I have been feeling productive lately and that feeling is something I am super proud of. Honestly, the feeling of being productive, may actually be better than being productive. HA! But do you know what I mean? Often times we are productive, juggling a bajillion things and just doing life but yet we feel like it isn’t enough. We get stuck in the should train and the comparison game, where we make up that everyone else is doing it better and doing more than us.

So, I thought I would share what have been my favorite things to actually getting shit done while juggling baby, toddler, home life, businesses, and more AND how I manage the feelings around it all!

My current favorites for getting it done are:

My new Get to Work book.

For a few years I used Passion Planners and absolutely loved them but I noticed last year the layout wasn’t serving me as much as the days are broken down into hour segments and since I don’t work on a schedule right now it wasn’t serving me best.

I have been a big fan of Elise Cripe (@elisejoy on Instagram) for years (I actually found her because she shared my Let That Shit Go print on her blog) and have been interested in the planner she created but the price is steep so I wanted to make sure it worked for me. She currently has a version on sale that is halfway done (July2017-June2018 and I AM loving the style and format for where I am right now. Seriously, I know I have been more productive since I started using it and it is actually helping me GET TO WORK!

I still use my I Will Notepad non stop and sort of use it to dump all the many things on and then use the planner to delegate them into days or plot them into the week. I use a sheet for home and a sheet for business and more!

2. The Miracle Cube Timer

I am in love with this little block. You just turn the block to the amount of time that you want, 5,15,30,60 and get to it. It beeps when your time is up. Easiest little thing but I swear it is so useful and just feels great to not have to rely on my phone for anything (like using the timer on it). I am using it right now as I write. It helps me stay focused and on task. Without it I am more likely to get distracted checking my email or a million other things. Also since my time is limited and I have so many distractions (kids) and it is easy to put things off or say I will do it later, or I don’t have that much time…. It works with my mindset of setting small, obtainable goals (blog about that here). Set the timer for 5 minutes and pick up the house. Set it for 5 minutes or 15 and get moving getting any bit of exercise in. Set it for 5 minutes and allow myself to scroll around before I get to work…. It works for me.

3. Productivity Apps on my Phone

Praise technology. Seriously. Having these apps on my phone has been a game changer for me. Especially, when Arrow will only sleep on me.

Dropbox — shared photo albums
Google Docs — blog, create shared docs with team mates, idea purges
Google Keep — create for keeping separate todo and shopping lists
Amazon — because i will never remember that thing I need to order by the end of day when I am on my computer
Kindle — I thought I would hate reading on my phone. But again when under a sleeping baby and wanting some me time to relax this has been a savior! ( I always rent books from my local e-library digitally and they read on Kindle)

4. Meal Prep/Meal Planning

I don’t know why I resisted this for so long it is saving my life. I love to cook. I love food. But, on the weeks I don’t do this I end up looking at the clock and thinking oh shit what are we going to eat today, everyday. I don’t need to be stressed about meals.

I don’t do the cook all the things on Sunday plan, that I see lots of Instagrammers share (which looks awesome, I just haven’t tried it yet). What I have been doing is take a day and get ideas either through cookbooks or Instagram accounts I follow and write down 4-5 meals I want to make and what ingredients I need for them and then actually take that list with my to the store. Google Keep app is great for if you are like me and love paper and pen, but also forget to take the paper with you….

I also often roast a whole chicken with vegetables in the same pan at the beginning of the week and then use that chicken for meals throughout the week and use the bones for bone broth.

Another easy tip I do is to just make more of whatever I am making for a meal. If I am roasting vegetables I don’t just make enough for that meal. I will roast ALL the vegetables.

Favorite Instagram accounts for meal inspo:
@melissas_healthykitchen
@feedyoursister
@thegoodpathsd
@shutthekaleup

Current Favorite Cookbooks
Joy McCartney — Joyous Detox
Robyn Youkillis —- Go With Your Gut and Thin From Within
Megan Gilmore — Everyday Detox
Nourish — My ebook cookbook

Leave me a comment telling me your favorites!

5. Getting Exercise in

Even though I have less time, I have been making fitness a priority again because it does so much good for me. Yes, I am ready to feel better in my clothes…but when I get in movement my mood improves, I have more energy, my focus is better, my creativity is enhanced and I am now craving healthier foods again which helps all of this even more! I also immediately feel stronger in my thoughts, goals, intuition, EVERYTHING, when I am stronger and more connected to my body. It’s amazing really how much even a little movement does! We all know this, but hey, it is true!

For months I was just like I will take walks but it didn’t happen. I finally signed up for workouts on demand from LEKfit and I am loving it! They have full studio classes that are 50 minutes but they also have short videos. So, some days I will start a whole class and stop whenever I feel good. Sometimes that is 50 minutes, sometimes 40 or 20. I try to keep 20 minutes as my goal and if I go more, awesome! There are so many workouts that you can do from home these days and I am freaking grateful!

6. One Minute Rule

I heard about this on an episode of Tim Ferris’s podcast where he was interviewing Gretchen Rubin. She mentioned it and ever since I heard it, it has been in the back of my mind. Basically she said if there is any task that you can do in a minute or less, DO IT NOW. Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Don’t push it off for later. Just get it done. It is a small thing, but it feels great.

For me the key to productivity is to have small, achievable goals. Big goals keep us still often because we don’t know where to start and they can feel overwhelming. So, I also break down my big goals into small achievable parts.

Now to that feeling of productivity. One thing I do that changed my outlook on what I get done is to pay attention to what I did do, not the long ass list of stuff I didn’t. So even if I only mark one thing off of my list that day, I celebrate that instead of feeling shitty about the rest that is still there. Because let’s be real…there will never, ever be a day when you get it ALL done. I mean yes, it is possible, but often as soon as we cross it all off we think of 1-10 more things that we want to do. We are amazing, intelligent, creative beings that are always looking beyond the current moment. There will always be more to do, but don’t forget to acknowledge what you did do or you will never feel fulfilled.

Another thing is being more flexible. Often times I assign tasks to certain days, but I never get down on myself if I end up picking and choosing from another day’s tasks. Since I am fitting work and home life tasks in at random spots and they are subject to interruptions, I need that flexibility. Certain tasks feel better at certain times…and if I find certain task being pushed off into the deep hole of procrastination, I put my miracle cube on and get to tackling it!

Finally, Danielle LaPorte‘s method of connecting with how you want to feel helps me to not just get shit done but to remember what really matters. Yes, I wish I got even more done…but remembering how I want to feel as I do it all keeps me grounded, inspired and honestly sane (most of the time, ha). Check out her Desire Map Book and all other things here to learn more about it.

I have BIG plans this year and right now all of these things are helping me to be and feel connected to all the many parts of myself and I really hope the help or inspire you also!