Productivity // 6 Tips for Having a More Productive Day

Hey y’all!  I hope you’re having a great day so far.  Lately I’ve been learning a lot about productivity and prioritizing, and I feel like I’ve definitely come along way on those two topics.  They go hand-in-hand because you are most productive when you prioritize well.  Today, however, I’m just going to talk about productivity, and I’ll save the topic of prioritizing for another day.

A month or two ago, I realized that I was getting practically NOTHING done.  And of course, that was not what I wanted!  So I started really focusing on getting things done and making each day more and more productive.  I’d like to share some tips I’ve found helpful in my pursuit of productivity.

Prepare the Night Before

Take the order of events from Genesis 1 (verses 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, and 31) literally when it says “and the evening and the morning was the ___ day.”  Start your day the night before!  Your prep may include laying out your clothes, setting your alarm, or making a smoothie to put in the fridge for your breakfast.  Also, I have found it SO refreshing to end my day with prayer!  This helps me end my day on a good note and feel mentally prepared and calm for the next day. And of course, make sure you get to bed at a decent time!

 Get Up

Sometimes this step can be the hardest one of all!  But, if you’re ever going to get anything done, you’re going to HAVE to get up in the morning.  The best way to accomplish this, like I mentioned in the first point, is to make sure you get to bed at a decent time the night before.  I’d personally much rather stay up late instead of getting up early, but training yourself to get up early is so much better for a lot of reasons.  Making yourself get out of bed is also a wonderful way to work on your self-discipline ;)

Begin with God

Don’t ever underestimate the power of prayer and Bible study.  Spending a few moments in God’s Word, prayer, and worship is the best way you can start your day.  For ideas on how to spend your Bible time, see this post.

“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”  -Mark 1:35

Dress for Success

Sometimes the way we dress can motivate us to succeed.  I know, this can sound ridiculous, but hear me out.  When I think of having a “good, productive day,” I don’t think sweatpants and T-shirt.  I think something a little nicer than that! ;)  Also, dress appropriate for the day’s activities.  Most importantly, don’t waste too much time on your appearance (see this post).  You can still look nice and put together without wasting a lot of time.

Write a To-Do List

I have a love/hate relationship with to-do lists, but lately I’ve found them to be SUPER helpful in helping me get everything done!  Take a minute, maybe right after you spend your time with God, to jot down a list of everything you want to get accomplished.  Make sure you pray over it, and ask God what HE wants you to accomplish!

Take Time for the Little Things

One day last week, despite the long list of things I needed to accomplish, I took time to enjoy the beautiful, little things in life that God had given me.  In between history and cleaning the bathroom and practicing the piano, I made waffles for the siblings, read to the youngest, did matching hairstyles on myself and a sister, and sat outside to enjoy the gorgeous weather.  These things added joy and variety to my otherwise completely-planned day.  Take time to enjoy those little things!

And there you have it, folks – my 6 tips for having a more productive day.  These have definitely helped me, and I hope they will be useful for you as well.

I’d love to know…

Have you tried any of these 6 tips?  If so, were they helpful?

Do you have anything to add to this list?

Would you be interested in a post on prioritizing and/or self-discipline?