5 Ways to Be and Feel More Productive

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Fellowes Brands for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

What does it mean to be productive? The dictionary says it’s doing or achieving a lot, working hard and getting good results. That definition is great but what does it really mean? What in the heck is a lot (and how do you measure good results when it comes to maintaining a clean house full of kids)?

Truthfully being productive can look and feel different to different people. It can look and feel different at different stages of parenthood. It can even look and feel different on different days.

Today I’ve teamed up with Fellowes to share some tips for being and FEELING productive at home. As you read them over, remember that you are the only judge of what productivity looks like at your house… and you have my permission to go easy on yourself.

Find routines that work for you. The right routines for your lifestyle and family can be hard to find but having routines in place will help you get more done. In the long run it’s worth the search.

Starting with a strong morning routine keeps me grounded. It reminds me of the why behind my list of tasks and keeps me focused. (Helping the kids be productive with morning checklists is a big help too!)

My 30 Minute Cleaning system keeps me from spending too much time cleaning and insures that the time I do spend is planned, focused and productive.

Get control over your to do list. A while back I began feeling as though I was drowning. My to do list was impossible. Reaching out to other Moms was exactly what I needed in that moment. These time management tips for Moms helped put my list into prospective. It also helped me find ways to cut down on what I was doing.

The point of a to do list is to help us remember what to do, to help guide our choices and get things done. It’s not to make us feel bad or overwhelm us. We are after all the ones who put the tasks on the list… we can just as easily take them off. 🙂

Clean out and start fresh. There is something wonderful about a freshly decluttered space. Start small with one little room or one little drawer. Pick a spot that you use a lot (and that’s been bugging you). Every time you feel the affects of that space you’ll be motivated to tackle another spot. It’s amazing how inspiring action can be!

Right now I’m working on getting papers our under control. What was once a very organized filing system is now a huge pile of mess. It takes me twice as long to find things as it should… not very productive!

My Fellowes 79Ci has been a huge help with this task. The heavy-duty cross-cut blades can handle up to 16 sheets of paper at a time. It can even shred staples, paper clips, credit cards, junk mail and CDs!

Eliminate the time suckers. Take a good look at what is absorbing your time through out the day. Are you saying yes when you should be saying no? If your to do list is full of things you never really wanted to (or needed to) do in the first place it’s very hard to feel productive.

What about social media? Are you spending too much time scanning your Facebook feed, checking in with email and searching Pinterest? I’ve removed Facebook from my phone completely. It became a habit to just check in when I had a minute… of course a minute turned into 20 minutes before I realized. 20 minutes that I could have spent getting something productive done or intentionally doing something for me!

Pay attention to how much you are actually doing. A comment on another post had me thinking about this for days! She wrote…

“My husband asked me to write one more list. He wanted me to write all that I had done for my boys each day, read, colored, painted, baked and so on. He felt that if I wrote it down I would be able to see what I am actually doing and stop beating myself up for whatever impossible task I had added to my already long list.” – Tracy

Sometimes we can be so very hard on ourselves. It’s difficult to feel productive when you see a list of tasks you’ll never be able to complete. Maybe we should take the advice of Tracy’s very wise hubby and keep a list of things we’ve done to read over at the end of the day. That might just be the answer to living a more productive and happy life.

Looking for an awesome shredder to help you be more productive?

The stylish Fellowes 79Ci shredder is great for those balancing busy schedules and seeking time-saving solutions. The 79Ci features a sleek design and advanced technologies such as:

• Patented 100% Jam Proof System that eliminates paper jams and powers through tough jobs.
• An extended 20 minute run time for increased productivity.
• Patented SafeSense® Technology which automatically stops shredding when hands touch the paper opening.
• Energy Savings System that maximizes shredder energy efficiency 100% of the time – both in use and out of use.
• SilentShred™ Technology that offers ultra-quiet shredder performance.
• The 79Ci is available at Amazon and Office Superstores with a suggested retail price of $239.99.

Share what helps you feel productive in the comments.