Consistency & Productivity: Good Habits & Better Outcomes- Jessica's Insight
Consistency & Productivity: Good Habits & Better Outcomes
Consistency
Consistency & Productivity: Good Habits & Better Outcomes
Are you interested in developing more consistent habits? Or, a better routine? Do you have trouble remembering all of your daily and weekly tasks?
You can create an easy and effective schedule on your phone through time-blocking! If you prefer hard copy planners, there are more suggestions for you at the end as well.
Hello! I am Jessica Malkin, the owner of The Serial Entrepreneur Brand and The Market Made. Before I was a business owner and real estate investor, I was a manager for 8 years, sales for 12 years, and worked in customer service for over 15 years; I helped launch a startup company, expand a small business, and increase a franchise’s productivity to be the youngest and highest earning store in the country. I also have a Master of Business Administration and two Bachelor Degrees in Sociocultural Anthropology and Spanish.
“You can be consistent, and productive, AND have fun at the same time.”
Throughout my academic career, I struggled with maintaining a consistent schedule and habits. The way I stayed consistent was working multiple jobs and absolutely overloading my schedule… make it make sense. Until around 2015, it was challenging to remember appointments, meeting with friends, tasks, chores, and even calling my parents. My brain is very much the epitome of out of sight, out of mind.
As you understand, it is extremely difficult to remember all of the to-do lists at work and in your personal life, especially if you have a family. Some people utilize planners or wall calendars. I taught myself how to time-block my schedule, and then added my own twist.
Time-blocking is a time management strategy to basically separate your day into categories; for example, the morning time could be for content creation and creativity, the early afternoon is for meetings, and the later afternoon could be emails and other forms of communication. In short, you create blocks of time to focus on different tasks.
Here is an example below:
With time-blocking, you help your brain divide activities between left and right brain functions. It is an easier transition for yourself mentally and emotionally throughout the day, which can make you much more consistent and productive. Many leading business owners, CEOs, and professionals use this scheduling strategy because of how effective it is.
“you help your brain divide activities between left and right brain functions. ”
Another key part of the time-blocking strategy is to block off personal time like lunches, workouts, and family time. You need to prioritize yourself and your self-care every day. Ensuring you schedule time for yourself will actually improve your productivity! Research shows that taking breaks is imperative for maintaining your attention for long periods of time and reducing burnout. Here are examples of left and right brain work activities:
If this strategy clicks with your brain, that is wonderful! You can run with it from here on out. If you are interested in learning about what I do, keep reading! For me, I employed the time-blocking strategy for years, but slowly adapted my schedule to include more than just work.
“ I include habits that I am tracking such as when I wake up, daily walks, and meal planning.”
My variation of this strategy is to incorporate appointments AND my to-do lists. For time-sensitive blocks like appointments, meetings, or deadlines, I have them in a different color than the rest of my calendar. For my daily blocks, I have my tasks, to-do lists, reminders, and routines all in the same color, which means I can reschedule them to whatever time of the day works better or feels best for me. Additionally, I include habits that I am tracking such as when I wake up, daily walks, and meal planning.
The difference with my calendar strategy is that it is hard for me to change brain activities in the middle of the day even with a hard break like lunch. Either, I am in a type-B mental space or a type-A mental space all day. Additionally, I get overwhelmed with a lot of color on the calendar, which is why almost everything is blue, but important blocks are red to get my attention.
Here is an example of my calendar:
So, I have meetings and left-brain activities on Mondays. My creative days are Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Thursdays are free days for whatever I need to get caught up with. Friday is my forecasting day (left brain) for doing paperwork, managing housework, and planning for the following week. With owning a business, I do work all the time even on Saturdays and Sundays, but those days are way more fluid.
For my time-blocking strategy, I categorize my entire day because that works best for my workflow. If you are reading this and looking at the examples with a lot of anxiety, that is actually normal! Recent research shows that planning every minute of your day can make you feel frantic or overwhelmed and you could become less productive. This is completely understandable.
If you prefer hard-copy to-do lists and still need help being consistent, here are some other options for you!
Develop New Habits
Habit Trackers
● Habit Trackers are basically like daily to-do lists and you will get the same satisfaction checking them off every day!
● You can download an app or you can print off a digital download. The Serial Entrepreneur Brand has a Full Year Habit Tracker on our website and Amazon, AND we provide resources like free digital downloads of a daily and weekly habit tracker and habit recommendation list to get you started.
Make Your Lists VISIBLE
● Put a Whiteboard or Chalkboard in a high-traffic area; or,
● Purchase a Dry Erase Marker and add a list to your bathroom or vanity mirror; or,
● Have your computer background be your updated to-do list. Phone Reminders
● Most Smartphones have reminders available that you can easily schedule. Reward System/Incentives
● Reward yourself for consistency too!
○ Example: There is one podcast I only listen to when I am doing something productive such as the dishes or folding laundry.
PLAY!
● This is VERY important for changing your mentality around tasks and chores. Try to make the activity a game or somehow playful.
■ Example: My husband and I compete against each other when at the gym; or I watch a video and race to see if I can fold the laundry before it is finished.
● It sounds dumb… I know, but it has significantly helped me be more consistent with working out, my daily walks, chores, and cleaning. I just have fun with it whether it is weird dancing while shoveling, watching fun videos and doing dishes, or annihilating my husband on the rowing machine.
You can be consistent, and productive, AND have fun at the same time. Remember, the three most important activities to schedule are family time, friend time, and your time!
Written by Jessica Malkin
About the Author
Jessica Malkin, MBA Owner & Founder The Serial Entrepreneur Brand | Business Coaching & Resources For Entrepreneur, Business Owners, & Professionals www.theserialentrepreneurbrand.com theserialentrepreneurbrand@gmail.com (616) 303-3366 & The Market Made | Handmade Decor, Air Plants, & More! www.themtkmade.com hello@themktmade.com (616) 676-7500
The opinions and views expressed in this guest blog do not necessarily reflect those of www.ASolutionB.com. The author and www.ASolutionB.com have no affiliations with any products or services mentioned in this article or linked to herein.
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