Do you ever work for hours and realize you haven’t accomplished anything you really needed to do? There are always things to keep me busy. Whether it’s re-formatting spreadsheets, color coding my to do list, or revising my writing process, organizing is something I love to do. I can come up with a list of things that need my attention, but if I’m honest, I’m really just putting off those tasks I don’t want to do.
I have a friend who loves to create. She can spend her whole day sketching out ideas, outlining new classes and designing new products. But in the end, if she doesn’t take time to market, sell and deliver those products, it won’t matter how much she creates. Do you ever find yourself using creativity as an excuse to procrastinate? Here are a few ways your creativity can help you get the to-do list done.
Block out Time for Creativity and Productivity
Schedule time for creativity on your calendar. I joke with my team that if I haven’t created a task for it in Insightly, it’s not going to happen. If something is important to you, make sure you schedule time to do it. Rather than stifling creativity, having a time set apart to work on those things you enjoy most is actually energizing and motivating.
One way to do this is by using time blocking. Use your calendar to set up blocks of time devoted to each of your responsibilities. List all of your daily or weekly tasks and how long they usually take to complete. Then schedule your work day with blocks of time dedicated to each of these tasks. You’ll end up with a daily calendar showing several blocks of time dedicated to working on specific tasks one at a time. A few tips for time blocking successfully:
- When it’s time to work, go to work. Don’t make excuses or put things off.
- Eliminate distractions. Use a notebook or stack of post-it notes to jot down things you need to remember or do later, and then keep working.
- Keep your time blocks as consistent as possible.
- For most projects, schedule blocks for 1-2 hours at a time.
- Schedule your hardest tasks for the time of day when you are most productive.
- Do the least desirable tasks first.
- Leave room for flexibility.
Finally, don’t forget to schedule time for creativity. Knowing you have an hour or two set aside for the part of your job that you love the most gives you something to look forward to and keeps you motivated.
Find Creative Ways to Manage your Time
One of my favorite time management tools was created recently in desperation while moving and building a new home. I was feeling overwhelmed and never had enough time or energy to get anything done. This was the exact opposite of my usual energetic and productive self. So I made a list of everything I could accomplish in 5 minutes. I was actually surprised at how long this list was! Turns out that there were a lot of things I could accomplish in short burst of time:
- Reply to an email
- Write a thank you note
- Add a new contact
- Call a new lead
- Post a tip on social media
- Find 3 new people to follow on Twitter
- Review my calendar
- Outline a blog post
- Update a project status
- Read a short business article
Everytime I had a few short minutes, I would look at this list and check off as many things as I could. These small steps moved me closer to my overall goals. Even if I only accomplished a few things each day, I felt a sense of accomplishment that renewed my focus and energy to tackle bigger projects the next day.
I still use this system in between big projects or meetings. If I’ve blocked out an hour for a project and finish early, I review my 5 Minute Task list and see what I can get done before my next scheduled block of time. Although easy to procrastinate, these little things can create big payoffs when they are done consistently. Devoting a few minutes to this list each day keeps me moving forwards toward achieving my bigger goals.
Create a Process
We are creatures of habit; the less we have to think about something, the easier it is to do it. When you have a system or process in place, starting a project is simple. Think through what needs to be done. What are each of the steps? How do you start? Develop a process that works for you. Write it down, and reference it when you are tempted to put things off. Let your creativity play here. Whether it’s a hand drawn doodles on paper, a color coded to-do list, or a pipeline in your CRM, use your creativity to get the to-do list stuff done.
As in Insightly consultant, one of the things I love most about my job is creating workflows and processes that simplify any business system. Are you ready to create processes for your business? Let us help! Schedule your free strategy call here and we’ll help you develop systems for creativity and productivity that help you get more done.