Many of us have started 2018 by setting some goals and the best intentions of being structured and organised for the year ahead.  Here are some tips on how to stay on track each day.

Determine when you are at your best

Everyone has a time of day when they feel the most energetic, fo some htat’s in the morning for an hour or two, others might be later in the day.  Make sure you schedule your most important tasks to that period and don’t let less important tasks like replying to emails, returning phone calls etc cut into that time.

Write tomorrow’s To Do list today

Every single evening, make a list for the next day. Your sub conscious will work overtime otherwise reminding you what you need to do tomorrow.  Write it down and you will sleep much better.  It’s also a very rewarding feeling as you cross everything off the list as you move through the day.

Work out your MIT’s (Most Important Tasks) for the day and do them

To help prioritise your to do list, work out which tasks that are the most important.  Put them at the top of the list and make sure you get them done.   Imagine the feeling of achievement and relief as you complete each one.

Schedule email response times

Turn off your email throughout the day. When your email is pouring in, it’s easy to get distracted. Schedule time to read and respond to emails. If there’s something urgent, someone will call or text you. But when you have your email open, those distractions interrupt your thought flow and it’s harder to get back on track.

Take frequent breaks when working

It’s important to take frequent breaks. Get up, move around and leave your desk.  If you’re working for yourself, it’s easy to run on fumes and not even know it. Keep your mental, emotional and physical states at peak levels by breaking frequently.

Turn off social media app alerts

Incessant social media app alerts aren’t helping you with your productivity. Turn them off. You don’t need alerts every moment or to know everything happening with your friends. It’s not important. What’s most important is to have some peace of mind and be better able to focus on the task at hand.  This could even be extended to your mobile phone.  It wouldn’t hurt to put it away while you are trying to focus on a particular task.