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10 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Organized
I don’t know if you have problems with procrastinating like I sometimes do but here are 10 ways to stop procrastinating and get more organized!
Procrastinating has always been a struggle for me. It actually runs in my family. I think back to when I was in school and I see just how bad I was at procrastinating. I would do anything other than my homework or clean my room.
Instead, I would, of course, choose things that were fun and put off the not so fun things.
As I became an adult, mother and wife putting things off can end up being a really bad thing! You have to be prepared and use your time wisely if you want things to get done. I learned as the years went by to overcome my procrastinating habits.
However, they seemed to creep back to me when it came to blogging. I will put my mommy and wifey duties first and then blogging last but then guess what?
My blog can’t grow like I want it to without me working on it!
So I sat down and really thought about the things that are making me procrastinate and put my blog on the back burner. It ended up being things like cleaning the house, cooking supper, homework, etc. Those things I would put before working on my blog.
Those are all things that I have to get done still but I knew that I should still be able to have plenty of time for my blog still.
So I decided I needed to put my blog on the top of the list instead of the prize at the end. I look forward to working on my blog so I would tell myself after my chores I get to work on my blog.
Well, as you know chores as a mom never end.
You have to stop and make time for your blog and stop procrastinating that work. Once I rearranged my schedule I have noticed a huge difference!
Here are the 10 ways to stop procrastinating and get more organized that have helped me find time to be more productive with my blog!
1. Identify what takes up your time.
What is taking up most of your time? If you were to stop and really think about any spare time you have what are you doing? Then decide if that is time well spent or not!
Whether we like to admit it or not I believe we all have this same time waster and that is social media or for me mainly Facebook. I just love to watch all the animal videos and read all the funny memes and I won’t even notice but 30 minutes can go by in the blink of an eye!
Cleaning
Not everyone will probably have this one but I have a hard time focusing on my blog when there are dirty dishes in the sink or laundry piling up. I feel like I need to be doing those so I will work on those first then my blog.
Which as you know dishes and laundry are endless pits and they magically fill back up so I have been telling myself they can wait.
Overthinking
This one is a very hard one for me. I over-analyze everything and it can paralyze me at times. I’m not able to actually get anything done because I am overthinking it all too much.
I have been telling myself just to do it, stop thinking, just do it! That’s how my husband is, he can work circles around normal people and sometimes I feel like I’m lucky to get anything accomplished! We have very different personalities though.
Sometimes mine is better because I think before acting but then sometimes his personality is better because he gets more done. Either way, I do know to overthink is not the answer!
Husbands/Kids
It is too easy for families to ask mom for help with everything or they continue to go about their lives while mom handles everything. Well just like a normal job, your blog needs attention, time, and effort. All the other stuff will have to wait.
When I end up cleaning and putting all that stuff first and then think “I am going to work on my blog later”, that’s when my husband walks in the door and wants to spend time together. Of course, I want to too but sometimes I need to just say no I need to get this done on my blog.
I actually just tried it last night and he was completely supportive! The same goes for the kids. Of course, don’t push your kids aside to always work but instead find a healthy balance.
2. Reorganize Your Schedule
This is close to what we talked about above but with a little different spin. What I mean by that is the order in which you do things throughout the day will help you accomplish more too. Just like how I said I would put cleaning first and blogging second.
I switched those around. I got myself in the blogging zone in the morning so after lunch, I felt like I had accomplished something. Then I would not feel guilty about taking the afternoon to get caught up on cleaning, preparing supper, and get my daughter off the bus and work on homework.
I still got the things done that I wanted to get done but instead of blogging being at the end of the day where it was too easy to be pushed off it was moved to the beginning of the day so it was for sure getting done.
Another great thing to put at the very beginning of the day is working out.
It takes 30 minutes and can be well worth it on the productivity of your day. Working out helps get me in the right gear to get more done in the day. It, of course, has health benefits as well but who cares about that right?!
Just kidding! But really you can’t go wrong with putting a workout in your day!
These might help you with #2 and #3.
A lot of bloggers use bullet journals to help keep them on track. They are perfect for a catch-all for blogging and life. I personally got a bullet journal, pens, and the fun washi tape and I love them!
I found this bundle pack that has them all together plus stencils and stickers!
One of my favorite parts of the bullet journal is how you are able to create your own pages. That is the hardest part about finding a planner that I like. The pages are never laid out like I want them.
This way each page can be different! You can create it to your liking.
One page could be a calendar and the next could be a grocery list! It’s all up to you!
3. Make a List
Make a list of the things you want to accomplish during the day and then map out your day. At the beginning of the day, I think about all the things that need to be done.
Between what’s for supper, is tonight gymnastics, what yards need to be mowed (we have a small lawn care company), have I billed everyone for said yards, where am I at on my blog, etc. It can get overwhelming.
If I don’t write it all down then I forget and things don’t get done.
If I make a list and I see what all needs to be done then I just start chipping away at that list and I love seeing those things get crossed off! When I get to the end of the list I feel so good! I feel like I can relax a little and that I have earned it!
Also having that list you can see the order in which things need to be done. If there are things that need to all be done while you are in town then group them together. Things that need to be done at home then group them.
Then multiple things can be done at once and crossed off the list all at once!
4. Give Yourself a Time Limit
Allow yourself only so long to do each thing you need to accomplish that day. Set a time limit for each item. This sets a sense of urgency when you see you only have X amount of time left to finish that item.
This also keeps you from spending too much time on one item. I do the budgeting for our family so every Friday I like to see where we are. Payday Friday I map everything out and then the next Friday I see how we are doing.
I enjoy doing this and I like to plan ahead and see what all we can save or pay off so I have been known to waste a whole day doing it! Like I said I really enjoy it and with a mapped out plan it makes me feel better seeing where we could be if we follow that plan.
Now life has a funny way of not caring about what you have planned so it never works perfectly but at least I tried! It shouldn’t take all day or even hours but I can end up spending hours.
This is when I have to set a timer. It should only take 30mins-1hour tops. Also, the time limit works great for cleaning because I see that oven timer ticking down and I really rush to get it done so I can be more productive with my day!
5. Pick Up The Pace
I have a very laid back personality so I can just mosey along with my day and get half as much done that I could have if I would have just picked up the pace. Like I said with my husband. The reason he can work circles around normal people is that he only has one gear….fast!
He is 6’4 so I don’t know if it’s because he has long legs or if he is just always in go mode but I can’t even walk with him at the store he always leaves me in the dust. I will even be trying hard to keep up!
So I have tried hard to pick up the pace while working on my to-do list.
It works great along with #4 and setting a timer. It just lights a little fire under you to get more done in your day.
Get your Free Printable!
Download this printable to hang on your wall to remind yourself to stay focused! Don’t procrastinate, download it for free now!
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6. Multitask
Now some people say this can cause you to be less productive but I’m not talking about talking on the phone while typing a blog post. I am talking about turning on the washer and dishwasher first so they can run while you are vacuuming.
If you multitask and do things in the right order you will get more done during the day.
Maybe you listen/watch a blog video while you are cooking supper or folding laundry instead of watching T.V. Maybe you type a blog post out on your phone while you are waiting for gymnastics practice to be over instead of scrolling on Facebook.
The other day I had to drive 3 hours to meet with my friend so instead of listening to the radio I listened to videos from my favorite blogger to help better myself.
We all multitask already but choosing better things to do while multitasking will make a huge difference.
7. Wake Up 30 Minutes Earlier
We all know this is a great one that is easier said than done. I am not a morning person so waking up earlier is hard for me.
Again to use my husband as an example he wakes up 4-5am and goes hard until 9-10pm. I tell him all the time to wake me up earlier and he laughs because it is like mission impossible! The problem is you don’t want to give yourself less sleep time.
Sleep is good for us! What I need to do it go to bed on time and waking up at a good time.
I have always been a night owl and never an early riser but when I had to for my 8-5 job plus have my daughter on the bus by 6:56am it became easier and I got more done and went to bed earlier. I have found that if I stay up 30 minutes later that I start my day off tired and grumpy and I get less done during the day.
If I go to bed on time but wake up 30 minutes earlier I still have that same 30 extra minutes but I am much more productive!
8. Meal Prep
I didn’t realize just how amazing meal prepping is! I knew to eat healthier that meal prepping made all the difference but what I didn’t know is how meal prepping saves so much time and headache period!
Growing up we never knew what was for supper each night, my mom would just wing it every night. Mind you I understand now how frustrating it can be to be the only one that is in charge of every single meal. My point is I just wasn’t raised to be organized and prepared.
I developed that later on as an adult. But planning out each meal for the week and making sure you have all the ingredients isn’t as hard as I use to make it be. I just look at the menu and start cooking! I will have everything already chopped and prepped so then I just quickly throw it together and bam supper!
It has made a huge difference! Also, it has helped our budget extremely because my husband doesn’t just order something because supper is already ready when he walks in the door from work! (I started this habit while working a full-time job because I was too tired to cook after work. But with everything prepped it saved the day!)
I started prepping lunches too. These are what I used for my daughter’s lunches and these for my husband and I’s lunches!
9. It’s Okay To Say No
This one goes along the lines of the time-wasters. I am very bad about saying no, I always get suckered into saying yes.
If someone invites us over for supper when I know I should be working on my blog I will feel guilty like I have to say yes so I do and my blog gets pushed back. If someone asked us to go on a boat ride….that one is hard to say no to but it doesn’t help me with my blog when I’m behind either. Or when the doorbell rings and it’s the neighbor kids wanting my daughter to play and now there are kids and dogs running everywhere.
Every once in awhile it’s okay to say no.
I recently had a hard time saying no and I felt guilty about it at first but good about it later. My neighbor asked if I could watch her daughter and I told her no which bothered me but at first but I thought “Darn it my life is important and my blog is important too and it deserves my attention!”
So it is okay to say no! Again, it is all about a healthy balance. You don’t want to always work and never enjoy life but you can’t always enjoy life and never work either.
10. Spark!
Spark is a complete LIFESAVER! If you haven’t heard of it then let me just change your life real quick!
Spark is an amazing healthy energy drink. I have never had a monster or any of those types of energy drinks and I was VERY skeptical about this one. Spark is made by AdvoCare and isn’t sold in stores.
You can only get it from a distributor. My bestie had signed up and finally talked me into trying it and it is like liquid gold.
I am very stingy with it. I’m not gonna lie, I do not like to share….it is happy mom juice so no one takes it from mama! I will try not to go on and on about it because I most definitely could.
Spark helped me become the productive mom I had always dreamed of being. I would drag all day and drink coffee and Mountain Dew trying to have the energy to get through the day.
Then like I said my friend gave me some to try and it was like all the lights came on and I was full of good energy! I have already mentioned I was not raised to be prepared or productive and it is something I have had to develop on my own.
This is how I did that!
When I first started drinking it in 2012 I was getting up at 5:30 working out, working all day, cooking and cleaning and still going strong until 10-11pm. I would drink one in the morning and one in the afternoon. My favorite flavor is fruit punch and I no longer drink coffee or pop (soda, I’m from Kansas and it’s called pop).
It’s sugar-free and full of vitamins and goodies so, in return, I even lost weight! I, of course, ended up signing up to be a distributor because of the huge discount so if you want more information I would be happy to share!
It’s just another amazing thing that changed my life and I would be selfish not to share that with you ladies! I am beyond thankful my friend shared it with me! It’s been 7 years of going strong and feeling great because of my happy mom juice called Spark!
There You Have It
I hope some of these tips help you kick your procrastination habit and get more stuff done! In life and with your blog!
My best advice to stop procrastinating and get more organized are these 5 simple words… MASSIVE ACTION SOLVES ALL PROBLEMS.
I heard that long ago and it clicked with me. I wrote it on a note and stuck it on my fridge so I could see it every day. It would remind me that even if I didn’t know where to start, I just needed to start. I just needed to get moving and the rest would work itself out! Keep moving forward!
I hope these 10 ways to stop procrastinating and get more organized helped you! I would love to hear any of your helpful ways to stop procrastinating and get more organized or to hear if any of these ways helped you!
Happy blogging!
Vanessa
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P.S.
Don’t forget to grab your free copy of my printable to hang up in your office to remind yourself you are productive and you don’t procrastinate!
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I do agree with all of the ideas you have presented to your post.
They are very convincing and can definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are too quick for beginners.
May you please lengthen them a bit from subsequent time?
Thank you for the post.