Pixie of Productive Pixie | Bullet Journal Feature

This month's feature is Pixie because her content is super cute and she has a great story to tell! Let's get on to meeting Pixie of Productive Pixie!

This month’s featured bullet journal is Pixie of @_productivepixie on Instagram. I chose Pixie for this month’s feature because her content is super cute and she has a great story to tell! To stick to talking about her bullet journal content, it is obvious her favorite color is pink and boy does she pull it off so well! Anyway, let’s get on to meeting Pixie of Productive Pixie!

Meet Pixie of Productive Pixie

Hi, I am Pixie, the blogger behind Productive Pixie! I blog about bullet journaling, productivity, fashion, and lifestyle. I love bullet journaling (Of course!), blogging, knitting, ballet, and doing calligraphy. Pretty much just anything and everything creative!

Facts About Pixie

I would love to travel to see the Eiffel Tower someday.
I am learning French just for fun.
My favorite color is pink! (It is probably rather obvious)

Pixie of Productive Pixie Bullet Journal Journey

Bujo Beginnings

I first heard about bullet journaling from a friend. I thought it was a great idea, but I had just bought a pre-dated planner, so I decided I would try it out later. Fast forward a few months (I had already failed my planner) I decided to start a bullet journal. I started in a composition notebook and made tons of tracker layouts. Well, after three months, I stopped using it because it took too much time to make a layout. So I went back to using a planner, but this time it was a ring-bound planner, and I made my own pages.

Getting Bored & Making Changes

Around a year went by, and I started feeling bored with the uniform printed layouts I had designed. I knew I couldn’t design new layouts every week or whenever I wanted to add a new page to my planner. Plus, I wanted to be more creative with my planner. It was back to the drawing board again!

I decided to start printing out dotted pages. And this worked great… for around half of a year, and then I started procrastinating. I didn’t want to make new pages. Further, I kept telling myself I would print out new pages the next day, the next week. I kept telling myself that bullet journaling in a binder was the perfect system because I could add and remove pages, have sections in my bullet journal, and use different types of paper. But, I didn’t really want to add and remove pages in my bullet journal. I didn’t use different types of paper, and I didn’t really need sections. So I decided to buy a new journal.

A Fresh Start

At first, I thought I would only use it for my bullet journal collections, but then I realized that I had no use for two bullet journals. So, I made the decision to only use the new one, which was a traditional style bullet journal. I also realized that I loved the paper quality and having dots on every page in my bullet journal! Lastly, I love sitting down to make new layouts!

This is where I am now in my bullet journal journey, but I know that my journal style will always be changing, so I just need to find what works for me at the moment!

Tips from Productive Pixie for Bullet Journal Beginners

My bullet journal journey is going to be different than yours, and I am definitely not a pro, but I have a few tips for you if you are feeling ready to dive into the wonderful world of bullet journaling.

Your Journal Does not Need to be Perfect

If you try to make your journal absolutely perfect, then it won’t be as fun, it might become stressful, and it will become time-consuming. The purpose of the bullet journal is to make your life easier, not harder, so don’t stress about imperfections and mistakes.

I like things to look perfect, but in the journal I am using now, I have been trying to draw and write things more freehand instead of doing everything in pencil first. I still sketch the general layout in pencil, but I don’t draw in all of the details like I used to.

Also, I tell myself that if I make a mistake, I can always fix it. One of my favorite bullet journal tools is to use a white gel pen to cover up mistakes. If you are a perfectionist, and you are hoping to break free from always having everything perfect, then buy yourself a white gel pen and start drawing freehand. If you make a mistake, you can simply cover it up and move on. I wish I had known about using a white gel pen to cover up mistakes when I first started bullet journaling.

Don’t Force Yourself to Bullet Journal Every Day

If you force yourself to bullet journal every day in the beginning, then most likely, it will turn into a chore, and it won’t be fun anymore. Form the habit of bullet journaling gradually, so it isn’t just another failed planner.

If you need a break from bullet journaling, then take it. Bullet journaling is supposed to help you have a more fulfilling life, and if it is not helping you to be happy, then take a break and come back later.

Find Supplies You Like

If you don’t like your journal, how motivated are you going to be to use it? I like to think of my first bullet journal as a “trial run.” Start out in any old notebook, but if you decide you like bullet journaling, then invest in a notebook and a pen you truly love.

It will make a difference! If your pen is scratchy and your pages are so thin, the ink bleeds right through every time you write anything, then it won’t be enjoyable to use. The supplies you buy don’t have to break the bank either! The notebook I am using now cost me less than $10, and I enjoy writing in it. If you love it, you will be more likely to use it. 🙂

Find What Works for You

It doesn’t matter if your journal isn’t like anyone else’s, because. if it works for you, then go for it! When I first started, I made almost every layout I could find. I went on Pinterest and read just about a million articles about bullet journaling. This is definitely unnecessary, and in the long run, it was what caused me to stop the first time. All those layouts were too much to keep up with.

While it is good to know the basics of bullet journaling, you don’t need to know it all. Your journal does not need to be perfect. Just find a cute notebook, which you like, and then take it from there. Your handwriting and layouts will improve over time. I know mine has!

Last Words

Thank you so much, Elizabeth, for this opportunity to be featured on your blog! I really appreciate it, and I enjoyed writing this article! 🙂

If you like Pixie’s planner or want to check her out, head on over to her Pinterest Here!

If you are interested in becoming a featured bullet journaler, check out the details and apply here!

APPLY TO BE FEATURED

How to Utilize a To-Do List to Enhance Productivity

An easy way to gain control over your schedule is by using a to-do list. Let’s explore a few helpful tips on using a to-do list to enhance productivity!

Many of us would love to be more productive on a daily or weekly basis, but having a lot to do can leave us feeling overwhelmed. One easy way to gain a sense of control over your schedule and productivity level is by utilizing a to-do list. With a to-do list, you can see everything that you need to do and make a plan to tackle each task. You’ll feel accomplished as the items are crossed off and start to see how much more you can get done in a day. Let’s explore a few helpful tips on how using a to-do list can enhance your productivity:

Prioritize Tasks

Making a to-do list shouldn’t be complicated or time-consuming. Jot down everything that you need and want to get done. Once you have it all written out, go back over the list and pick out the top priorities. You can circle those things, highlight them, or re-write your to-do list, placing the most essential tasks at the top. Starting with the most important items will give you a sense of relief as you get them done and cross them off. Prioritizing ensures that you’re being productive because you’re focusing on what you need to get done, rather than just ticking through random tasks.

Make It Manageable

Let’s face it- there are only so many hours in a day to get things done. Even if it feels like your to-do list is a mile long, you aren’t going to get to it all right away. As you’re writing out the to-do’s that you want to complete, be reasonable about what you can realistically accomplish in a day. Make your list manageable to avoid feeling overwhelmed and defeated. Simplify it as much as possible and break it down over several days if there are just too many items to work on. Spreading tasks out over a week will help you stick to the to-do list rather than abandoning it in frustration. Review and revise the list each day, noting your top priorities.

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Be Specific

It’s easy to write down basic tasks and worry about the details later. However, being specific and noting why each item is important can make it more likely that those tasks will get done. That’s because a broad item on a to-do list can make it feel unimportant or confusing. Writing out exactly what you can do to accomplish it and why it matters gives you clarity and adds value to the task. For example, instead of just writing “Work on research paper”, you could break that down into a specific to-do, like “search for information and locate sources and materials”. Taking that broad task and breaking it down into specific, actionable items helps you focus. When you focus on a single task at hand, you can complete it faster and move on to the next thing.

A to-do list can be an excellent tool for increasing your productivity. By creating a list of tasks that you can reasonably complete, you’ll gain a greater sense of accomplishment. That can give you a much-needed boost and motivate you to get more done on a daily and weekly basis.

A Quick Guide To Amplifying Your Productivity

Amplifying your productivity is one of the best things you can do to get more done in less time. We’ll take a look at the best ways to do this.

Amplifying your productivity is one of the best things you can do if you want to make sure you can get the same amount done in a shorter amount of time. We’ll take a look at the best ways to do this below:

Set A Timer

Start by setting a timer at the beginning of each task. This can help you to stay motivated and avoid procrastination, providing you take a break whenever the timer goes off. For example, you might decide to set the timer for 30 minutes, before taking a 10-minute break. If you repeat this, you’ll probably get more done than if you were to attempt to sit and work for hours.

Listen To Music

Music at just the right volume can help to keep you motivated and pushing forward. It’s usually best to listen to instrumental music, rather than music with a lot of words. Rap music, for example, can be too distracting.

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Exercise In The Morning

Exercising in the morning before you get started can help to give you the energy you need to tackle the work on your plate that day. Not only will you enjoy all of the other benefits related to exercise, but you will also likely feel far more productive and clear-headed so you can complete the day’s work.

Outsource

Outsourcing is a lifesaver when you have a lot on your plate. Make sure you outsource smart, though, finding people who can do things that you’re not great at, such as marketing and PPC. The infographic below can help tell you more.

credit to Learning Management Systems PPC Guide Infographic

check out this Learning Management Systems PPC Guide Infographic

In conclusion, utilizing a timer, music, morning exercise, and outsourcing can greatly amplify your productivity! How do these tips or other tips amplify productivity for you? Let us know in the comments if you have more productivity tips!

This post was written as a contributed post. Contributed posts are written by another party who may wish to be anonymous. Further, all posts are edited and formatted by Elizabeth Ghekiere. Want to guest post for ElizabethJournals? Learn more here.

How to Stay Productive and Work From Home

Working from home is becoming increasingly popular in many professional fields. While this is amazing from employees, it can sometimes become difficult to remain productive in the isolating home setting. Chloe has come up with some amazing tips to stay productive and work from home.

One of the most impactful changes that have arisen with the dawn and flourishing of the internet age is that connectivity is leagues above where it has been historically. The effects of this are wide-ranging and diverse, transforming industries and day to day life all across the globe. One of the most affected areas is the average work culture.

It is frequently not in the interest of an employer to have an employee in the office when what they do can be easily achieved from within the comfort of their home. Similarly, if employees need to take business trips or even personal trips, work can still be completed quickly and effectively.

Statistics show that 10% of the American workforce work from home, with that figure looking set to continue to rise as more and more tasks, require a computer, a smartphone, and an internet connection.

One issue which does arise when working remotely, freelance or not, is that working from home presents its own set of challenges. As lovely as it is to work in your pajamas on your bed, it can be isolating and can suck productivity to the point where you can get to the end of the day and not name one thing you’ve achieved. So, with that said, let’s take a look at how you can keep your productivity levels high when working from home.

Work With Someone

Working with someone seems a strange piece of advice to come first on the list when talking about working from home, but there are some real benefits. Given how popular freelance work is, it’s more than likely that you will know someone who is working freelance as well as you. If you’re good enough friends, then you can develop a sort of informal office atmosphere.

In this atmosphere, they come over to your place every day for a few hours, and you work together, holding each other a bit accountable for your work schedule. The only thing to remember is that you probably don’t want to be too close with whoever it is, since, if it is your best friend, then there is a good chance that you’ll distract one another with a conversation. But, done right, this can maintain the informal atmosphere while creating a pseudo-office out of your home.

Build A Working Area

Another way to create an office-like world for you to work in relates to space. Working from bed is usually a pretty good recipe for drifting off for a delightful afternoon nap, not a formula for conquering objectives and leaving the day satisfied at your work. A quality working space will usually involve a desk, a comfy, ergonomic chair, a source of natural light and some bright lamps, a clean space, charger ports for a laptop and close enough to the kitchen and toilet that you don’t have to break your mood any time you need either.

The advantage of creating a workspace is manifold. On the one hand, it allows you to formalize your work in a way that will make you feel satisfied. Working from home can sometimes make people feel like what they do isn’t really work because it isn’t in an office. It will help you stay organized because all of your work things will be in one place not spread around the house.

Finally, it will help delineate between work time and free time. Working from home can breed an unhealthy lack of boundaries where work can either be non-existent or entirely consuming, taking every waking minute and destroying your private life. Both are bad for productivity in the long run. Having space where, when you are in it, you know it is work time really helps solidify your work-life balance.

Make A Schedule

This seems an obvious one but it’s certainly worth saying. There’s no need to block out a 9-5 slot with 45 minutes for lunch as if you’re in the office. You ought to experiment with the freedom that designing your own work schedule gives you. Are you most productive 4-7pm? Then start work at midday! Do you have 20-minute attention spans? Then do 40 minutes work every hour from 9 – 6. Figure out what works for you and what you’ll likely discover is that the traditional workplace ours are actually conducive to high inefficiency. You’ll be amazed at how much of your average 9-5 work can be achieved in a couple of super concentrated hours.

Make Sure To Communicate

Your productivity will very likely drop off if you aren’t communicating with people on the outside at least a little bit. The difficulty shows when everything you do you can complete from home, the practical reasons for meeting and talking with others disappear and that then kills the desire to meet with people. Isolation like that can be dangerous and can lead to depression as well as unrealistic standards for your volume and quality of work. Make sure you stay in touch with the outside world.

Conclusion

Working from home is a blessing and anyone locked into a dull office schedule Monday to Friday will be able to tell you that easily. The challenges it presents are actually very difficult but certainly not overwhelmingly so. Hopefully, this list will give you a good sense of what to look out for.

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Meet the Author

Chloe Bennet is a productivity writer at Academic Writing Service and Assignment Help portals. She enjoys working from home and writing while on the road. Also, Chloe teaches proofreading techniques at Paper Fellows website.

5 Easy-to-Follow Tips for Creating a Productive Home Office

Thinking of creating a new home office space in your smaller home? Well, you came to the right place. Fitting a functional workspace into a home with minimal square footage can be a special challenge. Do so also presents some unique opportunities for expressing your personal style. So, how can you get started building a custom small home office that will make you want to work even more? You can start by following these simple steps from start to finish.

Stay on Task by Planning Your Project

Before you start decorating and styling your home office, you need to have an organized plan in place. Proper planning will allow you to better anticipate what supplies and services you need, as well as an anticipated timeline. For example, you may want to leave time to shop for office furniture. Additionally, you may prefer to have built-in desks made for your office. The latter is perfect for tight spaces and allows you to customize to fit your work needs. However, you need to give yourself time to think about these kinds of pros and cons.

If you’re not sure where to start with your home office planning, you can use a project app to map out the details for you. Many of these apps have features that allow you to digitally measure out your room or space. This feature

can be handy when coming up with a plan to fit office furniture into a smaller home.

Include a Project Budget in Your Office Plan

In addition to allowing you to maximize, proper planning will also help you come up with a budget. When budgeting for home improvements, it’s important to think about the scope of your project to help determine costs. Since you are creating a small home office, your project will likely be a smaller scale home improvement.

As long as your chosen home office area does not need any major work, you should be able to keep your project around $1,000. That may seem like quite a bit but it’s really not. This is especially true if you need to purchase any new home office tech. A laptop can come in handy for working at home and on the road. Whereas, having a printer can be useful in a variety of business and personal situations. Do you already have the basic equipment? If so, you can create a home office for $100 that’s both functional and beautiful, even in a smaller home.

Choose An Appropriate Work Area in Your Home

In addition to a budget, you also need to include a location in your home office plan. Since the purpose of a home workspace is to help you concentrate, it’s preferable to find an area of your home that is free from distractions. So, if you have a spare room, use it to create a focus-friendly home office. If you do not have an extra room, you can still fit in a home office, but you may need to be more creative when space is limited. This is where those built-in desks mentioned above can come in handy because you can easily use them to incorporate a workspace into your kitchen if needed.

You can also use shelving to fashion a home office out of an empty closet or corner, or you can set up a workspace in your bedroom. Your limited space does not limit your options at all, so try to think outside the box a bit. Or, think outside your home and set up a workspace in your garage or even a small shed. Prefab sheds are pretty easy to assemble and are perfect for those who need more space to incorporate a studio.

Come Up With a Color Palette for Your New Workspace

You have a plan, space, and a budget all sorted out. Now it’s time to have a little fun with your home office project. While the central focus of your efforts is about maximizing space in your smaller home, you also need to make sure your new office complements your personal style. Selecting the right paint colors can help you do that. Calming shades of blue, gray, and even off-white can all create a cool and collected atmosphere in your new office. Since you are working with a smaller area, you can use these colors to create an accent wall that will help your workspace feel more put together.

Paint is the simplest way to add an accent wall to your home office, but you can up the style by using other materials as well, such as stone or wood. If you want to add some storage to this space, DIY floating shelves can set an organized tone as well. This is an effortless way to create some custom style in your home office while also providing spots to store all of your office essentials.

Know Where to Go to Find Multi-Tasking Furniture

Once the paint is dry and your space is all set up, it’s time to start putting your home office together. Before you begin, you’re going to need at least some basic furniture to make your space functional. If you chose not to go with a built-in desk, you need to look for a desk that will give you space to work without taking up too much space itself. A secretary desk could be a good option, especially when you can easily fold it up to create more space. Most modern secretary desks are made especially for smaller spaces and take up as little room as possible.

Another home office furniture essential you need is a comfortable chair. These fashionable chairs will fit in with any aesthetic and offer comfortable support for your body as you work. You can even use them as extra seating if you have company in your smaller home. Finally, no home office, or room for that matter, is complete without some decor. There are some pretty creative decor options, depending on your personality and taste. Just try to look for decor that’s functional to really maximize the utility of your limited space.

Customizing your new office to fit your smaller space can feel impossible. With the tips above and the right planning though, creating a stylish home office in your smaller apartment or house is actually pretty simple. It can be fun and fulfilling to complete on your own too. If you’re still feeling overwhelmed with your home office project, you can always spring for interior design services too to make your project completely effortless.

More About the Author

Alice Robertson began her career in the home organization industry as a professional house cleaner. After cleaning and organizing her clients’ homes for years, she decided to open her own home organization business. Over the years, she has built an impressive client list, helping to make spaces in homes and businesses more functional. She recently created tidyhome.info as a place to share the great cleaning and organizing advice she has developed over the years.

How to Be a More Productive Manager

Being a successful manager means enabling your team to achieve maximum efficiency. Therefore, being productive with a minimal amount of effort. When a manager steers their team into a workflow that works, the business starts to largely manage itself. Of course, there will always be work for a manager to do. But with an efficient team, managers can focus their time on other important tasks.

However, when a manager prioritizes productivity above all else in the wrong way, it can cause enormous damage to their workforce. Worse still, managers run the risk of burning out their employees. They achieve a short-term boost in productivity but rapidly burn out the team; thus, demoralizing them.

If you want to be more productive in your workplace, you need to go about it the right way. The wrong approach will sink your business and actually decrease your productivity. You need to increase your productivity in a way that is sustainable in the long-term.

Using Empathy

This is really important if you are going to get the most out of your team. Ideally, you should actually try and experience your business from the perspective of your frontline workers. This might mean going into a retail store to spend time serving customers. It could also mean going through the back of house administrative procedures and seeing for yourself the efficiency of your current processes.

Not only is this a fantastic strategy for improving productivity, but it will also go down well with your workers. It will demonstrate to them that you care about their experience of your business. It’s all well and good telling your workers that you care about them and that you value them; but, this will be a firm and undeniable demonstration of your commitment to them.

Reduce Stress to Increase Productivity

Stress is a common cause of inefficiency, both for an individual and at a systemic level. Stress can come from a variety of sources in our personal and professional lives. Some people are able to roll with the punches and remain unphased by everything; other people are in a perpetual state of anxiety and worry constantly about things. Both personality types are capable of being productive.

People who worry will always worry, but you can help them to channel their anxieties into thoroughness. Instead of worrying about a big project, worry about the smaller steps involved that you can easily achieve. Encourage your workers to see their larger goals as smaller, more manageable steps. This is the least stressful way of approaching large projects and it also encourages productivity.

Be Patient

You won’t be able to transform your business’ productivity overnight; you will need to have patience with your employees and with yourself. They will require your patience because new procedures and policies often take a while to sink in. Whether you are learning to play an instrument or training to lift weights, practice is the key to success. It is natural that we are not very good at things that we have little to no experience with; the more we do them the better we become.

Managers who attempt to increase productivity by cracking the whip harder and browbeating their workers will rapidly deplete the morale of their workforce. This is when those worker burnout scenarios begin to arise, and productivity ends up decreasing. If you want your productivity increase to be sustainable in the long term, you will need to be prepared for it to take time to implement the necessary changes.

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Be A Consistent Manager

When you first start implementing your new productivity measures, you might need to adjust them. Even the best ideas on paper often need to be adjusted after they come into contact with reality. Your productivity measures will be no exception. For example, you may well design a new procedure for managers in your business to complete their end of day admin work that seems like a great idea on paper. However, when you actually go through the procedure for real, you will often notice other, more efficient methods.

If you want to reduce the amount of runway, you need to get your new productivity measures off the ground. Consider sending your managers to a first line management training course that companies like The BCF Group provide. Their first line management course will equip your managers with all the skills they need to not only boost their productivity but to increase their overall efficiency. First line management courses will provide your managers with the training that they need to perform their job correctly. For the best first line manager training courses, check the link.

Productivity is one of the most important metrics for measuring how well a manager is performing. A workplace that is productive is a workplace that is making money. However, a productive workplace should also be a happy workplace. As a manager, you have the power to induce long term changes to your business’ productivity. Start planning today for a more productive and more profitable future.

This post was written in collaboration. Collaborative writing means that while I have contributed to this post and edited its content and formatting, I am not its original author. By posting this content on my blog, I may receive financial compensation. Want to guest post for Jihi Elephant? Learn more here.

Daily Activities That Can Help Raise Motivation

Motivation in human beings is incredibly important. It is the thing that makes most things in our lives happen. In other words, if we don’t have the will to do something, we won’t do it at all. And motivation is what drives our will, what makes us do things to change something in our lives.

That’s why it’s essential to master motivation on a daily basis, to be able to inspire ourselves even if sometimes nothing goes our way. Motivation is what will move you to create new experiences and grow as a person. So, you need to know how to evoke motivation through a number of daily activities and help yourself.

1. Eat some chocolate

The effects that chocolate has on our brains are no myth. The release of dopamine it causes increases your heart level, which then increases your motivation. And not just that – it also increases serotonin and phenylethylamine that bring you both calm and the much-needed stimulation. So, in just one minute after eating chocolate, you’ll be feeling positive effects.

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2. Surround yourself with green

We all know certain colors affect our mood, and in only 10 minutes you’ll get a boost in motivation if you surround yourself with color green. And how can you do that when you need it? Well, easy – go outside! Take a short walk in your garden or go to the nearest park. Just go to a place filled with bushes and trees, and you will feel the motivation rising in you

3. Connect motivation to good feelings

It’s hard to feel motivated if you’re doing something you don’t like. The trick is to connect that annoying activity with something positive, like a favorite song. So, every time you need to do something you’d rather skip, just play your song and soon the feeling you get when you listen to your favorite song will prevail the feeling of annoyance because of the activity, and you’ll start feeling motivated.

4. Change the question

Sometimes when you get stuck, and your mind runs out of ideas, an easy solution could be to just change your focus. And in order to change focus, you need to change the question you have been asking yourself. It is usually a negative question, for example, “What is wrong with this situation?” or “What am I doing wrong?” Of course, you’ll find tons of answers to that, meaning just listing negative things and you won’t get motivated that way. Instead, change it to a positive question, like “What is good/right about this situation?” You will quickly start finding all the good things about it and slowly feeling your motivation is back.

5. Split your to-do list in half

If you take on too many things to do on a daily basis, you are bound to be disappointed, demotivated and angry at yourself. You need to be more realistic about how many things you can get done in one day, so the road to success is to cut that list to half. That way, you’ll enable yourself to do all of the things on the list, which will make you feel good about yourself and instantly motivate you to take on the tasks of the following day. It’s easier to be motivated when you have already achieved something and empowered yourself.

6. Move your physical boundary

To be a complete person, you need to awaken your motivation when it comes to testing your physical limits, no matter how small they are. Start with giving yourself a task on a daily basis that includes, for example, crossing a bicycle route that you’ll frequently change and maybe even make longer as the time passes. To avoid any problems like a flat tire (that will affect your mood and, of course, kill the motivation flow) and bad terrain, you should be prepared for all conditions. Buy high-quality tires, carry a bike pump with you and get a good mudguard – there won’t be anything to interrupt you daily motivation route.

7. Get your focus

This modern tech time brought us 24/7 connection with the whole world, making us constantly swarmed with messages, emails and video calls. The internet and all the gadgets we carry in our pockets and keeping next to us while working distract us from what we are trying to do, interrupting our chain of thoughts and preventing our motivation to spread its wings. So, next time you are trying to do something meaningful and are in need of motivation, disconnect from all the sources of unnecessary information and fun and get to work. Focus.

Final words

Small tricks that you do in 5-15 minutes can do wonders for your everyday motivation. Of course, they won’t all work with the same intensity for you, and maybe some of them won’t work at all. You just need to find out which ones do you well the most.

Meet the Author

This post was written by Audrey Taylor. Audrey was born in San Francisco and moved to Adelaide at the age of five. Marketer researcher and social media manager on hold, full – time mommy of a cheerful two-year-old. Graduated from Queensford college, worked in a couple of marketing agencies across Australia, eager to learn more about business and share her experiences. Traveled across Europe. Her hobbies include home decorating, fashion, travel, music, old movies.

Keep Productive All Day With These 7 Tips

Being productive throughout the day can be such hard work when you got to organize your day and plan your day thoroughly (which takes time). But really, it isn’t! Sometimes, even if you don’t feel productive in those days, try to experiment with what works best and what doesn’t and keep it a daily habit in your life.

Tips to Stay Productive All Day

Don’t be afraid when you missed a day or two. I know it took me some time to get used to the habit and when I failed to do so, I start again and continue on these habits. Seriously, I’m only just a student! Sometimes, work can build up, and I have to have late-nighters writing up two essays equalling up to 2500 words and a project that I need to complete within the next week. But the reason you’re here is that you want to find out ways to be more productive throughout the day and end the night feeling accomplished.

1. Wake up early

The recommended time to wake up is 5 – 7 am. If you want to wake up early, then you got to sleep early (that’s how it works, folks). I’ve tried waking up at 5 AM before, and the end result came to me finishing off more work than I usually did waking up at 8-10am. Oh yeah, I also got more time to myself later in the afternoon, and I felt much more accomplished. And can we talk about watching the sunrise? It’s so uplifting to see the sun waking up with you. Oh, nature. And when you use an alarm, make sure you don’t snooze or hit that snooze button!

2. Use a Planner with a To-Do List

Having a planner is a great way to keep you on the right track when it comes to planning out your day. You can either use a physical, digital or even just a piece of paper for writing down your to-do list. There are plenty of free digital planners that are available in the app stores that can be installed on your phone and computer. I personally like to use physical planners because I don’t have to worry about losing my data if my phone or computer crashes (this actually happened back then when I forgot to back up my data. Oops).

3. Eat a Good Breakfast

Start the day off by making breakfast with food that is high in protein like eggs, beans, dairy products and meat and add in vegetables and fruits (of course). You got plenty of time to do this because you’ve wakened up early. Protein helps repair cells, builds tissues in our system and is important for our bones, muscles, cartilage, blood, and skin. With Protein, you’re also inputting energy into your system so you can focus on what you’re doing.

4. Meditate after you wake up

Ever since I started meditating at 6 AM each morning, the way I handle my day better improved. It helps to reduce anxiety, stress, and insomnia that I use to have. Start meditating in the morning after waking up because you’re well rested and ready to start the day. Everyone is still asleep giving you a reason to have peace & quiet with no distractions.

5. Exercise

Exercising releases adrenaline, keeps you fit and makes you more motivated and more likely to be productive. Say, go for a run, jog or stroll in the morning or later during the day. I take a stroll later in the day because depending on the weather, mornings are always freezing! You don’t have to go to the GYM all the time (unless you want to). You can exercise at home using free apps or looking up on Pinterest.

6. Make Your Bed

We can agree than organizing, or spring cleaning is like the best way to feel motivated, confident and happy. Being organized can also increase your productivity. You will start the day off more accomplished since you just did your first task; making the bed! Decluttering helps you reduce anxiety. It involves physical activity, so you’re keeping fit. Decluttering is also mindfulness because it doesn’t take a lot of thinking and creates confidence and self-efficacy.

7. Set a Goal

Lastly, set at least 3-5-day goals or make a weekly goal that you want to achieve that day. The purpose of setting a goal is to make yourself feel accomplished, motivated, satisfied, focused and confident. Confident that you could achieve anything as well as point you in the right direction toward being more productive. Isn’t that what life’s purpose is?

I always set a weekly goal and write down things that I have accomplished every Sunday. Sundays are like my only days off, but depending on you, you can either do this at night or whatever time fits you best.

Meet the Author

Bio: This post was written by Ellen of ZyraKuma. Ellen is a blogger and owner of her lifestyle site ZyraKuma. She writes posts about lifestyle, self-care and blogging tips. She is currently a student in Australia who is pursuing a career in Illustration or Graphic Design. Ellen loves to draw, play video games, read and help people. She also has a pet duck. You can view more from ZyraKuma on Instagram, Pinterest and, Twitter

A 3-Layered Study Plan to Green Light Your Education

The fact you’re reading this post suggests you’re struggling to get your head around college organization. Fear not. A shocking number of students feel as though they could drown under that pressure. And, it’s no surprise when you have teachers telling you that how well you do here will dictate your life. Talk about stress! Read on for more on our 3-layered study plan!

3-Layered Study Plan

One of the main things we struggle with as students are finding the time to study. Sadly, that’s about the most critical part of your college career. Even if you attend all the lectures and their extras, not making time to study could see you struggling to survive your first year of college.

But, that knowledge may leave you asking, how can you find the time? If you’re already struggling (and most students are), how can you create space for even more work? It might seem like an impossible task, but trust us; it isn’t. In truth, all you need to do to get on top here is a bullet journal and a three-layered study plan like this one.

Layer 1: The Time You Don’t Have

The blank page is the most daunting thing about starting a bullet journal. How do you even begin to section your life into a workable plan? Well, jotting down the times when you know you’re busy could be a good start. This will help you develop at least some idea of your timetable, and that’s most important of all. So, step one is to create pages which outline everything from your class times, any educational trips you have in the pipeline, and even planned social occasions. After all, meeting up with friends is also essential if you want to keep your sanity. Use a red pen for these areas to show that they’re no-go’s. You won’t need to worry about those hours because they’re taken and accounted for.

Layer 2: The Time You Could Have

Next, move onto the time you could use for study. By this, we meantime which isn’t strictly free but could still be put to good use. You know the type of stuff; lunch hours, commute times. These are periods of your day which are taken, but only loosely. Fill these in yellow. Then, you can leave aside quick-fire study tasks for occasions like these. If you have an activity which will only take half an hour, set it aside and don’t pick it up until there’s a yellow square on your study horizon.

Layer 3: The Time You Do Have

The hard part is out of the way. You’ve separated the time you spend doing stuff in your day. Now, grab a green pen and get into the body of your study plan. If there are white squares left on this journal page, consider using them for your studies. Of course, we all need downtime. Make sure to leave yourself at least one blank space a day. But, the rest of your schedule should be used to get your studying done!

This post was written in collaboration. Collaborative writing means that while I have contributed to this post and edited its content and formatting, I am not its original author. By posting this content on my blog, I receive financial compensation. Want to guest post for Jihi Elephant? Learn more here.

A lot of students feel they are drowning under the pressure. If you’re strugglingall you need to do to get on top is this three-layered study plan!

How to be Productive When You Don’t Want To

Being productive when you do not want to be is one of the hardest obstacles to overcome. Finding the motivation to complete the tasks you need to might ultimately come down to one thing: taking care of yourself. A lack of motivation might also be a lack of interest. This article will give you everything you need to be productive when you do not want to be. This post may contain affiliate links

Routine | Create Habits

One of the most effective ways of being productive when you don’t want to is to create a routine and build habits. If you wake up at the same time every day for an extended period, it will become natural, and after a while, it will be more effort to vire from your routine than to wake up as usual.

Create a regular routine. For example, every day I am up between 7:30 and 8:30 AM. At this point, I get up, use the restroom, wash my face, and get ready for the day. Once I am dressed, I make my bed and open all of the blinds to let in the fresh sunshine. At this point (Usually approaching 9 AM), I make myself breakfast and boot up my laptop. I go into each morning with one large task in mind to complete, I then finish that task first. I then close out my day with dinner around 7 PM, yoga for 20 to 60 minutes, and a shower.

Having this routine for a long time, I have begun doing this without even thinking about it. Before I know it, I am productive and following my regular plan. Building this routine was not easy, it was hard, but one day something just snapped, and it was more uncomfortable not to follow my routine than it was to be productive. Create a routine that fits your needs and practice it until it becomes a habit.

Self-Care | Take Care of Yourself

Taking care of yourself is essential to being productive. If you do not take care of yourself, and as a result don’t feel good, you will not want to work. I am at my least productive after eating a bunch of junk food, not having slept well, or skipping my regular exercise.

What makes you feel most sluggish? Whatever it is, cut it out—Do NOT do it anymore. Make a point to find a replacement. For me, I replace candies with yogurt and fruit. I replaced soda with carbonated water. Find alternatives that work for you.

Additionally, it is essential to have a self-care plan. You need to work this plan into your schedule. Some items on my plan include washing my face every morning and night, eating a healthy breakfast in the morning, doing daily yoga (even if it’s only for 15 minutes), watching YouTube videos before bed, and getting to sleep at a decent time. Create a self-care plan full of things that make you feel better, and implement it into your routine!

Need more self-care ideas? Check out my 30-day challenge or these 10 quick self-care ideas!

Enjoyment | Positive Outlook

One of the biggest hindrances of productivity is a lack of interest in what you are doing. If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you won’t want to do it. Makes sense right? So what do you do about this if what you need to do is your job or required? Try to look at everything you find aweful with a positive twist. Reward yourself for completing these tasks. If you have boring paperwork to complete, try telling yourself that once you complete the paperwork you can get up and take a lap around the office, or you will get that raise you’ve been waiting for. Set up a reward system for completing boring or menial tasks.

If you think that you might be burnt out of your job or if you hate your job as a whole, consider talking to a career counselor about possibly changing up your career. Finding satisfaction in work is incredibly important for a fulfilling and happy life. People spend a large majority of time at work, more than they spend doing anything else. If you hate it, perhaps you need to find a different place to work or look into going back to school in a field that you will actually enjoy—there is absolutely no shame in this! It is essential to find a positive outlook about your tasks to be able to complete them productively and if you just can’t be positive, look into changing up your career!

If you just don’t want to be productive, combat it by creating a routine, taking care of yourself, and looking at your work with a positive frame of mind.

Easy Steps to Create a Stunning Home Study Space

I don’t know about you, but I always found it easier to concentrate when I’m in a pleasant environment. In fact, being comfortable, and having an organized and personalized space around me seems to help me keep my mind focused and get much more done. With that in mind, you may be considering creating a space dedicated to study and work in your home. However, before you do check out the advice below for some help.

Choose A Location

Before you can put in a study space, you need to pick where it will go. You have to be pretty smart about this as well. You want to be smart because you don’t want to be stuck getting distracted all of the time. To this end, an area such as the attic or basement can be the perfect spot. These secluded spaces make it more difficult for people to find you and distract you. This more private space means you will get left alone most of the time to concentrate.

However, before you go ahead with installing your study space, you need to ensure that the area is suitable for long periods of time. That can mean installing basement waterproofing, heat, and light into a subterranean space, or cleaning out an attic room. Also, remember to make your that the floor is sturdy enough to hold the furniture you need.

Easy Steps to Create a Stunning Home Study Space

Pick Furniture

The next step on most folks’ lists when creating a study space is to pick out the furniture that the will need to get work done. Usually, this is a desk and chair and sometimes some books shelves and draws to keep things organized as well. Find your space becomes cluttered fast? Check out these tips.

Make sure that the items you pick are not only fit in with the decor you want but are also comfortable and sturdy. After all, you will spend quite a bit of time in that space. So, the furniture you pick needs to fit the space.

Otherwise, you could end up with a painful back for being in a chair that isn’t supportive of your posture, or even developing RSI if you don’t have your desk at the right height for your computer keyboard.

Add Personal Touches

To finish off your study areas and make it your own it’s nice to include some decorations and personalized touches. What you pick is entirely up to you of course, and many folks are happy enough with a few photos of their family and pets on the desk.

However, if you want the space to have a more cohesive look, you could choose colors that fit in with the broader scheme. Plants in metallic pots are in style this season. Additionally, hanging decorations like the paper pom poms that you can DIY are an easy decor choice.

Follow these tips and you will have the perfect study space to encourage productivity in your studies.

This post was written in collaboration. Collaborative writing means that while I have contributed to this post and edited its content and formatting, I am not its original author. By posting this content on my blog, I receive financial compensation. Want to guest post for Jihi Elephant? Learn more here.

4 Things You Need to Know Before You Start Working from Home

Working from home is not for everyone, and it is important to keep these points in mind when you’re thinking about the possibility of switching from a regular 9-to-5 desk job to a self-employed career.

Business can be a scary thing. There are so many different things to keep in mind when starting a company. But it is arguably one of the most popular ways to earn a living and still have plenty of time to yourself. There are many advantages such as being able to work in the comfort of your own home, having more time to take care of your kids and it gives you far more job security if you’re willing to invest the time into creating a solid career.

You Will Be Transforming Your Home

It is important to create your own office space at home if you want to be more productive. While many people believe that you can just move around the house with a laptop or at a local coffee shop, this is still your job. It’s important to remember that work is serious and you need to set up your very own office. Having your own office will help you if you want to be more efficient with your work.

There Will Be Down Periods

Every at-home business or career choice is going to have periods where you are not making much money. For instance, a freelancer (at least, when they start fresh) is going to have weeks or even months with a work drought, and at other times you’ll be getting more jobs than you can take on. To remedy this, you should learn about how a working capital loan works so that you can better prepare your financial situation to overcome this problem. As you become more experienced, you will have more opportunities to balance your workload as to have fewer downtime periods. But at the start, it can be difficult to stay afloat if you do not save your profits.

You Still Need a Schedule

While working at home is a great way to achieve more freedom in life, it does not mean that you can just work whenever you feel like it. You are still going to need a schedule, and you are still going to need to set working hours where you focus only on work and nothing else. It is easy to get distracted especially as you work from home, so make sure you’re taking it seriously by maintaining a set schedule and trying your best to stick to it. Learn more about time management here.

The Beginning is the Hardest Part

While working from home is a lucrative career choice that has the potential to be a large source of income, you need to remember that the start is slow. Whether you want to be a freelancer or if you want to start your own company, the beginning is where you’ll be spending more money than you make, or earning pennies compared to what more experienced at-home workers are pulling in. Don’t let this discourage you and make sure you do your best to stay afloat and build experience to grow.

If you plan on starting your own business at home, it is important to follow these pointers for success!

This post was written in collaboration. Collaborative writing means that while I have contributed to this post and edited its content and formatting, I am not its original author. By posting this content on my blog, I receive financial compensation. Want to write a post for Jihi Elephant? Learn more here.

Working from home is not for everyone, and it is important to keep these points in mind when you’re thinking about the possibility of switching.

How to Boost Productivity Working from Home

More and more people are choosing to work from home. Whether you have a home-based job, you run a business from home, or your employer offers flexible working options, it is important to be as productive as possible. There is an assumption that working from home is easy, but this should not be the case. Working from home suits many people, but others prefer the structure and formality of an office. If you are switching to a home office or you are spending more time at home, here are 3 simple ways to fulfill your potential and maximize productivity away from the office.

Establish A Routine

When you have an office job, you know that you have got to sign in and sign out at certain times. With a home-based role, there is more flexibility, but that does not mean that you should throw routine out of the window.

Most of us work better when we have set patterns in place. Establish a routine that works for you. If you are an early riser and you are more productive in the mornings, start early and tick off the most arduous or complex tasks first. If you do not feel alive until 10 am, consider a later start and work until later in the day.

You may also need to factor in time zones. If you negotiate with clients in different countries or states and the other person’s schedules. Similarly, if you participate in meetings or catch-ups with colleagues on a regular basis, take note of time zones when establishing your routine. If you are not used to working at home, it may take you a few weeks to figure out what works best for you. But you may find that this more flexible approach to working hours suits you perfectly.

Get Your Working Environment Right

When people say they are working from home, it is easy to envision them lying around in loungers with a laptop balanced on their knee and the TV on. The reality is that you are not going to be able to make working from home work for you unless the environment is right. No matter what you do and how much time you spend out of the office, you need an area that is geared towards work. This space should be a place that affords peace and the ability to focus, concentrate, and enjoy some privacy. Spare rooms, attic rooms, and garages can all work well as home offices.

Once you’ve chosen a space, think about how you want to decorate and present it. Choose furniture that will provide comfort, as well as a style. Add touches that will help you feel relaxed, but also energized. You might add houseplants or a scent diffuser machine. If you can, position your desk close to a window, as natural light is proven to increase productivity. It is also a lot more pleasant to look out over fields, ocean waves, or a garden than it is to stare at blank walls.

3 Ways to Boost Your Productivity Away From The Office

Be More Organized

When you work from home, you need to be organized. You can use the same scheduling tools as you do at the office, or you can use a wall planner or an in and out tray system that will enable you to keep track of what you have done. Establish a list of tasks and jobs every day and work on them. For more information about office organization check here, and for more information about time management check here.

It is perfectly possible to be as productive at home as you are in office. Simply apply these tips, and you will be cruising through your to-do list in no time!

This post was written in collaboration. Collaborative writing means that while I have contributed to this post and edited its content and formatting, I am not its original author. By posting this content on my blog, I receive financial compensation. Want to write a post for Jihi Elephant? Learn more here.

How to Create Effective Goals | Includes Free Worksheet

With every new year comes new goals and hopes to achieve these goals. Unfortunately, many of us create goals that never get completed. Why is this? One reason you might not achieve your goals is that the way you wrote it is too vague, not realistic, or has no deadline. This post is all about how to write effective goals that you can achieve. This post may contain affiliate links.

Learn how to write Long-Term Goals HERE or Learn more about SMART Goals HERE.

Define Your Goal

The first thing you need to do when writing effective goals is to define the goal. What do you want to achieve? This is the easy part—getting your idea written down. However, there is more to a goal than just writing it down. Your goals need to be specific, measurable, time-sensitive, achievable, and realistic.

Make Your Goals Specific

An effective goal is a specific goal. If you do not clearly define your goal using measurable terms, you will be less inclined to complete it. Your goal needs to be so specific that it might involve smaller more specific goals to achieve the overarching goal. Read more specifically about these smaller step ladder goals here.

Make it Measurable

An effective goal needs to be measurable. This means that you need to define how you will measure your goal. Are you measuring your goal by smaller tasks or deadlines within your large goal, are you measure with time or an amount? No matter how you choose to measure your goal, measure it.

Set A Realistic Deadline

If your goal does not have a due date, you will feel no pressure to complete it. How can a goal be effective if you are not motivated to complete it by a specific time? Make sure this deadline is realistic and that you have used the specifics and measurements define above to create your deadline. Having a realistic deadline can make a goal that might otherwise not be effective.

Is Your Goal Achievable and Realistic?

How likely is it that you can reach your goal by the dates you have set for yourself? To determine achievability, you must be honest with yourself. It’s common that our expectations are unrealistic, thus, making them unachievable. We get excited and don’t think about how our goal will fit into daily life. It’s often the issue that we set a date that is too soon so that we feel overwhelmed. It’s also common that we set dates that are too far away and we put off achieving our goal, leaving it to the last minute.

Effective goals written in this format are commonly known as SMART goals. They are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive. Follow this format, and you are sure to have an effective goal!

Now that you know how to write an effective goal, sit down with a pen and paper, and create your goal!

4 Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Office Space

Whether it’s a whole room in your house or apartment, a carefully proportioned square in an office building, or something in between, odds are you’re spending a substantial portion of the day in your office. Because of that, your office space – like you – has a lot of work to do. It has to be a productive space, but also one that inspires, keeps you healthy, and is generally as pleasant to be in as possible.

There’s no reason to spend 8 hours a day in an unpleasant space. So, if you feel like your workspace isn’t all it should be, read on to find out a few areas you can look to for improvements.

Hang It Up

First things first: No matter how big or small your office is, one thing you’re always in absolute control of is what’s on your desk. And if that’s a bunch of clutter, it could actually be hurting your productivity. Learn more about decluttering your desk here.

One way to fix that is adding storage, of course. But if you’ve got limited space, and no room for shelving? Try hanging things up – keys, headphones, and similar items can go straight onto hooks. Get a hangable container for your pens and other writing utensils. Anything that helps you get the random items off your desk immediately improves your workstation.

4 Simple Ways to Upgrade Your Office Space

Write It Down

In some ways, this is a lifestyle change. I won’t spend a lot of time convincing you; I remember a time in my life when I laughed at people for being so organized to carry a planner. Now? My planner never leaves my side. Let me at least say this: Writing things down gives your important tasks a physical space and keeps them from zooming around in your mind all day.

This is another simple upgrade because it’s hard to start writing things down if you don’t have the materials. And those materials come in many forms: a planner, a calendar, sticky notes – it’s all a matter of what works for you.

Feel like you’re wasting paper? Try a whiteboard for your lists. There’s nothing more satisfying than erasing items one at a time until everything’s cleared.

Add Some Life to Your Office Space

This isn’t an organization technique – it’s a way to improve your mental state. You could take this literally, and grab yourself a potted plant. If your office lacks much light, a shady plant is great – alternately, it’s hard to kill a cactus.

Of course, pictures take a lot less effort. You could hang up scenic photos, an image of your favorite painting, or even a movie poster of one of your favorites.

Adding life could mean adding bits of your own life, too. Try dedicating a space in your office to some personal effects. Photos of hobbies, a statuette of a musical instrument you play. For me? It’s a small shelf just above my desk with a handful of my favorite novels that I’ve read dozens of times.

Get creative with your space, and it’ll be a much nicer place to be.

Take A Stand – Or A Better Seat

On a more sobering note, the research is in – and sitting is truly terrible for you. To that end, I can’t stress enough the wisdom of investing in a standing desk – or, for flexibility, an adjustable one.

Still don’t like the idea of standing? You can at least make sitting healthier and more comfortable. If your back is hurting while you work at your desk, it could mean you’re not sitting correctly. Sitting properly depends on a number of factors, and it can at least be partially addressed by getting a better chair. So, make yourself comfortable in your office – it’s good for you.

Is your office space hurting your productivity? Pick at least one of these simple upgrades to implement into your own office!

Meet the Author

This post was written by Issac, a Director at 3 White Hats, a New Zealand based online marketing agency.

5 Time Management Tools You Need To Be Productive

We live in a fast-paced society surrounded by incredibly busy people. And when you are an incredibly busy person, it is hard to keep everything straight. A lot of the time this internal chaos is the result of poor time management. This article provides 5 tools for improving time management.This article utilizes Amazon Affiliate Links

#1 Sleep

The first step in time management improvement is to get enough sleep. When you are running on less than the recommended 7 hours of sleep your brain isn’t functioning at its highest capacity. Because of this, you become more easily overwhelmed, exhausted, and lazy feeling. Learn more about designing your bedroom to get a good nights sleep here.

When you are able to get 7 hours of consecutive sleep you will feel amazing! You will be more capable of handling the crazy chaos each day brings.

#2 Daily To-Do List

There are a million ways to improve your time management and one of the most common methods is a daily to-do list. While I prefer a planner with everything all laid out in one portable spot, a to-do list is super simple and easy for anyone to use.

A to-do list doesn’t have to be anything fancy or costly. All you really need is a pen and some paper.

When it comes to utilizing a to-do list, I recommend referring to it each morning. Before you get anything done, read over your to-do list and revise it if you need to. Now you know what your goals are for the day and you can get started!

#3 Planner

My favorite time management tool is my planner! There are, again, a million types of planners. You can use a bullet journal, premade planner, notebook, or an app on your phone or computer.

Bullet Journal & Notebook

I currently use a bullet journal (see my 15 simple bullet journal page ideas post or the bullet journal beginners challenge for more detail). Before making a bullet journal, I recommend looking at other bullet journals to give you some ideas. You can see a wide variety of page ideas over on my Planners and Calendars Pinterest board. Once you have figured out how you want your journal to work, you’ll need a notebook. I highly recommend the Essentials Grid-lined Notebook.

The bullet journal is one of the most customizable planner options. A notebook is very similar though. If you choose to go the notebook route, then good for you! Each person is different and the important thing is that you find something that works for you and your needs.

Premade Planners

The third option is a pre-made planner. There are a million brands and styles out there to choose from. Check out these planners by At-A-Glance, there are some great options!

Apps & Websites

The final option is phone or computer apps. There are so many apps nowadays that it is hard to keep track. Some apps that I use and love for time management assistance include myhomeworkapp.com, Google Calendar for Android, and Microsoft OneNote.

myHomeworkapp.com

I like myhomeworkapp.com because it is explicitly for homework and delivers customized notifications to my phone to remind me to get my projects done on time. Myhomework is also amazing because it works on both my phone and my laptop, providing me with access to my homework no matter where I am. Lastly, the myhomework phone app is amazing because it comes with a widget that displays my homework right there.

Google Calendar App

Google Calendar for Android is nice because it links right up to my google account making it accessible both on my laptop and on my phone. I used this app more before I discovered bullet journaling but still tend to keep it around for the reminders feature.

One Note

OneNote, like the other two apps, is mobile and laptop friendly. Here I can make quick notes or to-do lists from my phone when I do not have access to my bullet journal. I can then see these lists on my laptop.

With all your lists, to-do’s, and appointments in one place, you are now better prepared to take on everything the day wants to throw at you.

#4 Calendar

This next time management tool was already touched on a little bit, but I’ve decided to talk about it separately because of how useful it really is. Calendars provide a nice monthly overview and can include a variety of things and come in a variety of shapes.

Like I mentioned, I use my bullet journal calendar and Google Calendar for Android. However, my most-used calendar is a whiteboard. I’ve had my whiteboard calendar for so long, I don’t have a single clue where I got it. However, I was able to find a similar one, you can check that out here.

My whiteboard calendar is a life saver. I love it because it doesn’t waste paper, mounts right up on the wall with Command Strips, and can be easily accessed by everyone in my household. I usually put appointments, work schedule, and events up on this calendar, so it is less about detail and more an overview.

#5 Have an Organized Space

The final time management tool is having an organized space. If you are living in clutter, then you will feel cluttered. Having a space that is designated for your work and has all the supplies you require within reach is essential. If you would like to learn more about how to declutter your workspace head on over my 6 Ways to Declutter Your Desk Space post.

My Time Management Tools Resource List

For busy people, it's hard to keep organized. Often, internal chaos is the result of poor time management. Here are 5 tools for great time management.

How to Create Do-able Long-Term Goals

When it comes to making a long-term goal, we are often discouraged by a goal that is too broad, seems to have no purpose or no roadmap. This post is meant to provide a step-by-step process for creating a do-able long-term goal.

Having a goal to work towards is so important, I cannot stress it enough. Goals are what keep people motivated to survive. Think about it, if you did not have a goal (even teeny-tiny ones), what would you be doing right now? Nothing, you’d probably be doing nothing. You wouldn’t need to do anything. You wouldn’t be motivated to.

More About Goals

Everyone has their own unique concept of goal-making. Some people write a daily checklist or to-do list, and others have long-term dreams. Even if we don’t notice or realize it, goals exist everywhere.

You go to the grocery store and your goal is to get groceries, maybe you have a list, maybe you are winging it—either way, it’s a goal! You go to school, your goal is to get an education, or maybe to make friends. When you lay around the house all day and your goal might be to relax after a hard week—maybe the goal is to do nothing. There is a goal motivating everything that we do.

The Makings of a Goal

There are several components to a well-written and doable long-term goal. First, you must understand what the goal is. Next, identify the purpose of your goal. Then, identify several step-ladder goals. And finally, do it!

Recognize Your Goal

To create a quality goal, you must first know exactly what you want the outcome to be. This is essentially your goal. For example, my goal is to get a Master’s degree in clinical mental health.

Your goal can be as specific or as broad as you would like it. All that is required for this step is to know the desired outcome and to write it down.

Identify Your Goal’s Purpose

Now that you have identified your goal, you need to know why that is your goal. This is called the purpose. A goal’s purpose influences how the goal is created and accomplished. The purpose is also the factor that motivates you to achieve your goal.

The purpose of my goal (getting a Master’s degree), is to be able to work as a counselor. An alternative purpose could be to further my education.

Whatever the purpose of your goal is, identify it and write it down.

Creating Specific Step-Ladder Goals

The final step to creating an effective long-term goal is to come up with a list of smaller goals or step-ladder goals. Step-ladder goals are meant to make the main goal seem less overwhelming and more doable.

To complete my long-term goal of getting a graduate degree, I must first complete other smaller goals. My step-ladder goals include getting into graduate school, completing my required courses, completing my practicum, completing my internship, and completing the necessary requirements for state licensure.

For the alternative purpose (furthering my education), I have different step ladder goals. These might include taking a variety of courses, building a good professional relationship with two faculty members, getting involved in at least one club, and participating in at least one research study.

Generally, step-ladder goals are very specific and include more detail than my simplified example lists. These goals are meant to make your life easier and to provide a step-by-step process to complete your main goal.

It is important to remember that you may not know every detail for each step-ladder goal right away. Sometimes other steps must be achieved before others can be identified. For my example, details to most of the goals cannot be specified until I have chosen a graduate program. Once I have chosen a graduate program, I will input the nitty-gritty details into my list.

It is also important to recognize that these steps are not set in stone. Life happens and things change, so cut yourself some slack. If you get working towards your goal and realize that one of your step-ladder goals aren’t helpful or that something else would be more valuable, then change it!

Implement Your Step-Ladder Goals

It is one thing to have your goals written down, but it is an entirely different thing to actually do them. I can provide you with a nice organized PDF to help you organize this information, but I cannot motivate you to go through with it. That is up to you and you are more than capable of doing it!

Just remember to write it down, make it realistic, and be specific.