Are You Struggling To Get It All Done? Try This!

I showed up at a client's house recently for our organizing session and the first thing she said to me was, “I was hoping you wouldn’t show up.”

She was feeling overwhelmed, guilty, and beating herself up before I even got there.

I had given her some homework to do in between our sessions and she never got around to doing any of it. When we sat down to talk about what she had actually accomplished in the two weeks since I had last seen her, it turns out she had accomplished a lot. The projects she had tackled were not on the list I gave her but they were equally as important.

It was a good reminder that she was making progress and that beating herself up over not getting the list I gave her completed was not helping her emotional state.

We often get stuck on our “To-Do” lists and feel guilty when we don’t get everything done right away.

The first step in being successful with your To-Do list is to be realistic about how much time something is going to take. If we set unrealistic expectations and we don’t accomplish what we set out to do, then we feel guilty, depressed, and unmotivated to try again.

My goal with all my clients is to help them feel successful in their day-to-day lives.

We are all trying to find that perfect balance when it comes to productivity. Today I am going to share with you how I help my clients to be more productive.

Tackling your To-Do list in 3 easy steps:
Bigger tasks could require a bigger time commitment from us. Dedicating 2-3 hours to one task at a time can feel overwhelming and in turn, we just never start it at all.

So, let’s break it down. Take the task that you think will take you 2 hours and break it down into 30 minutes a day. We can all find 30 minutes a day. This may mean you look at social media a little less or leave your errands for later, but I promise if you are committed to yourself it is possible

Put it on the Calendar. This step is very important. Whether you are using a digital calendar or a physical calendar, this step is the same: put the task on your calendar and set a reminder 30 minutes before. Knowing yourself and when you feel the most productive during a 24 hour period is key. I know if I don’t tackle the more cognitively challenging tasks first thing in the morning, I just won’t get them done.

Turn off all distractions. If your task is computer-related, close all browsers and turn off notifications. If you are doing a physical task, turn your phone to airplane mode. Set yourself up in a space that is going to have the least number of distractions. Lastly, set your alarm so you can hold yourself accountable for that 30 minutes.

Commit to yourself like you would any other appointment in your day.

You can commit to showing up for those important meetings with other people, so respect yourself like you would anyone else and show up.
I promise, when you get through those 30 minutes you will have that feeling of success. It will improve your mood and motivate you to continue moving forward.

Be Well,

Meghan LeBaudour