It’s no secret that 2020 has had far more curveballs and challenges than any other year in recent memory. With so many events unfolding and taking up precious mental real estate, maintaining productivity might not be at the top of the list of priorities right now—and that’s okay. I totally get it, and I’ve got a few small tips to share on how to find your inner drive again, allowing you to not just survive the home office but even learn to thrive there, too.
Love Your Space
Right now, just about everything is still happening at home. It’s where we’re working, cooking, unwinding, binge-watching, working out, and connecting with friends (virtually). It’s hard to separate work from play when there are no physical boundaries anymore, making it more important than ever to really love the space you’re in.
We know this could be easier said than done—trying to work around the kids, claiming a quiet space for yourself in the kitchen, or bringing the office into your home—all of which might not have been on your 2020 vision board. Small changes can have a big impact, though, so try to personalize wherever you can.
It’s hard to separate work from play when there are no physical boundaries anymore, making it more important than ever to really love the space you’re in.
If you’re in a studio apartment, create a designated workspace. I’m sure you’ve heard that people who get up and make their bed in the morning are more likely to achieve success, so let the foundation of that idea expand to your home. Designate your relaxation points from your workspace however you can, even if it’s something as small as working from a desk and avoiding your couch until it’s time to kick your feet up after logging off.
Making your home into a bit of a haven doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank, either. Consider a house plant or two. Switch out your pillows or find yourself a cozy new blanket as we head into fall. These small fixes to a dedicated space will help you love your home and stay productive in work mode.
Create Routine—Then Shake It Up
It feels like we’ve all been trapped in a bit of a time loop these past few months. Is it autumn or is it still March? When it feels like days are slipping away, indistinguishable from one another, it might be time to pick up a planner. Little things happen every day that we can easily forget about if we don’t solidify them in some way, and I think our Self Journal is a great place to start. This 13-week goal planner, backed by science and success psychology, is designed to optimize your day, tackle your goals, and help you live a more fulfilled life.
The Self Journal will help you set, plan, and track progress towards your biggest goals, be more productive, overcome decision fatigue, and focus on what matters most. If it feels like everything has started to pile up and you don’t know where to begin in unpacking your schedule, this journal can also help prioritize your workload, build good habits and make every day count. Just because we are working differently these days doesn’t have to mean this time is any less important in your journey to reaching your goals.
Having a journal will also help you create good habits that stick. Forming healthy habits takes work, but doing so can help you do more of the things that make you productive onto autopilot—therefore freeing up bandwidth and reducing decision fatigue. When everything feels out of control, your time is still one thing you have power over. Using it consciously to create positive change in your life is a super powerful thing.
On the flip side, if you feel stagnant and are starting to feel a little discouraged, it’s also great to try something new. Try a new book instead of trying the newest streaming service. Pick an ambitious recipe. Take a walk in the morning instead of the evening—your time is still yours, and you get to use it however you want to reset.
Our Weekly Action Pad is also a great tool for taking back control of your work and your personal life helping you optimize along the way. This pad includes a powerful benchmark tool that helps you understand where you are currently in each area of your life each week. These insights will help you identify where you feel like you’re winning and where you might be falling short - so you can plan to make real, legitimate improvements. Take back control. No more chasing your tail. Plan, prioritize, and schedule your life with a powerful weekly planning tool that won’t let you down.
Think Outside the Box
Again, with so many other pressing issues looming over our heads, it can be hard to find the motivation to get emails out or assignments completed. Take a look inward and try to find ways that you best recharge—are you an extrovert, missing the energy of being out and about, overdue for a Zoom night with friends? Or perhaps you’re just burnt out on all of the media that you can usually count on as a go-to?
Whatever it may be, if your brain just isn’t firing on all cylinders, our Discovery Decks might be your new best friend: these prompt cards are designed to inspire and motivate. Our Edison Deck, for example, contains 150 prompt cards that inspire you to solve problems and innovate ideas.
Forming healthy habits takes work, but doing so can help you do more of the things that make you productive onto autopilot—therefore freeing up bandwidth and reducing decision fatigue.
The pandemic requires lateral thinking to help uncover new ideas so you can pivot, adapt, and adjust in the new normal, making the Edison deck perfect for sparking that fire. The deck is super easy to use, simply pick a prompt and sit tight until you generate at least 10 ideas. It doesn’t matter if some are unusable, because it’s more important to capture your thoughts while training your brain to become an idea-generating machine.
Experts say the more you think, the more innovation flows. When used regularly, Edison Deck cards train your brain to think beyond the obvious, helping you make the new connections that lead to innovative suggestions. In the process, you’ll find that you get better at problem solving and idea generation. In turn, you’ll start to think quicker, work smarter, and make more progress on the tasks and projects that matter to you.
However you decide to shake it up going into the rest of the year, we’re right alongside you trying to power through to peak productivity, and we can’t wait to see where the journey takes us all.
WRITTEN BY
Cathryn Lavery