Between laundry, dishes, school lessons, and dinnertime, we can rush around all day and still go to bed feeling like we haven’t accomplished much! And while things will always come up, there are ways we can maximize our time and make forward progress in our lives instead of feeling like we’re constantly just spinning around in circles.
Here are 5 Simple Ways to Be More Productive:
1) Limit Television Time
Even if you don’t think you watch that much TV, try keeping your television off for a solid week and you may be amazed at how much more you can accomplish! If you don’t want to turn the TV completely off for a week, just cutting out down by an hour a day will give you a full 60 minutes extra to accomplish a needed task or to do something you really enjoy.
2) Enlist help from your family members.
Getting others to help doesn’t always mean you’re going to save time at that moment. But all those hours spent teaching your children to clean up after themselves and to help with family chores will eventually pay off which will enable you to be more productive in the long run!
3) Don’t worry about perfection.
The Pareto principle (or 80/20 rule) says you can do 80% of the work in 20% of the time, but it takes 80% of your time to complete the last 20% of the work. Much of the time, it’s okay to simply leave that last 20% undone.
4) Bless – don’t impress – others.
Whether we’re taking a dish to a potluck, having company over for dinner, or meeting someone for lunch at the park, we can be tempted to try to impress others with our culinary or housekeeping skills.
Let’s instead choose to tear the walls down, invite others into our imperfectness, and make sure we’re more concerned with blessing others than we are with impressing them – it will save us a lot of time and energy as well as give others the freedom to let their guard down around us!
5) Recognize that you’re in charge of your time.
One thing I learned from the time-management books I’ve read is that we’re all in charge of our own time. Most of us chose to get married. Then we chose to have kids. And because of financial and personal reasons, we decided to either work outside the home, stay at home, or work from home. Yes, interruptions or stresses happen because of those choices, but they’re still choices!
Bonus Tip: Have a good attitude. We all know the saying that mama sets the tone for the house. When we’re stressed and grumpy, our kids will often mirror our bad mood by becoming whiny and clingy. Simply choosing to keep the environment positive by having a good attitude can often lead to more productiveness all the way around!
What tips do you have for becoming more productive?
I have cut out the TV but I continue to struggle with little distractions throughout the day. My goal is to focus on one task and complete that task.
That’s a great goal, Shiloh!
Great advice! I know for myself I think the internet is my biggest time zapper. I go on to do one thing and end up somewhere else and than never finish what I set out to do. I am asking God to help me to be more self disciplined so I can make better use of my time!
I said a prayer for you Rebekah! And the internet is HUGE for so many of us. I know you can use your time wisely!
Good advice… it is so important to be keepers at home… and to be wise in how we do it. 🙂
Yes, so true!
We cancelled cable. There is something about having to actively find a show on Netflix that makes you really conscious of tv time.
I agree 100%! We haven’t had cable for YEARS and are now shocked at what we see when we visit other people’s homes – not just time spent but also content viewed.
These are great suggestions. I could definitely cut out some TV time. I have also found it helpful if I am working on the computer not to have any social media tabs open and only check them a few times a day. If I have twitter open all day while I am working I can end up wasting a lot of time.
Yes, I agree! I actually got drastic and unfriended all of my Facebook friends to help me not get pulled in and it helps SO much!
Davonne,
I love “Bless instead of impress”. I came here via The Mommy Club link up. 🙂
These tips are all great reminders. I find that when I take some time off, I am also productive.
Also, I’ve had to really let go of control and perfection. I have a sign up that says: “Progress not perfection”. 🙂
Have a wonderful day and be blessed!
Pamela – Literate For Life
I love that – Progression not Perfection! Thank you for stopping by Pamela!
Great list, Sarah! A simple one that I’ve always liked is to do 5 things every day. Pick 5 things on your to-do list. They could be small or large, returning a phone call to tackling the closet, but do 5 things on you list. Checking those things off helps you feel a sense of accomplishment and often times, starting is the hardest part so if you commit to 5 things, you often end up accomplishing even more by the end of the day. Your article stood out to me on Tell it to Me Tuesday. 🙂
That’s a great suggestion, Kristi! I’m going to try that idea next week, thank you for stopping by!
I love the idea of blessing instead of just focusing on impressing. It really allows us to be our true selves with others. This is something I’ve had to learn since having kids. 🙂
(I found you through the R&R link party)
Yes that is so true! And when we’re real with others, we’re essentially encouraging them to be real with us, too.
I sometimes put my phone on air plane mode so that I don’t have distractions. I also prioritize. If there’s something I HAVE to get done, I try to give it my undivided attention and full effort. I love your tips though. My kids help a lot.
Stopping by from the Women with Intention Wednesday Link Up.
Thanks for stopping by, Maria! Airplane mode is a great idea – that’s what my husband does with his phone when we go away for our anniversary 🙂
The one about blessing not impressing is speaking to me. Humble and joyful serving is found in that statement!
Thank you so much for your kind encouragement!
If Mom’s happy, everybody is happy. It’s true and it stays true even after the kids are grown. Thanks for sharing great thoughts and truths.
These great tips! I completely agree with the 80/20 rule. 😉 Thanks for linking up at Women With Intention Wednesdays! I look forward to what you’ll be sharing this week!
Television can be a great distraction. I must admit; I work at home, with the TV on, but most of the time it is muted. I can still see what is going on from my peripheral vision. TV is more of a habit and to keep me company, than anything else . I will, however, try just turning it off and see how much more I get accomplished. Thanks for the tips.