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Productivity – 10 Tips


Productivity – 10 Tips

Photography by Tom Buck

What I’m Wearing

Nirvana Tee – Fabrixquare (click here)

Sweat Shorts – Summit Clothing* (click here)

Y3 ZG Knit Pure Boost – MatchesFashion (click here)

It is a known fact that some of the biggest killers of productivity are mobile phones/texting, internet, social media and email. So what the hell am I supposed to do when my job utilises all of these aspects in order to be productive? It goes for anyone with their own business who utilises social media which is pretty much every brand ever. Working in social media is a 24/7 kind of job. I don’t understand anyone who thinks things like blogging/vlogging are easier than 9-5’s. I’m not saying they’re harder and this definitely isn’t me complaining because I love what I do. I feel honoured to be able to call this my full time job and run my own successful business. However I’m a huge procrastinator, I think ‘tidying my room’ is my no.1 task when I’m trying to hide from my giant ‘to-do’ list.

This post is also of use to those of you who run a blog on the side of a full time job. I did this for years and you definitely feel the pressure to produce as much content as possible outside of work hours. This can put stress on your social life, family life and your relationships. That’s why I think it’s important to talk about productivity and share tips with each other so we can all improve.

This whole post is quite ironic really because it’s 4.50 am here and I’m writing from my hotel room in California due to my jet lag. (If you didn’t know I’m here in the OC on a press trip. Check my Instagram here and and add my snapchat ‘gallucks’ for updates). Even though I don’t think I’m the most productive person in the world I do like to think that I get a lot done every week, 2 videos on my YouTube channel, 2/3 Instagram posts a day and (where I can) 2 blog posts here on gallucks.com. So I thought I’d compile a list of things I do to keep my productivity on point.

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Keep it Tidy

Like I said, tidying my room is my no.1 task to do when my workload piles up but there is method behind the madness. A tidy work environment allows me to fully concentrate on the task at hand. So if I tidy my workspace, my desk etc I feel so much better about getting work done. Do you feel the same?

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Emails

Replying to emails is sort of like a game to me, I always try and reply as soon as I can but I realised this wasn’t the most productive way of working. I would often write an instant reply without putting too much thought into it. Emails are like weights on my shoulders, I constantly think about them and have a strong urge to reply to make the number of flagged emails go away.  I now don’t let emails distract me and have designated times where I think ‘right lets reply to emails’. That way I can think about my reply for awhile and write the best possible reply that I can. Usually first thing when I wake up, I like to make breakfast and sit and reply to emails because once they’re out of the way I’m free to work on other things.

Revisit Goals 

Another thing that I do is think about the long term goals, my content, the direction I want it to go in, things I can do to improve etc. This is really crucial for productivity because it allows you to focus on what’s important.

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Say No

Im a nice person and I don’t want that to sound big headed or anything because I’m not just saying that to make myself sound great . I am in fact TOO nice, I know myself and I know that people take advantage of this. Sometimes I get to the point where I’ve said yes to so many things in terms of work and social life that I leave no time for myself. So I’ve stated saying no. No is a powerful word especially in business, I decline a lot of work either because it’s not right for my style or companies want too much of my time for free. Saying no sometimes is a lot more powerful than saying yes.

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Exercise 

This is one that I’m working on, I’ve never been into sports and exercise but I realised that when I started working from home in January, I wasn’t leaving the house that often. I’m constantly working from devices etc, I wasn’t getting enough exercise and I noticed a huge dip in my productivity. I started just doing small home exercises and noticed a dramatic difference in myself, my attitude and my general wellbeing. I’m going on a hike in a few hours so let’s all pray for me aha. Exercise is so important for your health and I really need to get more motivated in this aspect of my life. Any tips are certainly welcome!

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To Do Lists 

To do lists are probably one of my favourite things when it comes to productivity. Usually when I wake up I just open the notes app on my phone and write down everything I want to get done that day. It helps visualise all your work and let’s you manage your time efficiently. Crossing or deleting things off that list is one of the most satisfying feelings ever. If you done write to do lists already I highly recommend it.

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Negativity

I would say if there’s anything getting you down, someone who’s not being supportive of your career or hobby etc Just phase them out of your life. Toxic relationships aren’t good for anyone. I surround myself with positivity and appreciate those in my life who are supportive of me and I’m supportive of them. Your friends and family should inspire you to pursue your dreams and not hold you back.

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Prioritise

This tip stems from the to-do list, once you have all that you need to do written in front of you the best thing to do is to prioritise. What needs to be done first? what can be done first? Arrange your tasks in order of priority and make sure you get all of the urgent things done first. This helps me a lot in my day to day, even if I don’t complete everything on my to do list at least I know that I completed my priorities.
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Routine

This is another one which I’m also working on. I’ve read and heard that having a routine is a great way of staying productive, my job is the most un-routined way of working. Today for example, I’m in California. Last weekend I was at a festival. Blogging is taking me to the most incredible places but it does make the idea of having a routine more difficult to grasp. When I am at home, I get up and shower, tackle my emails and then either go and shoot some outfits or film YouTube videos. I don’t think I’ll ever have a proper routine but I like it that way and having a different day each day is what appeals to me.

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Commute

Any journey, any travel I do, anywhere – I see it as time to work. On the bus? reply to emails. On the train? edit blog posts, edit images. On a plane? Edit videos. There’s always something to edit or reply to, even if it’s replying to your friends. Sometimes It’s also important to just take time out and relax. Use your commute efficiently and decide what you want to use that time for.
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They are my 10 tips on productivity and how I’ve been trying to keep productive and improve the work-flow. Id love to hear your thoughts on productivity, do you do any of what I listed? any tips you could give me would be amazing! looking forward to hearing from you in the comments below – thanks for stopping by.