6 Time Management Tips for Finals Week

First off, I feel obligated to say that I have absolutely not been using these tips nearly as much as I should be (oops). Usually, I'm very good about staying on top of tasks and motivating myself but procrastination has been hitting me hard these days. I only have two exams left, one next Tuesday and one on Thursday, but my very last one (organic chemistry) will be a doozy. SO I've started using these strategies to keep me on task with everything I have to do!

+ Split all big, scary tasks into teeny, not-scary tasks. Specifically, take vague tasks and try to make them more concrete by splitting them into individual, specific tasks. I especially like to narrow everything down to tasks that will take at most an hour at a time. For example, instead of telling myself that I have to "study for chemistry", I can split that into the tasks of reviewing notes, redoing problems missed on old exams, doing practice problems and doing a practice exam. Each of those sections can even be narrowed down even more by chapter. This method really helps me not to get overwhelmed by huge tasks by taking things one baby step at a time.

+ Be disciplined in getting rid of distractions. I feel like this is one of those easy-peasy helpers that I know I should do...but for some reason I never do. But I know that getting rid of distractions always makes me more productive. Maybe that means blocking social media and certain websites from your computer, deleting apps on your phone (or turning it off altogether) or even going somewhere else so you're not constantly tempted by the cookie dough in your fridge (and by you, I mean me). I use a great extension for Chrome called StayFocusd. I can block a list of websites for a given time (bloglovin, facebook, pinterest, etc) or go in "nuclear mode" and turn off all internet for a time. It's really helpful to force myself to get away!

+ Staying healthy is the best way to make sure you can use your time productively. I have a friend who gets sick every single semester right before finals week--it's natural! We're stressed, we're probably not taking very good care of ourselves, so naturally our body gets tired and our immune system just can't keep up. But once you're sick or super tired, none of these tips above will help you. Keep your health up by exercising every other day, eating regular healthy meals (no skipping! no late night chocolate/cookies/pizza!) and SLEEPING eight hours a night as much as possible. Y'all. I'm serious. Sleep does not make you lazy. Sleep is a glorious thing.

+ Keep a positive mindset. Sometimes my biggest stumbling block is that I'm horrible at dealing positively with my own failures. If I make a study plan and get distracted and behind, I actually get angry with myself. I get upset and frustrated. But then, I spend so much energy getting mad at myself that I don't have any left to work on that thing that I was supposed to be doing! It becomes a negative cycle. This can alllll be prevented just by reacting kindly to whatever happens. If you don't do as well as you had hoped on something, it's okay. Take a deep breath. You can't change the future but you can keep it from messing up the rest of your day.

+ Build in regular breaks. I aim to take about 15 minutes of break after every 45 minutes of work, but if I'm doing something particularly unpleasant, I might even make that 10 minutes of break for every 30 minutes of work. You can fiddle with it and try to find a ration that feels good without getting lazy. But the trick to this is that you have to be ruthless in the timing. It's just as important to force yourself to take your whole break when it's time as it is to make sure you're working hard during your work period.

+ Take intentionally relaxing/fun/rewarding breaks. When you do get to your break periods, I highly, highly recommend that you not spend it noodling on facebook unless you just really enjoy that. Most likely, it'll feel like wasted time and you'll want to take an even longer break. What I do recommend: reading, coloring, meditating, (sometimes) Netflix, cleaning, cooking, etc.

What are your time management tricks? Any finals tips? Fellow college bloggers/blog readers, come say hi!

A Simple Method to Fall Asleep Faster

Lately, I've been testing out a different sleep cycle called biphasic sleeping, which, like it sounds, refers to sleeping in two sections a day instead of one long chunk during the night. To do this, I sleep about 4.5 hours during the night (usually 2am-6:30am) and then take a 60-90 minute nap in the afternoon around 2 or 3pm. Supposedly, according to mostly anecdotal evidence, this can make you feel just as rested as if you were sleeping eight hours during the night, even though it only adds up to six hours (or less!) a day. 

I'm going to talk about this little experiment more in the future, once I've been at it for a little longer. But for now I want to talk about a cool method I've learned to help you fall asleep faster. Before I started this experiment, I was more in the habit of watching Netflix or noodling around on Bloglovin' until I got sleepy (which is horrible, I know). 

So I'm not used to laying around, waiting to fall asleep. I started to get in that irritating mental state where you try to hard to fall asleep that you never get sleepy. You know what I mean? So naturally, I took to the all-knowing google to look for ways to fall asleep faster so I don't have to wait through that waiting period. 

And I found out about 4-7-8 breathing. 

There's a medical doctor from Harvard named Dr. Andrew Weil who developed this technique and he calls it "a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system." And the awesome thing? It's super super easy.

That's all there is to it! Dr. Weil claims that if you practice two sets of four breaths every day for two months, you should be able to fall asleep in around a minute. While I'm skeptical of that, it definitely helps me relax whether I'm stressed or just trying to fall asleep. 

Have you every tried 4-7-8 breathing? 

How They Do It: Gina

How They Do It is an ongoing series in which I interview creatives, bloggers, students and freelancers about their productivity and time management strategies for creating awesomeness. Today, we'll hear some thoughts from Gina, student, blogger, creative mind and travel dreamer.

1. How would you describe the work that you do (whether it's an actual job or around the house or hobbies)?

I’m all about seeing people’s stories come alive through creativity. As a college student, I dabble in many different areas in my major, strategic communications, but I focus on web design, graphic design and interactive media. On the side, I run a blog and I’m in the process of opening design services for bloggers, too.

2. Would you (briefly) describe a typical work day for you? 

There’s never a typical day for me in college, but my day–specifically a Thursday (my favorite day of the week)–goes a little bit like this:

8:30am : Wake up and relax in bed, checking my phone for social media updates, emails and the news.
9:30am : Eat breakfast and get ready for the day.
10:30am: First class of the day!
12pm : End class and walk back to my apartment to make lunch.
1pm : Work on school work for my classes and send emails to professors and/or bloggers and classmates
2pm : Second class of the day.
4pm : Class ends and I usually go back to my apartment and unwind by checking emails or social media. Or I clean up the apartment and do laundry.
5:30pm : Go to Zumba class, one of my favorite exercise routines.
7pm : Rush out of Zumba to grab a quick dinner on campus and go home to shower.
8pm : Attend a meeting for an organization or a class project.
10:30pm : Finish up schoolwork for the night and review my to-do list.
11:30pm : Catch up on my favorite TV show or Youtube channels before going to sleep.
12:30: Time for bed!

3. What's your workspace like?

My usual workspace is my desk in my room, complete with some flowers, my favorite pens and a notepad handy for to-do lists and reminders. I also like keeping some of my favorite journals nearby, which contain much of my blogging inspiration. When I’m not working at my desk, I choose the couch in the living room of my apartment, because it is a bright and sunny area!

4. When you are working, what is your biggest struggle as far as staying motivated and focused?

The hardest part for me is getting the courage and motivation to start a creative project (whether that is a paper for class, a design for a client or a blog post). I struggle with viewing work as huge projects and it’s sometimes hard for me to break it down into smaller pieces in order to be productive. Also, staying focused with social media at our fingertips is a skill in itself!

5. When you feel drained, what inspires you or pushes you to keep doing what you do?

I think it’s so important to have a creative community to inspire you and lift you up. My friends in my major and the bloggers I connect with have been major sources of motivation for me! Also, I love taking a break to refresh by working out or reading some of my inspiration journals that contain blog post ideas.

6. Do you have any favorite resources for organizing your work and time?

My planner! I found a planner at Target this year, and it has become my favorite planner of all time. I’ve used it more often than any planner in the past. I discovered I like the planners with the professional layout, organized by hours, rather than the academic setup in planners. My second go-to tool is Google Drive. It has become so helpful this year with organizing my classes, group projects, collab posts and blogging activities.

7. How do you refuel your soul after a long day?

I love to talk to my roommates and my friends after a long day and catch up with their lives. Also, I love journaling and reading at night, some of my favorite things.

Lastly, just for fun, would you list a few songs that you listen to while you work (or while you're not working!)?

I listen to the American Authors station and the Bad Suns station on Pandora, and lately I’ve been loving the song “Parachute Heart” by Aaron and Andrew, as well as many of their other songs.

Big thanks for Gina for sharing on the blog today! Do any of you use the same methods as Gina to stay focused and creative? Don't forget to say hi on Gina's blog!

How They Do It: Amber

How They Do It is an ongoing series in which I interview creatives, bloggers, students and freelancers about their productivity and time management strategies for creating awesomeness. Today, we'll hear some thoughts from Amber, blogger, coffee-lover and productivity master.

1. How would you describe the work that you do (whether it's an actual job or around the house or hobbies)?

I’m a full time student by day, and part time blogger and creative by night! I spend most of my days running from classes, to meetings and then to my part time job as an office assistant. When I’m not doing that, I’m brainstorming and creating over at Ember & March.

2. Would you (briefly) describe a typical work day for you? 

All of my days vary a bit, but here’s the general flow of things:

6:30am : Wake up, and convince myself to get out of a warm and cozy bed! Make coffee, and breakfast before spending a few minutes answering emails and getting ready for class. I sometimes use the morning to study.
9:30am - 12:30pm: Class
12:30pm-4:00pm: Work/homework… also, a second cup of coffee usually happens.
4:00pm-6:00pm: Meetings (or on down days, grabbing coffee and catching up with friends...or Netflix.)
6:00pm-bedtime: Read blogs, edit upcoming posts, do some writing for my upcoming ecourse and a few other projects!
11:00pm: Shower and (hopefully) bedtime

3. What's your workspace like? 

My desk is pretty simple, and usually very tidy under the sea of post its. I love working in my room during the morning and afternoons because it’s filled with natural light which keeps me productive!

4. When you are working, what is your biggest struggle as far as staying motivated and focused?

Eliminating distractions --especially social media. I’m always tempted to “check in” to what’s happening, which leads to me getting off task. Keeping my phone off my desk when I’m working has been a big help.

5. When you feel drained, what inspires you or pushes you to keep doing what you do?

I’m really big on setting goals, and seeing the bigger picture. Knowing that I’m working towards a much bigger goal than the small tasks at hand is a huge motivation to me.

6. Do you have any favorite resources for organizing your work and time?

I love Evernote to keep track of notes and projects. I use the web app and the Mac app to keep everything together. I’m also a huge fan of Google Drive for storing and sharing work when I’m on the go. To stay on tasks daily, I’m pretty old fashioned --a standard weekly planner helps get me by without getting lost in everything going on.

7. How do you refuel your soul after a long day?

At the end of the day, I can be left feeling pretty drained (especially when most days I leave my house by 8am and don’t get back until 7 or 8pm). Two things really help me to refuel: making a delicious dinner for myself, and spending some time alone in my room for at least an hour. The introvert in me loves the alone time, and no matter how tired I am after a long day, taking the time to cook myself a meal does wonders for the soul.

Lastly, just for fun, would you list a few songs that you listen to while you work (or while you're not working!)?

My playlist changes based on what work I’m doing! I’m a huge fan of Sara Bareilles radio when I need a tranquil setting, and Beyonce radio when I’m into something more upbeat. I also love old 90s r&b (think Toni Braxton and Boys II Men).

Big thank you to Amber for sharing today! She inspires me to be a better blogger and live a more inspired and minimalist lifestyle. Now, if you wouldn't mind, would you take my super short survey! Thank you bunches!

5 Ways to Kickstart an Unproductive Day

Y'all this is my first official post on the shiny, new, updated Call Me Sassafras (and updated it is!) and I am so glad you're here reading this! Big yay! 

So this here post is very representative of my vision for the content I've planned for the blog. When I was reconsidering the topics that I post about, I knew I wanted to put more focus on writing things that are helpful and useful while still writing things that I have experience with and are personal to me. 

As a student, I care about productivity because it helps me waste time on the things I want to waste my time on. Instead of spending three hours sort of working on a task, sort of on facebook, sort of texting my friends, focusing on my productivity means that I'll spend an hour and a half on the task and then I have an hour and a half to read, blog, find new music, or try to make victory rolls look as good on my hair as they do on Victoria's (spoiler: they never do). 

As much as I try to be productive, sometimes I have days where I'm just plain not. Whether I overslept or got sidetracked early on in the day, some days I get in a time-wasting groove and can't getting out. You feel me? Well, these days suck + I've started practicing some of these tried and true ways to pick yourself out and get going again.

Reprioritize and refocus.

If I get stuck on a task and I'm not making progress, I like to stop what I'm doing, physically move somewhere else in the room to distance myself from the project, and reconsider my priorities. I'll brain dump a list of things I need to do an quickly prioritize them by numbering them from highest priority to lowest, consciously thinking about why my important tasks are important. Then I'll choose one of my higher priority projects and focus on it. 

Move to a new location.

Especially outside, weather permitting. Changing locations forces our brain to process new information, really waking up your brain cells so they can process new information! Plus, we could all use a little more fresh air. My new favorite (because it's still in the 60s here in Florida!) is setting up my eno behind my building and studying or reading emails. 

Do some quick exercise.

Sometimes, I'll do fifty jumping jacks or a couple minutes of yoga flows (modified plank, cobra, downward dog, plank, child's pose, and again). Usually this is enough to wake me up + get blood pumping. Whenever I do quick spurts of exercise, I can feel my brain start to pick up speed and prepare to get work done.

Consider what's stopping you.

Did you not get enough sleep? Take a 30-minute nap. Is social media distracting you? Turn on a web filter. Is your project too large? Break it into five steps and just do one. On top of that, take note of the things that made you have an unproductive day + try to make sure they don't happen again. When I sleep late, it takes me forever to get focused. So now I know getting up on time is a huge priority for me.

Dig deep and work.

If you try, you can come up with a hundred reasons why you aren't productive. Sometimes, the solution is just to grit your teeth and get back to work. Set a timer for 15, 30, 60 minutes and work. Be sure to reward yourself afterwards--you worked hard! 

Thank you for reading today, you guys! Do something amazing today! And please take the short reader survey :)

How I Formed My Morning Routine

Haiii there friends! Notice anything different around here? I've been practicing digitizing my hand-lettering and I'm working to incorporate it more into my designs. Not to be all egotistical and all, but I think it looks rather smashing. I especially like my new signature (scroll down and see it!).

Anyways, today I want to talk a little bit about morning routines. We all have one, even if it's just rolling out of bed five minutes before you need to be at work. But the interesting thing to me is how I've found that my morning routine--what I do for the first hour or so that I'm awake--shapes my entire day.

On mornings where I sleep late, exhausted after a busy night of work, stumble out of bed at 11 and don't shower for an hour, I find that the rest of my day is similarly unfocused and honestly, wasted. On those days, I never really do anything until I have to get ready for my night at work. But not only am I unproductive, I just feel badly. I know it's been said before that sleeping in late can keep you from being productive, but have you ever noticed the impact of sleeping late on your mood? The way you interact with others? Even the choice of what you wear (and therefore, how you carry and present yourself)? 

In the summers, morning routines are especially hard for me to form. I work nights, until about 11:30 or 12 every night. And I often find that I'm so wound up from talking to customers and being cheerful all night that sometimes it can take me hours to feel "ready" to get to bed. So I've struggled to balance the two sides of my day so that they don't ruin the middle. 

I've found that first, I have to focus on calming my mind so I can sleep as soon as possible at night. In the past, I would start a blog post when I get home, maybe do some cleaning, and before I knew it, it would be three or four in the morning. Now, I choose to quiet my mind, stay away from active technology (meaning no blogging--I just can't say no to my Netflix habit), do some yoga if I need and settle in bed as soon as possible. I like to take my ride home from work as a chance to clear my mind of all things work and transition into planning for sleep.

The other key part is setting an alarm. I know it sounds so terrible not fun, but I'm really a big believer in setting an alarm everyday, even if you set it for noon. I set my alarm to allow me seven and a half hours of sleep, which I have found is my sweet spot of waking up rested but not groggy and lazy. I set a second alarm clock for 30 minutes later. If I wake up with the first alarm and don't feel rested, I'll go back to sleep until the second. But I've found that I don't even use the second alarm most of the time. 

Lastly, I like to make my plan for the day (or at least until lunch) first thing in the morning or right before I go to bed. I like to choose 2-4 big things to get done (weed, write a blog post, exercise, go to the grocery store, etc) and then list a few reminders for smaller things (i.e. reply to a certain email or catch up on my blog feed). I make sure to add at least one item for something I'm looking forward to about my day.

Here's a peek at my morning/night routine:

12:00 am // Get home from work, get ready for bed, watch some Netflix.

1:00 am // Turn off all technology, lights, etc, and go to sleep.

8:30 am // First alarm goes off. Relax in bed or go back to sleep.

9:00 am // Second alarm. Get up. Brush teeth, wash face, etc.

9:15 am // Breakfast. I'm not a huge breakfast person, but even a yogurt reminds me that my day has begun.

9:30 am // Blog or exercise/shower. I mostly alternate days, but some days I get ambitious and do both.

10:30 am // Begin my to-do list.

So even though I don't get up all that early because of working nights, scheduling out my mornings has helped me stay productive all day long.

Now, I want to hear from you! What do your mornings look like? If you want to write your own Morning Diaries post, please leave a link!

My Favorite Productivity Apps

Guys, I love my iPhone. I really, really do. AND I love a good app. There are so many great apps out there for literally anything you want to do and "getting stuff done" is no exception. I use a variety of apps on a daily basis to help get things done faster + more efficiently. Hustle and 30/30 are by far my favorites. 

Hustle

I wanted to share this app because it's a lot like a website I shared awhile ago called Liltup, but in app form. Hustle (and Liltup) are super awesome because they're to-do lists with one simple-but-genius twist: a timer. Clearly, I only get things done with a timer going. This app is great for when I get back home from classes in the afternoon and I want to organize my crazy life + make sure I get everything done, from my design to blogging to classwork. And it's so easy! All I do is input all my to-do's into the app, add a time estimate/goal for each task + voila! I have a clear picture of my afternoon + how much work I have on my hands.

Once I get started, I use the timer to push myself to finish everything faster. When I finish something a few minutes early, I treat myself to a little blog reading, a little TV or something else fun. As an added plus, I can see everything I got done at the end of the day. So I get to give myself a little metaphorical pat on the back before bed!

My favorite part about Hustle is that it helps me think realistically about how much I can get done in a day. If I get home at 4 pm and try to get in bed at 9:30 pm, I can't plan six hours of work to do. I just can't. In my head, I might. But when I plan it out like this, I have no choice but to be realist about my time.

30/30

I love 30/30 because it helps me get through the menial routines of my daily life. I use the app on weekday mornings to help me get ready for my day quickly + efficiently. I'm a quasi-morning person. I like being up early because I'm productive + I get stuff done, but I also don't like getting up too early. I leave for class at 7:15 in the morning, but (herein lies my predicament) I also exercise best in the mornings. But homegirl also loves her sleep. Sooo I have my morning scheduled out down to the minute (literally) so I can sleep in as late as possible + meanwhile still get everything done before school. I'm pretty proud of this actually.

I use 30/30 to help me stay on task in the mornings so that I can be on a tight time schedule but so that I'm never late. Like Hustle, you put in all your tasks + a time limit. But unlike Hustle, 30/30 is really well suited for routines. I find myself trying to beat the clock + often times I'm able to finish my routine up to ten minutes early!

My favorite part of 30/30 is that, unlike Hustle, it runs continuously. Meaning that if I take too long on one thing, I have to make it up by speeding up on the next thing. It's impossible to ignore if I'm way off track! So I end up on time for class, exercised + prepared for the day. Win-win-win!

Here's the thing about productivity: I had someone in a comment on an old post ask me why I'm always rushing to finish things. Why I always want to "get stuff done" (which is literally my favorite phrase ever). And I thought about her question for a really long time--it's really a good one! 

As I thought about that, I kept coming back to a quote that I remember from Cheaper By the Dozen. For those of you that have only seen the Steve Martin movie (which is nothing like the actual book), it's the biography of two time and motion experts, which is old timey language for professional productivity nerds. And near the end of the book, someone asks Frank why he's always rushing, why he wants to save time as much as possible. And he responds with this:

“For work, if you love that best…For education, for beauty, for art, for pleasure…For mumblety-peg, if that’s where your heart lies.”

And I just wanted to leave you with that today as a reason for posts like this. I believe in working productively so that I can have time for play, for designing for fun, for laying in my ENO doing nothing, for watching Law and Order. 

Do you use any apps to help you get things done? Share them, share them! Really. I want to know your favorites.

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

Hey guys! Boy, are you lucky today--I've got the lovely Kenzie taking over with this stellar post about figuring out your blogger type. Enjoy + go check out her equally-lovely blog! (also, she's expecting! Go congratulate her!)

Hello lovelies! I'm Kenzie, and I blog over at Chasing Happy. I was super excited when Allie asked me to join you guys today--I dig meeting new people in blogland, and Allie rocks. That means you guys must rock, too! Obviously. 

I know a lot of people who read blogs are also bloggers themselves. It's what makes this community so awesome--we're all learning from and supporting each other. We're more engaged than many communities because we're all contributing consistently. Yay us! That being said, not every blog--and not every blogger--is created equal. We work hard to make our blogs the best they can be. But, unfortunately, we don't always work smart.

Blogging takes a lot of work--anyone who's been at it for more than a week could tell you that. It's important to approach it intelligently, so our work is never wasted and we get the best results. In his book The Accidental Creative, Todd Henry talks about three different "modes of focus." (I love reading about creativity... I'm currently about halfway through Henry's book and it's great! I definitely recommend picking it up yourself if you're at all interested in improving your own creativity or productivity.) Those modes can also represent three different approaches to blogging--exploring them can help us identify where we might be falling short in our efforts and how we can achieve a better balance.

Drifter

Drifters bounce from task to task at the speed of light. They might get a lot done, but they often still feel as though their blog isn't making the kind of progress they hope for. This is because they're missing an overarching strategy--the big picture. 

You have to know where your blog is headed, what you want it to be. Without this long-term strategic perspective, your approach isn't cohesive. You cross things off your to-do list like the best of them, but you're not thinking far enough ahead to be doing much more than treading water. 

Driver

Drivers, on the other hand, know exactly where they're headed. They have a very clear picture of their end goal, and they won't let anything stand in the way of achieving it. Every task contributes in some way to their objective, and they work with intense focus. 

This might sound pretty good to you, but the truth is it's not an ideal situation. The driver is so focused on her end goal that she often overlooks opportunities that pop up unexpectedly. And there are a lot of those in blogland! But the driver doesn't accept anything that doesn't fit into her plan, even though the new opportunities are often the ones that help us the most. 

Developer

The happy medium is the developer. This blogger has a clear understanding of her overall strategy and end goal. She knows where she's going and has a plan for how she'll get there. At the same time, she remains open to opportunities. As Henry puts it, the developer "purposefully approach(es) each task or element of a project as an opportunity to develop new connections or potential ideas." She keeps her head up and her eyes open. As new opportunities present themselves, she evaluates them one by one and decides if they're worth pursuing. The ones that aren't get discarded, but the ones that are get incorporated into her activities. 

A developer's blog is practically a living organism--it's continually growing and evolving. The developer herself feels good about her work and can see the positive returns of her efforts. This sounds much better, doesn't it? 

Every blogger falls into at least one of these categories. In fact, a single blogger could take all three approaches in one week! It's perfectly OK to be wherever you are right now--we've all been through each stage at one point or another. What's important is being able to recognize where you are and take steps to correct your course (or stay on it, if you're in developer mode).

If you're feeling as though you're getting a lot done but lack direction, revisit your blog's overall strategy. If you don't have one, it's time to create one! Make updates where needed and see if there are any current opportunities that could help you move your blog forward.

If you've been extra focused on your end goal lately, make sure you're also taking time to evaluate opportunities as they arise. Don't pass over good things simply because they aren't in your original plan--instead, evolve your plan. 

If you've been striking a good balance between pursuing your overall strategy and accepting the right opportunities, good for you! Keep it up, girl. Periodically review your position and look for ways to keep moving forward.

There you have it! Keep an eye on yourself and readjust when necessary--your blog will thank you for it. 

Thanks for hanging out with me here today, friends. I hope you'll come visit me over at Chasing Happy sometime. You can also find me on Twitter and Facebook--I'd love it if you came to say hello!

Creating Productive Habits

Hey loves! Another one of my all-time favorite bloggers is here to blog about creating meaningful and productive habits in your life. I absolutely loved her advice + I hope you do too!

Hello Call Me Sassafras Readers! I’m so happy to have the chance to fill in for Allie today. My name is Amber and I blog over at And Yes To Joy. Over there, I blog about designing a positive life filled with intention. Like many of you, I aim to have as many productive days as possible. Balancing running a blog and being a full time student with a list of other activities, I survive by making the most of the time I have to get things done. The fact of the matter is, I’m big on setting goals, and it takes a lot of focus to stay on track to achieve them.

I've blogged about useful tools to help keep you organized and productive, like creating effective to-do lists and staying organized during crunch time. But no matter how many tools you try to utilize to boost your productivity, nothing is more effective than creating effective habits. Humans, after all, are creatures of habit.

A few elements are key when you’re working towards creating new, productive habits:

Create an intention
The first step to implementing any new habit is to first create an intention. If your mind and heart aren’t really in a place to form a new habit, the rest is a waste of time. If you’re ready to really focus on the task as hand, create a powerful intention to live your most productive life by focusing on what you hope to accomplish and why forming this new habit matters to you.

Create a routine
The key to true productivity is consistency. Keeping yourself on a schedule of some sort is essential. Opting the “go with the flow” route could easily lead to days spent on the couch. Start by implementing small tasks like waking up at the same time each morning and going to bed at the same time every night. Knowing that certain things should take place during certain times of the day helps you to make better use of your time.

Organize and Plan
Take some time at the end of each day to organize and plan the next day. Write important meetings and pressing items in your planner – include times and locations to help keep you in sync. If the traditional to-do list isn’t your think, organize a “Daily Game Plan” where you break down the day into blocks and assign tasks to each time block.

Give it some time
It takes about a month to successfully initiate any habit. Be sure to practice the same routine for at least 21 days, to give it time to take. This time of repetition will give you time to strengthen your will power, and overtime the amount of will power you need to get things done becomes less and less.

Evaluate
After your 21 days are up, sit back and evaluate how things have gone. Did you find yourself less overwhelmed and pressed for time than usual? Did you get more done, and feel less stressed?

It may take some time for you to tweak your new habit to make it really work for you and your lifestyle. Remember, while staying at it is important, stressing yourself out to the point of overwhelm is never a good idea. If something doesn't feel right, change it up. Productivity should decrease your stress levels, not increase it.

How to Make a Super Effective To-Do List

Sup guys. Happy Valentine's Day!! If you're a lover, I hope you're having a lovely day/night. If you're single, do not watch any Nicholas Sparks movies. Trust me. It's a mistake. 

Anyways, let's get going. In case you haven't noticed, I'm obsessed with planning and organizing and making lists and scheduling and planning. I'm very analytical minded. I'm also a student, I have a job + a blog (surprise!). And of course, what happens when you mix that? An insatiable lust for to-do lists. Yes. I make about six a day on average. So basically, I'm an expert.

You might make to-do lists + hopefully, they help you get stuff done. BUT, I thought I'd share a couple of the things I've learned that can help you karate chop your way through that list.

Write out everything.

Some people definitely disagree with this one, so feel free to ignore it. But when I make my to-do list every day, I write down absolutely everything I have to do. That includes brushing my teeth (or at least 'morning routine'), eating lunch, and exercising. Just because it's on the to-do list doesn't mean it's work, it just means I'm planning time for it in my day. BUT notice I said write down the things you have to do. Not everything you 'could do.' Keep it simple so that you don't get overwhelmed by the sheer number of things on your to-do list. 

Choose concrete tasks.

Okay, you've heard this. Don't say 'work on design project'. Try writing 'insert picture from email + design border for the hello blurb' or something applicable to what you do. Make your tasks small + manageable too. Instead of 'clean the house', try 'take out the trash, wipe down kitchen counters + pick up clothes on bedroom floor.' Cleaning the house sounds scary but anyone can do those three little tasks!

Prioritize your tasks.

The second thing I do is prioritize all of my tasks by how important they are. The things with the soonest deadline are first and the last things are the items that I want to work on + should work on but that there will be no tangible consequence if I don't (i.e. I won't get fired). I just write a circled number next to each task; it only takes a minute. This helps me make sure that my most important tasks (sometimes called MITs or MVTs if you read productivity blogs) get done before the marginal things.

Set time goals.

Look at each item. If it's something you're going to want to do for awhile or might get caught up in (aka catch up on blog reading or emailing), set a time limit for, say, 30 minutes. You can even plan to have two chunks of 30 minutes at different times of the day. 

Then, see if you have any items that are time-based that you need a goal length of time. For me, that might be reading for a class. I don't technically have to do it, so if I don't have a goal, yeah I'm stopping after fifteen minutes so I can retreat to Netflix. For items like this, set a goal time (such as 30 minutes). For every other item, just write an estimated amount of time. This will help you be realistic about how much time you have in a day + how much you can get done. 

Plan out your day.

Our your afternoon or lunch break or whatever. Think about how much time you have and how much of that time you can actually work. Pick items, based on your priorities, until you have enough goal tasks to fill up your day. I like to start with something productive but relatively quick. If I have just a small piece of a design left for a client, I'll do it right off the bat. By starting off my day getting something done, I've set my pace for the rest of the day. When I'm planning out my day, I like to write out each of my tasks in order + create a loose time schedule to my day. My schedules are fluid (which is why I change them about six times a day haha) but they can still keep me on track.

Plan space into your day.

I've been working with this system for maybe a year now, so I know pretty well how long everything takes me. I cushion 5-10 minutes in between every task in case is takes longer than I expect or I run into some other roadblock. Also, every few hours, I plan 20-30 minutes that is meant for a real break. Walking around, talking to people, and getting outside are all great ways to take a mini-break + refresh yourself for finishing your to-do list. 

To-do lists: love 'em or leave 'em? Do you have a method for getting things done?

How I Use My Daily Checklist

Happy Hump Dayyy! Yeah, I'm never saying that again, ever, in my life. I don't even know why I said that....Allie, you freak.

Anyways, I hope your week has been going swimmingly so far! Since a few of you asked about my new checklist system in the comments, I thought I'd share a bit more about it today and how it works for me. 

I'm the kind of person that is very motivated by lists, checklists, timers, etc. Like I'm kind of incapable of getting anything done unless it's on a list and I can cross it off. So that's both good and bad, because what if I get stranded somewhere without my phone and/or paper and need to get something done? Okay, I'm kidding. But I do really like knowing the way my mind works and how to motivate myself when I need to. 

So I thought I'd capitalize on this little piece of Allie-info and use it to help me accomplish those little goals that are in the back of my head. I created a checklist to help me get done the basics everyday. I'm trying to get in the habit of brushing my teeth three times a day instead of two and flossing and using mouthwash every single day.  Come on, you know you don't either. 

In addition, I like to measure my time in Pomodoros (which, if you're not familiar, are basically 25 minute segments of time). I set a goal number of Pomodoros for cleaning, studying or generally having fun each day. Then, I have space to record my exercise + if I log it on Fitocracy (a sort of workout social media), the points my workout was worth. Lastly, I record what time I go to bed. That's about it! Here you can see mine (click to see it bigger):

I plan on making a 'fill-in-the-blank" style checklist for all your list-motivated people to download in the coming weeks. Maybe it'll help you get stuff done too! 

What kinds of goals would you put on a daily checklist?

And now let's get nerdy with a science bit! Today, we're going to talk about why plants grow towards sunlight. I'll admit, it sounds like a stupid middle school science fair project, but I think plant hormones and stuff like that are pretty interesting!

The official fancy-schmancy scientist name for "plants growing towards light" is phototropism. The very tip of a plant is called a coleoptile [koh-lee-up-tile]. In the coleoptile, plants hold a hormone that makes the shoots plant grow called auxin. So if you have a plant sitting next to the window, sunlight will hit one side of the coleoptile. The auxin on that side will either break down or move to the other side of the plant. If there's no auxin on one side of the coleoptile, that side of the plant won't grow or will grow less. Meanwhile, the other side (the shady side) of the plant has all of its auxin and a little extra. So that side will be growing faster than the sunny side, causing the curvature.

Isn't that cool?! Okay I'm done. Have a great day y'all!

4 Ways to Have a Productive Day Off

You know how all over Pinterest there's that quote that says something like "Beyonce has the same number of hours in the day as you do"? Yeah, this post is inspired by that. This goes out to you, Beyonce. 

So there are two kinds of days off. Number one: you wake up at 8 am, think 'ehh I should get up.' Nope, you go back to bed. Wake up at 10 or 11. Roll out of bed. Do nothing. Shower at 1. Eat leftovers for breakfast (lunch?). Proceed to watch TV/do nothing for the rest of the day. Number two: you get up early, shower right away and proceed into a Beyonce worthy day. 

Have you ever noticed that there's rarely an "in-between" kind of day off? At least in my life, I find that either I have a super productive day, or I get nothing done at all. Sometimes you need those kinds of days. But I've made it my mission to make those days on-purpose-only. 

In my quest for having a more productive Saturday (or any other day off, like this past Monday), I have basically found the secrets of the universe. And I'm going to share them with you. You are welcome.

#1: Start right. 

Okay, okay, I know it's a total buzzkill but set an alarm to wake you up in the morning. Seriously! I'm not saying you need to get up at the crack of dawn. Try eight o'clock. Even nine o'clock is better than ten or eleven. Shower immediately when you get up (if you're a morning showerer). Get dressed, even if it's yoga pants or leggings. If you act like you're getting ready for the day, then you'll end up having a day worth getting ready for.

#2: Set your goals early.

I actually like to do this in bed (mostly because I can buy myself a few more minutes in bed while pretending to be productive). But I set one big goal for the day that might take 60-90 minutes. Then I'll set three small but important goals for the day that I really want to get done today. Then I'll add on a couple other things that I want to get done, but are lower priority.

#3: Get right to "work".

Pick one of your top four items for the day and get right to work on it. Hopefully, getting up early and right to work will excite you and motivate you for at least a few hours. I've heard otherwise, especially from people who are more productive at night, but this works for me. I use an app called "Hustle" which is basically a timed to-do list. I set enough work/chores to last me about four hours on my days off. I'll put each item into my Hustle list along with how much time it should take me to do it. Then, my goal is to be done by lunch!

#4: Motivate yourself with relaxation or fun activities.

Even though we're being productive here, don't forget that this is your day off! Watch some television over lunch! Take a nap (yes!). Go shopping! Don't forget to let your day off be a time of rejuvenation. BUT, use those fun activities (or lack of activities--hello naptime!) as motivation. Get your house clean + little to-dos done so that you can really enjoy your day off. 

It seems like you could have the most relaxing day off by just skipping the to-do list altogether and watching Netflix all day, right? Well like I said, sometimes we do need those days. But I've found that the more I get done early, the more I feel I deserve my relaxation or fun time. And that means that when I choose to do fun things, I don't feel guilty and I can really enjoy my day off!

How do you have a productive day off? Do you do any of these things?

Music for a productive day.

Hello lovelies! Happy Sunday! I hope your day is restful and productive as you get ready for the week. Speaking of restful--daylight savings = awesome. This girl got like ten hours of sleep last night and that's pretty great.

Sunday is probably the day of the week when I do the most work. I always try to convince myself that I'm gonna finish all my work on Friday afternoons but all of a sudden, I find it's Saturday night and I've been watching Lifetime movies and New Girl hanging out with all the people that are just begging to hang out with me all day. So then I basically have to do everything on Sunday. (Seriously, you'd think I'd figure it out by now that it's not really a great system.)

But anyways, I believe that when you have a great amount of work, great music is necessary. So here's some music to get you through all your Sunday work.

We sound like this. Together. from xannie.julo on 8tracks Radio.

oh, my stars. from allielynn24 on 8tracks Radio.

One for the Road: Hope the Good Things Never Die from JanJohannus on 8tracks Radio.

What music have you been listening to lately?

get stuff done: tips + tricks + sanity

Hi pumpkins! How was your week? It's Satturrrdaaayyyyyy!! Yesterday was an especially exciting day for me, not just because it was Friday but also because it was H's birthday! Which meant dinner and presents and happy things. But really, I was so glad his birthday falls on a Friday so I don't have to worry about classwork and everything tonight.

But speaking of classwork and just work in general, I want to share some tips today on how I get through crazy amounts of work. I've found a couple different tools and tips that help me get exponentially more things done.

1. The Pomodoro Method. This one's nothing new, I know, but it's good because it works. This method is best for when you have one task to work on for a long period of time. So this is great for using when working if you're self-employed or a freelancer or really whatever else you're doing. The basic premise of the method is that you work for 25 minutes, then take a break for 5 minutes or use that time to transition to another task. After 3-4 "Pomodoros", you take a 15 minute break. Read more about how it works here.

There are lots of tools online to help you with using this method. I especially like the "Simple Pomodoro Timer" app and MarinaraTimer.com. The Pomodoro Method is really helpful because it keeps you from being distracted by email pings or other little distractions. It's much easier to let them wait if you know you have a five minute slot to deal with them in less than 25 minutes. I've found I'm much more focused and productive using this method.

2. LiltUp. This is an online "to-do" list of sorts but with a timer built in. Basically, you put it everything you have to do along with how long you think it'll take. LiltUp tells you what time you'll be done and then starts the timer for you. I like this tool because when I get home from classes or work, I'll put in literally everything I have for the night (even dinner/shower), and then if I have extra time before bed, I'll put different fun activities and schedule them in between my tasks.

This uber-scheduling might not work for some but it is so helpful for me. The only thing I don't like about LiltUp is that there isn't an app, so I have to be at my computer. If I'm doing work that's offline, that's frustrating because I get distracted by my computer easily.

3. StayFocusd. This is a web extension specifically for Google Chrome but I'm sure there are equivalent tools for other browsers if you look around. In essence, SF has a couple different settings to keep your from wasting time on pointless websites. In one option, you can set a daily max of time on sites like twitter or facebook or whatever your weakness is. After that time, it just won't let you access them. You can also set SF to block certain websites say for a certain time, like an hour, or a certain slot of time. And my favorite SF option is called Nuclear. In Nuclear, SF will block everything on the internet for however long you choose.

One of my favorite things about SF is that you can't go back and change settings (i.e. give yourself more time in the first option) easily. To change the time allowances, you have to copy a paragraph (about procrastination) word for word with no mistakes. It's way harder than you think. Oftentimes, my lazy side will just give up and I'll get back to work.

How do you stay focused + productive?