Hi everyone, Jehn here! When I was freelancing as a graphic and web designer for 7 years, I was mildly obsessed with productivity. I wanted to make the most of my time, but still enjoy my day while reaping the perks of working for myself. I learned a lot of useful tools that worked for me and am so grateful for it. A few years back, I had the opportunity to work for a client, in-house, which ended up turning into a full-time gig. Unfortunately, I was recently let go.* During the course of this position, I lost touch with how I worked best from home. I had given barely any thought about it in years.. Surprisingly, though, when I transitioned back into working from home, it was like riding a bike. I almost immediately bounced back into my old habits. Thankfully, after 4 months into my transition, I can confidently say that I am back into the swing of things. I would like to share my top tips for productivity with you!
Keep in mind, these tips work for me and might not work for you. Try things out and adapt them to how you work. Make mental and/or written notes of them. Make your day work for you!
1. Don’t work in the same spot & check in with yourself.
For me, working at my desk one day is exactly what I need to be doing; however, the following day, working from my couch is exactly what I need. It could go even further that what I need for that day is to work half my day at my desk and go work the rest of the day at a coworking space. Sometimes, it varies by the hour. How do I know where I need to be? Self check-ins. During the day, I do what I like to call ‘self check-ins’ where I ask myself, “am I where I need to be right now to get my best work done?” I try to answer as honestly as I can and I make a change if I need to.
2. Write down specific tasks that you need to get done & get them done.
We can’t win our to-do list everyday and most of the time, that is because we have too many big tasks on our to-do list. Take a look at your current to do list, does it contain items like “Redo my website” or “Rebrand my business” or “Clean my office”. If so, you may be finding yourself not crossing many items off & this is because those are next to impossible tasks. What works for me and I would suggest you try, is to break down those down into very specific do-able tasks that you can actually get done. An example would be – instead of “Redo my website”, you can list out tasks such as; Write new homepage slider copy, Review my homepage slider copy, Update and Publish my homepage slider copy. The power in that list is that you can easily achieve those items and if you end the day with one left, you only have to carry that portion over and not the entire weight of the whole task. The big key to this is sitting down and actually doing the work. You have to make the time in your day to sit down and get it done, no ifs, ands or buts about it. Do the work!
3. Remember WHY you are doing what you are doing.
I keep sticky notes around my apartment and notes on my phone and lock screen to remind me why I am working on The Creative Roundtable every day and what our goals are. This keeps top of mind for me what and why I am doing what I am doing; day in and day out. Transitioning from a full-time job where I was basically directed what to do every moment of the day, to being in my apartment without direction, I needed to lean on my co:founder, Jena and remember our mission for the company which helps me immensely. Especially when all I want to do is get up and empty the dishwasher instead of write a blog post :).
4. Be kind to yourself and take time to adapt.
Transitioning into working for yourself full time, part time, or even after you have done it for a while, it still takes major commitment and will adapt over time in terms of your needs. Especially as your business evolves and your day looks different. Remember to be kind to yourself, enjoy the struggles and trust that you will come out on the other side knowing more than you ever dreamt about how to tackle your day.
5. Have an accountability buddy or be part of an accountability group.
Having an accountability buddy or being part of a group is valuable for several reasons, the main one being… they hold you accountable for doing the work and getting it done! In the 24 Week Roundtable Program we host in Portland, we hold our members accountable every week for specific actionable tasks that relate back to a monthly goal. Jena and I are also held accountable in that group, which is great and very beneficial. I especially love hearing how our members tackle their day, which allows me to put new tricks into my back pocket. Another reason it’s beneficial is because it’s like having a built-in co-worker where you get to bounce ideas off one another. This helps you move through your task list quicker since you aren’t trying to do it all on your own.
Remember to be open to new tools and tips! Do what works for you!
Interested in learning more about our 24 Week Roundtable Program? Click here to learn more and apply!
Stay Creative. Stay You.
Jehn
*After being let go; I was lucky enough to be accepted into an unemployment program (Self Employment Assistant Program, also known as SEA) here in Oregon. It allows you to focus on building your business for 26 weeks while receiving unemployment benefits. If you find yourself in a similar situation, I would encourage you to talk to your local unemployment office.
