Happy New Year, boss!
This is it. We’re going to create the best 2021 you can imagine. And I’m going to support you wherever I can.
Today I will share how you can kick off a fantastic new year by creating daily routines for success.
We’re going to take you from being busy all the time to crazy productive so you can stop playing hooky and procrastinating while your work keeps piling up.
Let’s do this and make this year better than ever!
#1 Prioritize self-care
When I started as a solopreneur, I used to crash every Friday afternoon. I was SO exhausted and always feeling overwhelmed.
At the same time, I struggled to be productive, and yet I felt super overworked.
If you’re feeling anything like this: overwhelmed, exhausted, tired, and totally run down, there’s only one thing to do. You need to move away from that negative space and into a neutral space.
Only then will you get closer to the positive space where you’ll find your productivity again.
BUT to get to that neutral and ultimately positive space, you must become better at managing the time and energy you put out there every day.
Some of that time needs to go to your self-care. The truth is you can’t poor from an empty cup, and the only way to fill that cup is by looking at your self-care and basically taking better care of yourself.
Therefore, always do something for yourself the first thing in the morning. Start your day with something for YOU. The easiest way to manage the time for self-care is this: choose a start and end time for the days you work. Pick the moments that work for you and commit to them.
This way, there’s always time for you. What do you like to do to treat yourself?
Maybe you're also interested in this: How to Avoid Getting Distracted and Unlock your Full Potential with The Business Dad, Vincent Vandeputte.
#2 Get dressed
With this one, I’m calling out everyone working from home.
Do yourself a favor and put some clothes on your body that’s not making you feel like you live under a bridge.
By getting dressed, you’ll feel so much more confident and in control—like you truly own the day.
And yes, looking like you have your shit together will actually make you feel like you got your shit together. It will provide you with armor protecting you throughout your day.
#3 Hit the off switch with daily rituals
When you end your working day, always remember to hit the off switch.
After we’ve been wired up all day with input from social media, friends, family, and this and that, we often forget to create a context switch to tell our brains that it’s time to wind down.
Therefore, think of a ritual or an activity you can practice when you stop working or go to bed. This will help wire your brain for daytime vs. nighttime and work time vs. private time.
At the end of the day, I like to change clothes, light some candles, and turn off my computer. When I go to bed, I wash my hands and feet.
Look, these are very simple things that help create that on and off space in my brain, and you can do the same. So, pick a few things to manifest the physical switch, and ultimately these will wire your brain.
#4 Create a designated space only for work
Is your partner, roommate, or family disturbing you when you’re working?
I used to have this all the time when I lived in my small apartment. My office was everywhere, but at the same time, it was also the space to hang out, watch TV, eat, and cook.
To avoid being disturbed and creating an easier switch between on and off work, create a designated space in your home that’s only for work.
And most importantly, make the people you live with aware of this. Whenever you sit there, you’re working!
#5 Start with a plan
What often goes wrong when we start working is this: we open up our laptops, and all the notifications start flowing in. From that moment of massive stimuli, our focus is ruined.
Don’t do this.
Before you open your laptop, make it clear to yourself what your day will look like. Create a plan and prioritize your to-dos.
Give everything a spot, color-code your calendar, work with theme days, batch stuff together, or whatever you find works for you.
Most importantly, don’t let the day and notifications run you. YOU are the boss. You run the day! And even for non-entrepreneurs, this counts, too. You’re the boss of your life. Run the day.
#6 Eat the frog
I once read this book, Eat the Frog, and it talks about how you got to do the important stuff instead of always only doing what’s urgent.
It’s a bit like the Eisenhower matrix. There are things that are
- Important and urgent
- Important and not urgent
- Not important and urgent
- Not important and not urgent
Especially the last category of things is something you can usually delete.
One of the top traits for most successful entrepreneurs is that they can easily distinguish between importance and urgency. They look at what is going to move the needle and what is going to happen anyway.
Practice this yourself by putting important things in your calendar, delegate the urgent stuff, and automate all the small things, so you can actually eat the frog and physically work on what’s really important.
#7 Set up a clear system
To manage your time better and stay in a positive place of productivity, I strongly advise that you set up a clear system.
We use ‘Notion' for time and task management, and like this, everything is in one place. A bunch of papers that you quickly lose will not work, and the same goes for a simple notebook. Once you turn the page, you’ve already forgotten what’s on the previous page.
Therefore, catch all your tasks and to-dos in one place, so you can focus on leveling up for a fabulous 2021.
Are you ready to do this?
Remember the 7 golden rules:
- Prioritize self-care
- Get dressed
- Hit the off switch with daily rituals
- Create a designated space only for work
- Start with a plan
- Eat the frog
- Setup at clear system
Watch this episode on YouTube or listen via iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and search for this episode “How to Supercharge your Productivity: 7 Daily Routines” of The FastForwardAmy Show.
Do you want more on productivity and time management?
Allow me to teach you exactly HOW in the 2021 Productive Power Training.
In this training, I'm going to teach you how I
- Set my weeks and calendar up for success.
- Work on the projects that really matter.
- Beat overwhelm and crush procrastination.
MORE AWESOME NEWS…during this training, you will also get the chance to register for the Business Freedom Elevator™ at a €200 discount, for the price of €2297 instead of €2497! If you buy during the first 24 HOURS, you get our ‘Going All In' Hoodie + limited edition MUG for free! We only have 30 limited edition hoodies available.
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