5 things to do on a Friday for a better Monday

In my quest to be the ultimate productivity ninja, I regularly try out new ways of working. But one thing I’ve done for quite a while is make sure that I have a Friday ritual of planning for the week ahead.

Now, I know that you’re probably having a #FRIYAY moment so you don’t really want to be thinking about Monday morning, BUT I promise, the advice I’m about to give will help you enjoy the weekend more.

How you end the week seriously impacts on how you start the next week. So if you want to have a great weekend here is what you should do every Friday afternoon.

Give yourself credit for what you’ve done this week.
When you look at your to-do list and see a whole bunch of items that are yet to have the highlighter treatment then it can be disheartening. But look at what you HAVE achieved this week. By acknowledging what you HAVE achieved will give your happiness levels a boost and will spur you on to get back on track when Monday arrives.

Schedule your Monday to-do list on Friday.
Write your to-do list for Monday on Friday. By getting your to-do list done not only do you hit the ground running on Monday but you also give your brain a rest over the weekend as you’re not mulling over what needs to be done. Continue reading “5 things to do on a Friday for a better Monday”

I challenge you to start using the 2 minute rule

I want to introduce you to one of my favourite productivity tips. This tip will help you crush procrastination and also encourage you to pick up and stick to some good habits.

Introducing the 2 minute rule

If you have a task that can be done in 2 minutes then do it right now, without delay.

When you start shifting the small things out of your life then you’ll find that you feel less bogged down and it will boost your creativity and productivity.

Most of the tasks we have to do on a daily basis aren’t difficult or complex, they’re small things like making your bed, emptying the dishwasher, reading an email, opening your post, hanging up your clothes etc But even though they may seem small combined they actually make a huge difference and by not doing them, it could stop you moving forward with the bigger tasks.

You may be thinking that things like hanging up your coat or making your bed when you get up in the morning doesn’t make a difference but by using your two minutes wisely and getting those small tasks done then you’re opening up the time to tackle the big stuff.

And you know what the greatest thing about the 2 minute rule is? It just fits in to your life. You don’t have to schedule the time in or think about it, you just get up and do them.

The two minute rule doesn’t just have to apply to the mundane tasks either. Believe it or not two minutes can have a profound effect any larger projects you may have going on.

For example; if you want to become a better writer then sit down and vow to write for two minutes. Once you get started you’ve broken that seal and you’ll either keep on writing or you’ll have written at least 120 words which is a grand start.

Or maybe you want to start eating better…challenge yourself to throw together a salad in two minutes for your lunch or your dinner. This can be done whilst you’re waiting for the kettle to boil and if you do this then you have already made a huge step towards eating healthy.

The two minute rule is about freeing up your mind and getting those little things done and out of the way and organising your life without making a big deal of it.

Seriously, give is a try and let me know how you get on!

What colour is your screensaver?

THIS is my screensaver right at this moment…

I say right at this moment because I’m going to be changing the black asap!

Why? Well, I just read this great post via Sarah Wilson’s blog about what Australia’s leading colour specialist Chris Brazel has to say on certain subjects.

One of the subjects she commented on was our screensavers!! After all, screen savers are the first thing that we see as soon as we turn our computers on (which is why I always try to have a picture of somewhere I want to be and I change it often).

This is what she had to say about what the colours of our screensavers represent: Continue reading “What colour is your screensaver?”

This week I’m going to try the Pomodoro Technique

I’m always looking for ways to become more productive. I’ve already started filling up time that I would normally waste doing mini tasks (for example if I’m waiting for the kettle to boil I’ll wash a few dishes or answer a few emails) so I’m interested in anything that will help me do more in less time.

So this week I’m going to give the Pomodoro Technique a whirl.

image credit

The main basis of the Pomodoro technique is essentially time boxing. It’s a technique that was developed in the 90’s by Francesco Cirillo and is so simple.

You simply pick a task, set a timer for 25 minutes and get stuck in. You HAVE to remember to stop when that timer goes, regardless of where you are in the task, you HAVE TO STOP.

Continue reading “This week I’m going to try the Pomodoro Technique”

Monday Inspiration #004 – Habits of Successful People

In 1989, Stephen R. Covey wrote The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, it marked the start of a new genre of self help books – it was self help for the business mind.

So whilst you’re getting ready for a new week here’s the meat from the book…

Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

This is another fabulous quote – and it’s a tweetable!

Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do). {Click To Tweet}

image via Stuff No One Told Me

Things you need to stop saying in press releases

This month I resolved to stay on top of my inbox. This meant reading and filing (as opposed to my tried and tested method of ignoring and deleting) emails as they come in.

This has meant, over the past month I’ve read a LOT of press releases and there are some phrases that need to be stopped – asap.

Source: bitznpieces.tumblr.com via Stefanie on Pinterest

This isn’t a PR bashing exercise, that’s not how I roll, after all I used to work in PR myself but rather a little advice guide for anyone thinking of writing a press release to promote their business.

Stop The Press (or any variation) – I’m sorry, this is probably the most annoying phrase you could EVER start communication with. You’re not in Press Gang, your fashion line/travel company/online boutique really isn’t important enough that ANY editor is going to stop presses for you. Therefore that phrase is totally redundant. If I see this in the title it gets immediate trash bin treatment.

BlahBlah-preneur – ENOUGH with the “preneur”. I can cope with Entrepreneur (although aren’t we all? So really, its not gripping) but adding “preneur” to the end of everything just grates. Mummypreneur or Mompreneur is the absolute worst – you are a freaking female in business and you are NOT defined by your childbearing skills so just own it!

Embargo: If I see the word embargo then I assume it isn’t urgent so I just ignore it, but 9 times out of 10 I don’t ever go back to it and it ends up in the bin!

Going forward: This is a phrase that should be banned full stop, not just in press releases. It’s one of those pointless statements like “at the end of the day”.

And finally, it’s not a word but it’s something that you need to keep in mind…

Last minute events – Don’t expect us to drop everything and rush to your event – no matter how good it is. We have deadlines and lives, we need a decent amount of advance notice for any event we attend. Especially, if you’re expecting us to travel.

Seriously, it’s tough to promote your business and getting it in front of journalists, writers and bloggers etc is even tougher. If you want attention be straight to the point and quit using buzzwords because buzzwords = bullshit.

What words do you hate to see pop up in your inbox?