals
Goals keep you focused and add more specificity to what you want to achieve and this can help you to forge a path and know exactly how to get there. Goals can also add as good motivators to keep you on the right road and fill you with a sense of accomplishment once you have reached them, so ensure you set short and long-term goals. A key point to remember is to make them SMART and completely relevant to you, goals are so powerful, they could even help to keep your New Year’s resolutions alive.
-
Take Care Of Yourself
How do you expect to cope with the stresses and strain of daily life if you aren’t in top condition? Take care of yourself by getting decent sleep, eating right and plenty of exercise and this can not only boost your energy levels but make you more mentally healthy as well, meaning you can take on more of a challenge!
-
Have A Home/Work Space
If, like many, you work from home or have to take work home with your, set up a comfortable designated work space. It doesn’t matter if it is big or small but it is important you only do work there, that way it doesn’t spread into your personal life too much and helps to train your brain to get into “work-mode” when you are in this space making you more productive.
-
Schedule Admin Time
If you stop and look at your emails all day long you are never going to get anything else done. Schedule in some time in the morning or afternoon, or both if necessary to return phone calls, catch up with emails or respond to colleagues and do the general admin that takes up some time in your day. This way it still gets done but doesn’t hoard time by interrupting other tasks.
-
Delegate
You don’t have to do it all by yourself and delegating can free up time elsewhere to kill two birds with one stone. This works for business and in your personal life, get the kids or partner to help with chores or ask colleagues to take something to a different department with them which will save you the trip.
-
Be Realistic
Although productivity is great, you physically can’t do everything and acknowledging this will stop you from trying to fit too much into one day which over time could cause burnout. Find the sweet spot between setting goals and challenges while knowing your limits.
-
To-Do Lists
You may not like them but the secret power of to-do lists is real so don’t underestimate them. Devoting 10 minutes to making a to-do list can not only increase productivity but improve your focus and helps you to achieve daily goals easily.
-
Airplane Mode
Notifications can be useful but if you have a project due and need to avoid distractions, turn your phone onto airplane mode or leave it in the other room! You don’t need to know you’ve got 100 emails waiting for you, they’ll be there when you get back.
-
Do Difficult Tasks First
Many people avoid the tasks they don’t want to do but in the long-term, this works against them and serves as a distraction for everything else. If it is something you HAVE to do and there is no way around it, do it now and then it is done, otherwise you will be worrying about it unnecessarily for too long. Plus, once you have done it, it will leave you feeling extra motivated for the day.
-
Keep Learning
You should always aim to better yourself and come up with new ways to do things. While routines are beneficial, they can leave us feeling deflated and stagnant, so keep learning and looking for ways to improve processes and yourself.
-
Avoid Scapegoating
Accept responsibility for both your failure and your success because scapegoats will only alienate your colleagues or friends and could hurt your career. Mistakes are inevitable so own up to them, learn from them and move on, everything is an experience.
-
Stick To Your Word
Having supportive friends, family or colleagues is essential for getting things done and making sure you are a person of your word will help to strengthen these. If you are always flakey or go back on what you have promised, you are less likely to have the support you need when you find yourself needing help.
-
Ask Questions
It’s easier to complete tasks when you have all the information you need and have checked everything first. It is important to ask questions to hammer out the details so you can get the project done, if not you could be in for a lot of time wasted if you need to do something again.
-
Be Proactive
Less talking and more doing helps to avoid procrastination and avoiding situations because you have been over-thinking things. If you need resources, go out and get them, if something needs to be done, then do it. No one else is going to do it for you so don’t sit around and wait.
In Conclusion
Overall, the key point to remember is that managing yourself is the most effective way to change your own life, after all, you are the one in control. Hopefully these life hacks have given you some insight into the best ways you can do this so that you run the day, without letting it run you.
