Vanya Wryter Consulting Services

Tag: time management

  • 3 Tips to Increase Your Productivity

    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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  • How to Double Your Productivity

    How to Double Your Productivity

    It’s challenging to be productive at all hours of the day. This is especially true if you are a night person and need to be productive during your office day job, or if you’re a morning person and have to work a night shift. Sometimes, you just have to defy the odds and find a way to be productive to get a task done.

    If you want to double your productivity, set reachable goals that turn you into an achiever. Entrepreneur Bill Gates said, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” 

    Bite-sized goals that you can achieve quickly reward you with the satisfaction of success. Small successes lead to bigger ones. Realistic, measurable goals help you accomplish what you need in a year or ten years.

    In the meantime, tackling your daily and weekly goals is just as effective. Over time, you can increase your productivity and achieve more by following a three-step plan. 

    Daily writing prompt
    When do you feel most productive?
    View all responses

    1 Productivity Assessment at the End of the Week

    Let’s begin with where you are now. Whether you already had goals or not, reflect on what brought you here. What did you accomplish? 

    Whether big or small, your achievements are important, so celebrate them. For example, you ate a healthy lunch today. You rocked your assignment today. Or you finally bought your dream home. Goals are goals, and they’re all worth recognition.

    Assess what you’ve accomplished. What did you do well? What could you have done better? Some people find it difficult to feel proud about what they’ve done. They don’t want to share their achievements because they are humble or feel uncomfortable bragging when they should. A win is a win.

    Also, reflect on what you’ve done and think about what you could have done better. Could you have reached your goal more efficiently? Could you raise the bar for your next goal a little higher? 

    If you fail to reach a goal, set aside time to deal with negative feelings of disappointment and provide time for self-care. Then, decide if you should set a different goal or change it. Maybe your goal was unrealistic and needed a stepping stone. 

    Instead of opening an e-commerce business, first, take a business course. Instead of running long distances, start with shorter ones. The most successful people in the world had to overcome failures.

    Evaluating and assessing will improve your productivity and what you can achieve in a week or a year. 

    2 Check in with Community and Family

    Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, community and family support are important for your productivity. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people is vital for self-care and inspiration.

    If you’re an introvert, having a virtual community or “family” can help you recharge. You can join online communities and seek advice or read posts for ideas on improving your health, tips on being more productive, and inspiration from other people’s successes. It may take a while to find the right community, but investing time is worth it. Another advantage of virtual groups is getting in touch with like-minded people worldwide. 

    If you like being around people, join in-person groups to be with people who have similar interests as you. Being around people in person has a different energy level than viewing posts on social media or reading about people’s brag moments. Spending time with like-minded people can recharge your energy.

    Spending time with close friends and family is another way to recharge and improve productivity. These people are your cheer squad. They celebrate your successes and motivate you to be your best self. They are also there to pick you up when you’re down and set you on your way again.

    3 Productivity Assessment for the Coming Week

    The third way to improve your productivity for the coming week is to decide what you want to accomplish before the new week begins.

    Start with the big picture first. What are your big goals for the week? Decide on one to three things you want to achieve before the next seven days are over. These could be personal goals – such as a fitness goal – or professional goals – such as finishing a major project.

    Next, break down your major goals into smaller ones. These are your daily goals. Again, they can be personal or professional daily goals. For example, you plan to run for X minutes every day. Another example is to break down work projects into daily milestones.  

    When you set daily, manageable goals, you will have a daily feeling of accomplishment. By the end of the week, you will have a series of accomplishments to look back on.

    Prepare yourself for the week ahead. Some people choose their work outfits the night before to save time. Preparing meals for the week is also efficient.

    Also, set a time each day to reflect. Some people meditate. It is a time that you set aside each day to check in with yourself. Too often we focus on getting things done for work or family and forget to check in with ourselves. Are we feeling mentally or physically exhausted? Do we need time for self care?

    Finally, set daily goals for continuous learning, even if all you have is five minutes a day. Learn a new word in your native language or another language. Google a faster way to use a computer program that you use at work. Try out a new recipe. They say constant learning keeps the mind young.

    Key Takeaways

    To double your productivity, assess where you are now and where you would like to be. Set goals to help you achieve your personal or professional accomplishments. Connect with like-minded people who will motivate you. 

    Finally, always reflect on your accomplishments. Could you improve, or have you done the best you ever can?

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  • How has technology changed your job?

    How has technology changed your job?

    Remote work has made it possible to work anywhere, anytime. This work setup is perfect for those who enjoy a flexible work schedule, instead of a rigid 9 to 5 with a set lunch break. You experience fewer distractions and you can work when you’re most alert. Technology is one of the main reasons my job has evolved to where it is today. Here are some of the ways technology has changed my job.

    Daily writing prompt
    How has technology changed your job?
    View all responses

    Remote work has made it possible to work anywhere, anytime. This work setup is perfect for those who enjoy a flexible work schedule, instead of a rigid 9 to 5 with a set lunch break. You experience fewer distractions and you can work when you’re most alert. Technology is one of the main reasons my job has evolved to where it is today. Here are some of the ways technology has changed my job.

    1 Increased productivity

    One of the best benefits of remote work is the elimination of the daily commute. I can start my day in a relaxed manner, checking work messages over morning tea. This uninterrupted focus allows me to dive into tasks without distractions, boosting my productivity. Additionally, the flexibility of remote work enables me to do other things during breaks, whether it’s attending to household chores or brainstorming project ideas while preparing lunch.

    2 Maximized work time

    Technology has revolutionized how we conduct meetings. With the click of a button, I can attend scheduled or impromptu meetings. I don’t need to gather up my papers to walk to another room or another floor in the office building. If I need feedback on a document that I am working on, I can send the document via email or messaging app to a colleague or colleagues.

    3 Coordinating work schedules

    Technology makes coordinating work schedules across different time zones easier. We can use 

    apps and electronic calendars to share our availability, including vacation times, office hours, and times when we are out of the office for a couple of hours a day.  

    4 Efficient file management

    Cloud-based platforms like Google Docs have made it easy to collaborate on documents and to share files. Version control of documents makes it easier to keep a history of changes made to a document. It is also easy to track comments made by team members and organize files in a cloud-based system.

    5 Enhanced communication

    We have a wide range of technology to communicate with each other, from emails to phone calls. Other examples include apps such as Slack, ClickUp, Notion, and to send typed messages, voice messages, and files to each other. We can also communicate about specific stages of projects.

    6 Advanced writing tools

    Grammar checkers and AI-powered writing assistants have transformed the writing process, offering feedback and suggestions. While these tools enhance accuracy and efficiency, they don’t yet replace human expertise. They are a wonderful helper and a second set of eyes on writing projects.

    Key Takeaways

    Technology has been key in making my current work set-up possible. Without it, there would be no remote work jobs. Technology has helped with productivity, collaboration, and efficiency, for individuals and teams in a digital world.  

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  • Work-Life Balance: Do you enjoy your job?

    Work-Life Balance: Do you enjoy your job?

    Those who love their job as if it were a hobby are lucky. This is even more true if their income is their ideal amount and their coworkers are great to be around. I certainly think of my job as something I could do even while on vacation and not consider myself as working. However, we need to draw the line somewhere–at what point is work intruding on personal time?

    Daily writing prompt
    Do you enjoy your job?
    View all responses

    Let’s weigh in on the question: What is work-life balance? How do you define it? Whether you have a work-life balance and whether you view clear boundaries between the two depends on how much you love your job. Here are some rare points of view to consider.

    Remote work has made it easier to blend home life and work life into one room (or house). Employers and clients may have the expectation that you’ll respond to messages or complete work tasks between 9 a.m. to … well, 9 a.m. the next morning. 

    As someone who manages projects, I’m answering work messages from morning til evening and on the weekends sometimes. Apps on smartphones have made it easier than ever to blur the lines between the office and personal time as we receive notifications even when away from the office.

    The constant plug-in to workplace communication and work tasks can be exhausting. People need a break from work to recharge and return to their tasks with fresh eyes. But is it bad to blend work and home life together?

    Some people love their career enough that working is as enjoyable as watching Netflix or playing video games. I’ve met some of these people (so they do exist).  

    If you enjoy your work as much as you’d enjoy a hobby, then is working extra hours synonymous with workaholicism or overachieving? Does it make a difference whether you’re designing a graphic for a client or painting a picture to hang on your wall?

    Some self-employed people live in their business. They are always reading or watching videos for self-improvement, or brainstorming new ways to increase their income or expand their products and services. Would this be considered overworking? It depends.

    Everyone should be learning new things, whether it is a new hobby, new skill, or general-interest knowledge. People challenge themselves with fitness goals, reading goals, or social goals. How is investing more time in your career or business any different, if you love what you do, and if you still have time for friends and family?

    If you enjoy what you do, then perhaps a job or business is no different than investing time and energy in a hobby or pastime. With this perspective, would work-life balance be… “balanced”? 

    Of course, whether you have a spouse or children affects how much time you need away from work. If you enjoy traveling or socializing with friends, these interests also affect how much time you need to recharge from work. And of course, if you’re an introvert who prefers more “me time” away from your work and coworkers, that’s important too.

    What are your thoughts on work-life balance if you have a job or career that you love?

  • Managing Your Workload: 5 Tips to Handle an Overwhelming Schedule

    Managing Your Workload: 5 Tips to Handle an Overwhelming Schedule

    We love it when life has great timing and hate it when too many deadlines occur on the same day. “When it rains, it pours,” is the saying. I recently found myself with two major projects due on the same day and only two days to get the job done. How would you have handled this situation? 

    I asked ChatGPT what it recommended because my client always asks me if ChatGPT can help lighten my work. It came up with ten tips to handle an overwhelming schedule, and because I found a list of ten tips overwhelming, I reduced those tips to a more manageable five. Here are my tips for getting an overwhelming work schedule under control and my insights on how well these tips work.

    Tip 1: Prioritize Tasks

    Start by organizing all your tasks in a list and deciding which ones must be done and which are less urgent. If the tasks are major tasks, break those down into subtasks and prioritize those as well.

    Pros: This tip helps to make the job less overwhelming when you focus on finishing just one item at a time. It’s also satisfying to see each item checked off your list as you complete them. Your progress is tangible.

    Cons: Life isn’t ideal. I finish a task, give it to the supervisor for review, and see a pile of edits on it, not a stamp of approval. So I pop the task back in the to do list so I can work on it again later. 

    Tip 2: Create a Schedule

    Establish a schedule for getting the work done. Working in 15 or 30-minute blocks for example allows you to focus your attention in short spurts. Set a goal to accomplish within that block of time. When the block is finished, take a quick break to rest your eyes or stretch. If you’ve been working for a few short blocks, take a longer break to go for a walk or have a snack.

    Pros: Working in short spurts keeps you focused and working to short-term goals. It’s easier to work for a short block of time, instead of working for several hours until the task gets done, or thinking you’ll be free from work in eight hours.

    Cons: The perfect schedule doesn’t exist. You might be interrupted by a coworker with an urgent question that you must deal with immediately. 

    Tip 3: Set Boundaries

    Even if you plan out your schedule and set goals to manage an overwhelming schedule, you can’t anticipate everything that could go wrong. Your boss might ask you to change what you’ve done. After several fixes with no end in sight, it’s time to protect your mental well-being. Let your boss or team know what you’re facing. Tell them you need support, and what that support may be, such as taking a break until the next day, or asking if someone else can help with the task.

    Pros: Your mental health will improve when you set boundaries and let your boss or coworkers know that you’ve hit your limit and need a break. Without that break, you’ll become less productive.

    Cons: You may feel guilty over delegating your work to a coworker because it was your task to complete. 

    Tip 4 Take Regular Breaks

    Taking scheduled breaks is essential if you want to stay productive. Even if you think you can stay focused for three hours straight to get a time-sensitive project out the door as soon as possible, it’s not the best idea. Your eyes need a break from staring at the screen. Your body needs rest – sitting or standing at a computer desk is unnatural. Remember to take mental break to take your thoughts off work and give your body a rest.

    Pros: Better for your health. Better for your eyeballs and good for the brain and other body parts. The mind needs a chance to clear your thoughts.

    Cons: You may feel you’re losing time by resting, but the breaks are worth it.

    Tip 5 Utilize Technology

    Technology is a great tool to help you get the job done. Always look for new developments that will help enhance your productivity. For example, grammar and spell-checking apps keep an extra pair of eyes (so to speak) on the quality of your work. Spreadsheets and various apps keep your tasks organized.

    Pros: Helps you to do your work more efficiently and accurately.

    Cons: Technology isn’t perfect, so you can’t rely on them completely. For example, grammar-checking apps sometimes suggest corrections that aren’t always the best choice.

    Key Takeaways

    An overwhelming work schedule is manageable if you find a system for dealing with what you need to complete. By prioritizing tasks, creating a schedule, setting boundaries, taking breaks, and using technology, you can chip away at those tasks and get the job done. 

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