BEING PRODUCTIVE AND SANE
Hello,
For the last few days I’ve been in and out of work. Not really because I was entirely slothful but because I wasn’t well organised and fell a little bit ill. I came down with something last weekend and it almost sent me to the hospital, but thank God for today. I am stronger and better ^.^.
To the former factor of me not being as organised, it was entirely my fault. I am someone who works on to-do lists and plans tasks to the detail. Impromptu doesn’t work for me. At the beginning of each week I write out all I need to do and set reminders. I like to consider myself a fairly busy person. I currently run about 3 different ventures hence, I do a lot of mental work for totally unrelated businesses which could be quite demanding.
When I was analysing my productivity for last week it was beyond average. Amidst the fuel scarcity, lack of electricity and my personal inadequacy I didn’t achieve as much as I would have loved to. I was basically running behind schedule in replying emails, running errands and taking care of my self.
This new week I set out goals to get back on track. I thought to myself, what did I do in the past that helped me achieve the maximum potential of my time. I then came up with some Pointers which I thought to share with you.
1.WAKEUP EARLY! Sleep is great but can be the ultimate enemy. It’s been raining heavily lately, and you know how sleep and rain are a match made in heaven. I realised that waking up at least an hour before my usual time helps me to get through the day more efficiently. I wake up early and do my morning rituals (i.e my devotion, check emails, tidy my bed, take a shower, iron my clothes and pack up my bag for the day). For now, I don’t have a job that requires me to be at the office by 8’0 clock hence it has encouraged me to drag my feet, besides the office is a 15mins drive from the house so you can imagine the bliss.
However, I know from experience that one must be faithful and excellent in all endeavours regardless of how comfortable. Waking up early is one thing I feel can totally orchestrate the order of your day. It allows the day to go un-rushed thereby getting things done efficiently.
2. EAT RIGHT: No matter how much of a James Bond you think you are, nature must take its course. Part of the reasons for my breakdown last week was because I wasn’t eating well. I eat out a lot! I can count on one hand how many times I’ve cooked since I came back to Nigeria (5months +). I used to be a health junkie. Taking smoothies, lots of water and small but adequate portions of food. That kept me fit, alert, energised and ready for each day. But lately I get so occupied that I eat once a day, but that meal would be mighty. Surprisingly I have not added or lost weight significantly regardless of this diet change. Instead it breeds problems like fatigue, stress and less mental work. Everything would feel like a chore because there’s no fuel to keep you going. See nutrients as fuel.
3. STICK TO YOUR PLAN writing to do lists are a must do for me. Either on my door, In my journal or on my phone. Now the problem is not in the writing but in the implementing. To be very productive you can’t be procrastinating or changing plans. I use the scale of preference method with Plans. I start out with the most important to the least important. This helps me to ascertain where and what to give priority to. Trust me when you stick to your plan you feel so fulfilled!
4. CREATE A BALANCE in the last 5months I’ve been bed-bound twice, not because of a fever but because of self-imposed stress. I like to see my self as an overachiever. When I start something I must complete it to the end, no breaks.
In between planning the Naija naturals event, running errands, sending emails, writing proposals, updating the blog, Attending meetings, driving in traffic, running my other businesses, honouring event invites and still try to be a Babe. It was only a matter of time before I crashed. I was going too hard on myself.
I’ve learnt that it’s always good to create a balance. So now I do any kind of work between 7am-5pm and that’s it. Evenings are to sleep, catch up on social media and bond with loved ones. While on weekends I treat my self to good meals, home chores and church. I’m pro living a wholesome life balance. I.e your work, leisure, relationships, health, spiritual and financial life are all in sync. Nothing should suffer because of the other. They are all a part of you, created for your maximum productivity and not to drain you.
Those are all the points I thought to share, do feel free to tell me what things you do to keep you productive and sane! Hope to hear from you soon….
Have a great week ahead!
Xoxo Tosin!
AFRICANISM COSMOPOLITAN 
This post is IT! spot on! I can testify to waking up early makes you productive. Lol @ one mighty meal…I can relate cuz I do same a meal a day with lots of junks (chips, gala, chinchin, etc)
Self discipline (being able to say no to self where required) is one thing that also helps me stay productive.
Ha! true! Self discipline is Key!
Lovely and candid post. I can testify to the waking up early goodness. I hate having to rush and waking up early helps a lot.
I pre-plan my days, the day before. I use my phone to set reminders and time targets. I understand how being organized can save me a whole lot of stress, not that it’s top notch every time, but I try.
I really enjoyed reading this post. Cheers to living a balanced life!
Well done, babes!
Thank you Princess for reading! xx I agree with pre planning, helps a whole lot!
dis is d real talk; planning matters a lot in our day to day living. nice one dear
I really try to plan time but it just seems impossible. I wake up as early as 5am and i don’t get to sleep before 10pm. Trust me it’s all office work. Lagos traffic takes most of my time to and fro.