Now that I’m juggling a few clients that I shoot with regularly in addition to my blog, staying organized and on top of my schedule is more important than ever. I’m lucky that I don’t have kids yet, so finding balance is a lot easier to do when I stay focused, but I still need help from time to time to keep it all in order. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you have a lot on your plate.
Sometimes you can paralyze yourself and wind up not accomplishing anything when your mind is going a mile a minute, but I’ve found that when I follow these 3 tips when I have a lot to do, I get more done in a day. It’s not rocket science, but these little shifts in how I approach both work and play duties help me stay balanced and prevent mental burnout.
Keep a Running To-Do List vs a New List Every Day
I’m a list maker, so I’m always scribbling things down to work on, but I’ve found that when I make one long to-do list and work on it until it’s completed opposed to adding on new tasks each day, it helps me prioritize what’s important and I feel much more accomplished as I check things off of my list. On this list I include tasks to be completed for the blog, my home, and my clients, and I won’t make a new to-do list to work on until the current one is completed. I’m able to really focus on a task when I work this way, and I know that I’m not skipping over things that may not be fun (like choirs or admin work for example) but are necessary. I really like doing this on Sundays when I have an open schedule (aka 0 shoots) because my day is usually uninterrupted and I can knock out a lot on my list.
Find Your Mood Music (or Podcast)
I love listening to music or podcasts when I’m at home, so when I have a lot that I need to take care of, I choose to listen to one of these vs. playing a movie or TV in the background. Whatever I listen to sets the tone and puts me in a mood to work, and I can stay focused on what I’m doing instead of getting caught up in a movie’s plot or a new episode of a favorite show. Right now I love listening to Lore, Here’s The Thing, and The Read podcasts; for music, I turn on Pandora and will listen to the Sergio Mendes, Haim, or Aya (London) Radio.
Disconnect From Social
In a perfect world this wouldn’t be an issue, but sometimes I HAVE to completely disconnect from social media to get sh*t done. We don’t realize how much we absentmindedly pick up our phones to scroll…until an hour has passed and you still haven’t moved from that spot on your couch. Hear me when I say, whatever you were looking at will still be there when you’re done! Our thoughts and creativity can be stifled by absorbing too much content from others as well, so take time to regularly disconnect from social media so that you can keep your mind fresh and your ideas flowing.
What helps you get things done?