July 6th, 2018
Feeling overwhelmed due to a busy workload can lead to sleepless nights, anxious journeys into work and a moleskin full of lists that don’t make any sense. A combination of things can lead to an enhanced feeling of stress or anxiety, resulting in an unproductive soul.
The perception that working within the creative industry is all brainstorming sessions, beanbags and pretty pictures is far from the truth and, albeit the results may be visually beautiful, it’s the planning, conceptual thinking and delivery that are intricate, time-consuming, stressful and require organisation in granular detail.
Understanding how organisation can increase productivity and help mindfulness is something rather important to us at Hatched. We believe that creating lists for list’s sake is a contribution to organised mess resulting in nothing being done. For the last circa 10 years, we have written a to-do list every day, we’ve learnt a lot from trying to organise our day and changed how we approach our lists on a daily basis. Here are our five tips for leading a productive day.
1. Create a task of the day
Identifying a priority and having one main task a day will give you one thing to focus and concentrate on. Giving sole attention to that one task before moving onto the rest will help channel your thinking and outlook for the day.
2. Don’t forget everything else
Alongside your task of the day, of course, there will be a list of other things that need to be done. Think about how these order out in priority before writing them down. This list will no doubt grow through the day but start off the day with a cup of coffee/tea and a clear list.
3. Balance work and home tasks
Life isn’t always about work, home-life needs to be given as much thought and consideration as your daily work tasks. Include your home tasks; paying a bill, returning an online shopping order or getting a birthday card are little things that can get missed within a busy and cluttered workday. It can help break up the flow in a positive way and help provide a sense of achievement.
4. Carry things over
Do not be afraid of moving a task over to the next day if it’s possible. Stressing about a task if it’s not got a hard deadline or dependency attached to it just isn’t worth it. You don’t have to always get ahead, as they’ll always be more to do. As long as you don’t forget it, carry it over to tomorrow.
5. Throw that list away
Tot-up, tick off and throw that list away. Endless to-do lists hanging around will only distract. Capture what needs to be done tomorrow then place it into the bin.
With the above in mind and standing by our commitment to the importance of an organised priority-lead day, we have created a notepad to help aid with leading a stress-free life. Simply download below and let the organisation begin!
