3 Easy Tricks for Getting Things Done...
and looking good, too! plus, 11 fun links, including back-to-school parenting advice, inside the relationship of two tennis greats, and adorably wobbly babies!
Here in the United States, it’s back-to-school, back-to-work, back-to-real-life season, and the perfect time to dust off some of my trusty productivity hacks…
Post-it priorities. My life is ruled by my master to-do list, which I hand-write on one page of a letter-sized notebook.1 It resides on my desk at all times, I review it every morning, and update it several times each week. To maximize daily productivity, I scan the entire list, determine which 3-5 tasks I must complete that day, and write them on a Post-it note, which functions as that day’s micro to-do list. This way, I’m not overwhelmed by everything I have to do, and can focus on what’s most important.
Teeny, tiny, timeframes. When I’m procrastinating about a dreaded task, I set a very short, manageable time limit (often 15 minutes, sometimes only 5 minutes!) to take the first steps. After that, I promise myself I can take a break. Because getting started can be the hardest part of any project, once I’ve begun work, I’ll often blow through my initial deadline and start making real progress.
Glasses glow-up! This is a beauty hack for anyone whose eyebrows have succumbed to midlife thinning like mine and frequently attends online video meetings: wear your reading glasses during all online meetings, whether you need them or not! Reading glasses cleverly cover your eyebrows and frame your eyes! Sunglasses serve the same function outdoors. 😎
I hope your September is off to a good start! What are your productivity (and Zoom beauty!) tips?! I loved
’s three whimsical “little goals with peculiar punishments” for fostering creativity in her life, which can be adapted to getting anything done: “You can’t leave the room until you draw something; You can’t pee until you get 100 words down; You’re not allowed inside til you get another lyric.”
