On Productivity

'Either you run the day, or the day runs you.' - Jim Rohn

Do you ever have those days where you feel that you have accomplished very little or maybe even nothing? Maybe it is because you are not feeling productive or maybe because you were busy dealing with 100 things at once and weren't able to give your full attention to any one thing. 

I have often felt like that. The week between Christmas and New Year was a time period that I chose to 'take off' from work. I started doing so last year and I think it's going to become a yearly thing for me. It enables me to really focus and give my attention to anything and everything outside of my job (which to be honest can be all-consuming at times and especially in Q4). 

Last year was my first week-long break ever (outside of an actual vacation or anything like that) and now this year was the second. What I learned about myself is that I am someone that doesn't do well to sit idle. I like to work. I love my job. I like a project, I love the feeling of accomplishment. 

But even so, I still get a sense of burnout from time to time that lets me know that I really do need to slow down and focus on taking a break.

While I didn't accomplish anything major throughout that week (that was the whole point of the break!!!), I still did accomplish things. I don't think I would have realized that without listing it all out. If you asked me, had I not listed it out, I would have said I did 'nothing' all of last week.

Each day that passed, I went back to write everything out that I had done. All of the tasks were minor but over the span of a day, it turns out that I had done quite a lot! 

All of that to say that I think there is a lesson in this. If you end your day and you are feeling that you didn't get 'enough' done, sit back and really think about all that you did! Write it down even the smallest of tasks! I really think that you will be surprised by all that you have accomplished. 

Last week, here are some of the things I did that I only really remember because I wrote them down- otherwise, they are really not noteworthy...

Cleaned my jewelry 

Cleaned out my drawers and got rid of old underwear/bras/socks/etc.

Went through my phone and deleted unwanted photos.

Went through all of our wedding stuff and archived/organized everything and tossed everything else. 

Went through Henry's toys and got rid of some. 

Went through Henry's storage cabinet and organized everything. 

Went through beauty products and got rid of stuff. 

Washed makeup brushes. 

Filled my 2022 Calendar with everyone's birthdays.

Steamed some of the things in my closet that I was not wearing because I did not have time to steam them in the moment. 

Washed all of the bedding including things like the bed skirt that don't get washed as frequently. 

Washed our throw blankets. 

Vacuumed out the car and wiped down the interior. 

Planned my sister's bachelorette party. 

Planned a spring getaway for my husband and I. 

Took all Christmas decor down and stored away. 

Wrote some thank you notes for Christmas gifts. 

Cleaned out the refrigerator, wiped it down, and went to Costco for a restock. 

Now that I have these things written down, if I have a decent amount of down time at another point in time, I can revisit this list and it can spark inspiration for me. Maybe my makeup brushes could use another cleaning or the refrigerator has become messy again! 

This is just a little tip that I thought I would share with you all that feels timely at the start of the new year. Half of the time, it's all about mindset and changing your perspective!!