3 Tips to Increase Your Productivity

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Working when it’s a holiday is tough. (Canada Day was July 1 and Independence Day is July 4) Your family and friends have invited you to join their plans but you must spend a few hours at the computer to meet an urgent deadline. Work can be fun if you enjoy it; a real pain if you don’t. 

If you’re working from home and trying to ignore distractions, (and if you’re not working and just attempting to be productive at your personal goals), try these tips to stay productive, regardless of the day of the week.

1 Set Goals

Before you begin your workday, set your goals. Ask yourself what must be done today and what could be done today if you have the time. 

Work backward, calculating the number of hours you plan to work and estimating the number of hours you need for the critical tasks. If you still have time left, add the tasks that would be nice to complete. 

For example, if you plan to work X hours, estimate how long it will take you to complete the mandatory tasks. Then decide what tasks you could work on if you still have some time left.

After prioritizing these tasks, complete the most urgent or difficult one first. Make a checklist of your tasks for the day, and cross off each task as you complete it. It’s a great feeling to see your list shrink as your day progresses.

If you’re a freelancer or business owner, your goal for Saturday or Sunday might be to catch up on less important tasks. It’s a peaceful time to clear out some paperwork or catch up on the accounting you didn’t have time for during the week.

2 Time Blocking

Okay, you’ve decided on a list of what you want to complete by the end of your work day. Next, you want to block time for working productively.

Estimate how much time it takes to complete a task. Then focus on working in short spurts. You might want to set a timer to mark when 15 to 30 minutes have passed. Or, you might want to work in long time blocks of one hour, although shorter periods are better for focused concentration.

After a short block of time has passed, take a brief break. Stretch, walk around or sip on your favorite work beverage. If you work in long time blocks, take a longer break.

Set boundaries for communication and socialization, especially if you live with others. Have a way to signal to family or roommates when it’s your office hours. For example, close your home office door. When it’s break time, open the door so they know that’s their time to speak with you or spend time with you.

If you have coworkers who also work, even on the weekends, you can also time block. If answering messages and emails distracts you from your task, wait until your task is complete before answering messages. If you don’t have time to complete a work request, tell your coworker when you will be completing the task.

Most importantly, when it is time to work, use that block of time productively. Focus on your work and turn off all distractions. Listen to music if it helps to keep you focused. Tell your furry coworker friend they can work next to you as long as they don’t sit on the keyboard (which cats sometimes do).   

3 Prioritize Health

Time blocking can greatly increase your productivity. Just as important to your productivity is including habits to improve your mental and physical health.

Working on a stat or national holiday can already be challenging if everyone you know has time off. This type of work schedule can affect your mental health if you want to break free and join whatever your family is doing.

But since you’re committed to the work day, commit yourself to setting boundaries. Decide on blocks of time when you can have a quick chat with your family during a work break. Make plans for later in the day so you’ll have something to look forward to.

If you live alone, chat with your friends during your work breaks. Take advantage of support systems that you find on social media. 

People who freelance or run a business reach out to online communities so they can share their challenges and struggles. This network is especially important if your friends aren’t business owners and constantly ask why you’re working on the weekend or a stat/national holiday.

In addition to social support, look after your body. When you work from home, it’s easy to hunch over a computer and stare at a screen for hours. It’s not healthy for your back or eyes. 

During a break, stretch, get a cup of tea or coffee, and walk around. Take in your surroundings. Chat with your plant, cat, bird, or dog about what you’re working on. Sometimes you’ll have a breakthrough while you brainstorm, and you’ll work out what was stumping you about your work task.

Key Takeaways

If you’re working from home this weekend, you can improve your focus and productivity with careful planning. First, set your goals, then use time blocking to ensure that you achieve them. Third, remember to take breaks and rest to keep your body and mind healthy.

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The Best Teachers: Who Are They?

Daily writing prompt
What makes a teacher great?
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A perfect teacher does not exist. Teachers are people and people aren’t perfect. Children remember moments like the first time they saw their teacher walking into the staff bathroom and they realize that teachers are human, just like them.

Teachers can be great humans. That one teacher, for example, who made a difference in your life and inspired you to make a life-changing decision. 

Teachers are role models. Teachers at elementary schools aren’t supposed to swear, for example. I’ve heard them swear in the staff room, where they can be adults like you and me.

Teachers are adults who have the important role of shaping lives. They teach us facts, like mathematical calculations and important historical dates. But more importantly, they teach us critical thinking so we can question those facts and separate opinions from theories.

Teachers who inspire us to learn information, then question it, and develop something from it are the true heroes. Scientists start off as students who become inventors who create something to improve people’s lives. Writers start off as students and then write stories that make us laugh or cry. Somewhere in life, physicians, first responders, lawyers, designers, engineers, farmers, etc, all started learning from a teacher.

Teachers do more than teach. They teach us to teach ourselves and become lifelong learners. Teachers can be parents, siblings, friends, mentors, coworkers, bosses, complete strangers — anyone who provides us with life lessons that can make us better people.

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The Lesson We Cannot Forget

Daily writing prompt
What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?
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The most delicious meal I’ve ever eaten is the meal I had after I found out the truth about my sister. 

My parents adopted her when I was eighteen and she was sixteen. I never asked for a sister. She was terrible. She borrowed my clothes without asking and we fought about almost everything. 

One day, I asked my pharmacist uncle for some help. I wanted to get rid of my sister, but I wanted to do it slowly so no one would suspect me. He agreed to help and gave me a bottle of poison. He reminded me to administer it in small doses with each meal so no one would notice.

Of course, I didn’t want my sister to suspect a thing, so I became extra nice over time. If she wanted to borrow a sweater of mine, I let her, and said I didn’t really like it anyway. And when her nasty pen-chewing habit got on my nerves, I asked her to drop the pen and watch a show with me.

Months later, our parents noticed and complimented us on how well we were getting along. I really did start to like my sister. “Sara,” my parents said to me, we’re happy to see you’re such a good role model for her.” 

I wanted to cry when I heard those words. I went to see my uncle and begged him to give me an antidote for the poison. “You don’t want her to die now?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No. Please save her.”

My uncle simply told me to throw out the rest of the poison and my sister would be fine. I had been serving her small doses of fruit juice. 

I was so happy to hear the news. I rushed home and found her helping with making dinner. I helped too. It was a simple meal but it was the best meal I’d ever eaten because I was filled with a feeling of peace and contentment at having such a great sister.

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5 Soft Skills for Career Success

How important are soft skills when it comes to advancing your career, getting a raise, or showing your employer that you deserve to take on more responsibility?

Soft skills are just as important as job-specific, hard skills. But before we get into why or how they are vital, let’s look at why now is the right time to hone your soft skills.

Recent events during the pandemic changed the lives of millions, and many have changed careers, jobs, or where they work. Inflation and AI have brought much uncertainty, with people fearing the stability of their jobs and finances, especially with the escalating prices.

Forget vacations or even splurging on a new pair of shoes: now some people aren’t even sure if they can afford their groceries. So what can you do to increase your chances that you can keep your job, or get a job when a crisis like this occurs?

View soft skills to read the original post about the five soft skills that will take your career to the next level.

Small Goals Lead to Bigger Achievements

“I always try to start out with some type of goal. Then I work backward and think of what I need to do to get there, and give myself smaller goals that are more immediate.”

— Kristi Yamaguchi

If life is throwing too much at you right now, I get it. Especially if you have a mountain of tasks on your to-do list and each day is too short to get anything done.

Just take a deep breath and start with something small and urgent. Don’t look at the overwhelming list ahead of you until you’ve accomplished a lot of smaller goals. Some times from now, you’ll look back and see what you’ve achieved.