It’s been about a month since school started up again and being a student by day and baker blogger by night isn’t as easy as it sounds when you have to fit paper deadlines, exams, extra curriculars, volunteering, a social life, cookie orders, recipe testing and blogging into your schedule. To be honest, I’ve never really thought about how many things I have to juggle at once until I sat down and thought about it. So here’s how I stay productive.
1. SLEEP AND WAKE EARLY.
This one doesn’t come as easy as the rest of the tips but it’s one of the important things you can do. Not only will you reap the benefits of getting more rest. Studies have shown that you are most productive between the hours of 8am and 12pm! In other words, the longer you sleep in the less productive you end up being. That’s why you end up feeling groggy and lazy all day if you sleep in! Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a day if you can. Try to keep your sleeping schedule regular so that your body adapts to it.
2. PLAN AHEAD.
Every night before you go to bed, look at your agenda planner. Write down 3 things you want to accomplish the next day. Doing this helps me stay on track by letting me know what I need to get done by the end of the day. Being able to focus on just 3 things keeps me from getting overwhelmed because it outlines my priorities for the day. Another thing I like to do is to set aside a day where I use one of my “to-do” items for menu planning and prep. This helps me stay organized and it’s nice to know that my meals are all set and ready to go for me in the fridge when I get hungry.
3. GET AN AGENDA PLANNER.
I’m one of those people who needs to have everything physically in front of me to function. Grayson thinks I’m a little “old school” for having a need to write things down like this. But, I like being able to see all my deadlines at once and carry it everywhere with me in a handy little book. Plus, I’m a visual person so I remember things better when I write them down and cross them out as I get things done.
4. THE RULE OF 8s.
Speaking of getting 8 hours of sleep, a rule I try to live by is the rule of 8s. This means that I try to allot 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of play and 8 hours of work in a day. You can’t function without optimal sleep and overworking yourself will only increase your stress levels which will end up working against you because stress makes us less efficient! Going by this rule helps me balance out my day because I know that I’m going to have time for everything in a day. Although recipe creating and blogging can be categorized as “work,” it helps me wind down and I look forward to those 8 hours of “play” everyday. All work and no play makes me a dull gal.
5. BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE!
What did you expect? I’m a food blogger! There’s no way I could ever write a post without mentioning something yummy! But before you think I’m crazy, hear me out. There’s been studies that have been conducted that show that the antioxidants present in blueberries help increase concentration! Couple that with caffeine packed matcha for alertness, flax seeds for mental clarity. Avocados for brain cell awakening and you’re golden!
Here’s a recipe for the one I usually drink. Sometimes I don’t have an avocado so I throw in spinach instead.
1 cup spinach
1 cup blueberries
2-3 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 1/2 cups milk
I’m sure we all need help staying on task in the media and distraction filled world we live in today so I hope my top 5 tips and tricks to stay productive and organized help you stay efficient in your daily lives as well. I would love to hear what you do to stay on task as well because it never hurts to learn from others! But for now, I better keep to my own advice and go get that full 8 hours of sleep!