Bigstock
Our work and home lives are closely intertwined. A productive home has positive spill-over effects for work and vice-versa. Therefore, we want to adopt productivity tips at both work and home. The following ten tips will help you leverage all the productivity benefits at both work and home.
1. Actively Purge
We complicate our lives when we hold onto more things than we use. Clear out your pantry closet. Pass on gently used clothes to others. Get rid of that wedding present that you haven’t used once. Commit to purging things as you go rather than holding on to them for later. Donate, sell or pass along to someone else. The sooner you do this, the more value it will have for them.
2. Establish Homes for Everything
Establish a home for everything from off-season hats to computer cords to report cards. Clearly label the homes and treat yourself to clear bins that fit nicely in your storage. Avoid having miscellaneous drawers. Even the kitchen “junk” drawer can have some order.
3. Keep Like with Like
Things get complicated when we have more than one home for the same thing. Commit to only one home for Band-Aids; one home for sporting equipment and one home for surplus kitchen supplies. You’ll be able to find things so much easier and won’t over-shop as a result.
4. Embrace the Real Estate Principle
The top three rules in real estate are: location, location, location. The same applies to within your home. Your prime real estate includes the heavy traffic areas such as your entry way and kitchen. Your less prime real estate may include your spare bedroom and storage room. Start to think about everything in your home based on whether it can justify the real estate it occupies. The less frequently you use something, the less valuable the real estate it should inhabit.
5. Put Things Away
Don’t let clutter pile up. Strive to put things away after using them. Train everyone on your household to take things upstairs as they pass them. If you wait for later, that time may not come. If an item doesn’t have a home, create one.
6. Apply the One Touch principle
Where possible, commit to only touching a household item one time. For example, fold laundry as you pull it out of the dryer. Put dishes right into the dishwasher (instead of stacking them on top). Stack bills until you are ready to process them with one touch.
7. Establish Routines
Routines make life easier. They help protect time for your top priorities before other things get in the way. Define personal policies around your fitness and sleep goals. Build routines around meal planning and preparation. Determine when the best time is for errands, special projects, cleaning and laundry. Plan ahead to avoid last minute rushes. Decide what your ideal balance is between social and downtime. Protecting time for yourself is one of the most productive things you can do. Pacing yourself is good for both your health and energy. Ultimately, this allows you to get more done at both work and home.
8. Build Your Team
Productivity at both work and home requires a team. Work together to identify and share responsibilities for recurring tasks. And reinforce this by liberally asking for help. Resist the temptation to simply do it yourself (which doesn’t help in the long run). The best time to engage people is when you have the time. In other words, don’t wait until you are too busy to train them. Accept that other people will have different approaches. Consider whether you can lower your standards if you find yourself wanting things done a certain way.
9. Commit to single-tasking
There are always many tasks to be completed around the house. Many people believe multi-tasking is the solution. This is a myth! Focusing (i.e. doing one task at a time) is much more productive than multi-tasking. Focusing is faster; easier and leads to better quality work. Multi-tasking around the house can also lead to unfinished projects. Commit to finishing one project before moving onto the next.
10. Strive for 80%
Life can be busy, which means things don’t always go perfectly. Adopt a “good enough” mentality. Strive to apply these principles 80% of the time. Keep your home mostly organized; plan most of your meals. When life gets chaotic, breathe through it.
Balancing a full career and personal life can be done. But it requires planning. Whenever you find your time slipping away, consider where you can streamline, scale back and seek help. You’ve got this!
Leave A Comment