getting everything like cleaning and tidying done early in the day so i don't have any excuses/distractions and it also motivates me to keep going, if that makes sense :D
- Remove as many distractions as necessary. - Goal/reward. - Deadlines are a big motivator. Doing X is nebulous. Doing X before lunch is a goal. - If you find you don’t/can’t/won’t/hate doing something without a certain tool or supply, get it.
I make my to do list for the day the night before so I can follow it to the letter from the moment I wake up and not waste anytime thinking 'ooh I could just do this one little thing first'. I also put every little task in for the day such as showering and putting clothes in the wash because otherwise I'll just increase my decision fatigue when I realise I need to do those things as well as my work tasks :) also I bloody love emails and admin it's my crack
My biggest source of distraction is definitely my phone. I use the app Forest to put it down. You basically plant tree or bushes for a set time and while they're growing you can't use your phone, otherwise they'll die. Sounds maybe silly but it actually works for me 😅😂
I use the same app and love it. My flatmates regularly make fun of me for getting so invested in it. But I just hate when my little trees and bushes die 😅😂
I tend to have an ongoing to-do list but I also write a "Ta-Da" list at the end of the day and list everything I did that day. It makes me feel like I have actually achieved something with my day. I also have some sort of reward like "Do x and y then make a cuppa and play 15 minutes of Fallout Shelter (my current addiction)"
"You aren't real people; you are a camera." Whoa, you have me questioning the nature of my existence now. *AM* I just a camera, that watches people all day long? Do I not engage with the world enough?
You just really reminded me of this Christopher Isherwood quote: “I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking. Recording the man shaving at the window opposite and the woman in the kimono washing her hair. Some day, all this will have to be developed, carefully printed, fixed.”
I literally started doing RU-vid full-time as of this week and already struggling to get focused so this is PERFECT timing, thank you thank you thank you!
I couldn't agree more about the "get dressed" part. It makes so much of a difference for my mindset. I tended to wear jeans and t-shirt while working as a lecturer. And it was fine, but it surely influenced me. Once I changed career (software engineer now), I also changed my clothing style. When I go to work, I now wear a black business shirt and a colorfull bow tie. There is no dress code in my company at all, and I'm surely overdressed... but it helps me get into the professional mindset, and that's all that counts.
A trick I found that motivates me to go through my work and not procrastinate is to set timers on my phone. For example, I’ll set a timer for an hour and focus on work, no distraction, see how much I can complete in the hour, and when the hour is over I take a 15 mins break. Lifesaver.
I really admire you for being able to do this. I read it in a lot of articles about millennials (I think of myself as one) how we love to have flexible working hours and movable office place and I'm completely the opposite. I need the 9-17 job, I need the office surrounded by my coworkers, I'd be useless in working at home. But thank you for this, I will definitely apply at least a couple of those tips to my school work. :)
This is GREAT because being a stationery nerd means my boyfriend bought me a really cute planner for Valentine's Day (I chose, lol) and it's got all the times of the day on all the pages which is different from my current system. So this video has given me some ideas for how I'm gonna tweak my current system to work for my hella cute planner!!
a little tip I have is to open up a bird/squirrel feeder livecam on youtube on a nearby screen (but turn your notifications off if they're going to distract u!). it's just a lovely bit of company and makes u feel more connected to the outside world if you're alone and inside a lot :)
For the going outside- I find it helps me to start my day by going outside, wake up, go outside, go back in and then start :) then during the day, I use my times I need some water, I go to the kitchen, then take my water outside to drink it :) A glass of water's time outside is enough to shake my brain up a bit :)
Nice video. I appreciated the demonstrations of reading, sleeping, going outside, etc. Some of these tips could be used in an office environment, as well!
I love talking about email. At my workplace, I was part of a workgroup brainstorming about the use of email and the expectations of the organisation (delay of responding to emails, availability,..). We did a survey and one of the conclusions was that the vast majority of my collegues spent more time on email then they would like to. We created an email policy and some tips&tricks, for example checking mails in blocks, as you suggested; coding mails so you can quickly see if you are in the CC-box of the mail, which supposes you do not need to take any action; take an action for each email and keep your inbox clean; understanding when it is appropriate to sent an email and when it is better to make a call, stopping by,... It was very interesting and helpful :)
Oh I needed this... I'm currently really starting to look for office editing work because I'm not sticking to these tips and my productivity is just so low. But when I was in a good rhythm calendar blocking was super helpful! It helped me not feel like I had to finish my projects in one go to count as having done something, as I could say 'no, I've done 2 hours on this, I'm done.' I also found setting my phone alarm to go off at the end of each hour really helpful as it gave me the feeling of school lesson bells, and again made it easier to move on.
Oh my God I needed this video. I'm a sexuality and disability educator in Philly and side note love all of your vids! I do consulting and work a full time educator job. I can choose to work from home or go into the office and when I work from home I fall into the netflix/Nintendo switch hole.... like often..... so your tips are gonna save me!
I love this video!!! Please more “how to be productive content” !! I picked up some of these tips after being at uni for 4 years but only after a few breakdowns did I realise how important it is to be kind to yourself when you do most of your work from home!! Can’t wait to try some of these!!
Great video! More like this please. Agree with a lot of what you say. Some other things that help me : - Getting into a routine for lunch, and sorting lunch before the working day begins (or the night before). I've actually got this down to sorting out lunches & snacks once a week for the whole week. Then I only need to think about dinner. No food distractions. - Keeping the office tidy, clear desk policy where possible - no manic sort outs to distract myself from things I don't want to do - Whiteboards : using this to track important tasks for the week (not every minute detail - but mid and long term goals. Eyes on the prize) - Eat the frog : this is a thing. Start with the task I perceive to be my biggest barrier for the week. Finish or make progress before moving onto other tasks. - Not double handling tasks : you read an email. Think about following up next time you check or later. If it's something you can handle within 10 minutes, get it done so you're not reading it again or giving it headspace again! That way madness lies. I could go on.... I've worked independently for far too long ... !
So useful! My struggle as a student in a dorm is there is ONE ROOM so you literally can’t escape from the single space of bed/desk … and I don’t own a couch so bed ends up becoming a couch. Definitely a good idea to figure out how to divide my space better!
I really love your videos Hannah! And I've been loving the more frequent uploads too :) Also suuuper helpful video...As a student I find it very difficult to be productive when I'm at home.
This was so useful. No one prepares you for the switch between working at school to home once you get to uni and I WISH I'd had someone to explain to me some tips on how to actually get shit done without someone there to kick you up the ass when you aren't working hard enough. Halfway through second year and I'm only just getting the hang of it!
I think this video might help to finally motivate me to change up my university work habits. I live at the other end of campus to my lectures/the library/my department building etc. but I still tend to go back to my room between lectures and at the weekend and "work" in my room rather than in the library. However, I am very aware that I get very easily distracted in my room, probably becasue it puts me in a "relaxing/sleeping/having fun" mindset. I have noticed that I am far more likely to end up watching hours of youtube in the middle of the day or scroll on my phone while my work sits abandoned if I work in my room, compared to if I borrow a library laptop and set up a work space at a desk in the library. I know this intellectually, and I know that I SHOULD be taking steps towards being more productive, but it helps to have someone else who isn't me say it too, to really drive the point home :D
separating your sleepy space to your working space is so useful, i have a huge beautiful desk in my room but idk why i am NOT able to study there because i get so distracted by anything and nothing so i go study on the crooked ikea table in the libing room but at least i 👏get 👏 shit 👏 done
This is the video I really needed right now. I finished uni a few months ago and have been job hunting and working (or at least trying to work) on projects at home but the last few weeks I've been so bad at actually doing anything and just vegged out on Netflix all day. I'm definitely going to try implement some of these techniques into my life and try to establish a routine. Thanks for all the awesome advice! 💛💛💛💛💛
What you can also do to avoid procrastination or to arrange your calendar is to set deadlines for you tasks, and then you know quite easily what you have to do the next day, the day after etc. Even if you don't stick to it strictly, you will still organise your week in a better way. I also have my email tab always open (as well as discord...) but I'm receiving work continuously during the day and I have to apply for projects (or someone else will take them) so I can't leave the emails to the end of the day ^^ I'm absolutely not a morning person, I usually work from 2pm to 8pm, 7 days a week. But as Hannah rightly says, it's just a matter of finding how YOU work! Very good tips, thanks Hannah!
I do all of these things and they’ve worked for me. Some took me longer to implement over the years (like eating lunch and going outside) but now I can’t imagine NOT doing them.
My new favorite app for my computer is Time Out (for Mac, but there's a bunch of similar apps for Windows/phones). It reminds me to take mini breaks so I don't get overfocused on computer stuff and stay sitting all day. I find that I don't wear out as quickly when I'm using it and don't feel super stiff at the end of the day. It also helps give my eyes a break from looking at the computer.
So, emails ... if you have gmail then firstly use tags (not folders), then use filters to pre-tag the emails coming in. You can have your own system for the tags, but I use this for tagging which client an email is from and I know based on past experience and the amount of budget a client has per month if I need to read or reply to the email now or in a couple of days. Of course you can have multiple tags on an email, so if you need to reply but can't do it immediately you can have a tag for that.
Love this advice!! I'm in the middle of writing my undergrad dissertation and I've got into such a routine of working at the library and coming home to relax that it's become impossible to do any work here if I wanted to! But these are all great ideas, especially leaving your phone in the other room! Thanks for being your helpful self xx
To combine two of the mentioned points: calendar events + email If emails or notifications in general are distracting you while working, you can use focus assist on windows 10 and do-not-disturb on android (that's what I use) to hide/mute notifications. Not sure if Apple offers something similar. On android, you can set it to automatically turn on while a calendar event is taking place so it ties in perfectly with those scheduled productivity blocks in which you want to get some work done without distractions. Windows doesn't offer such a calendar event trigger so I just permanently turn on focus assist and then I check my phone for notifications once a blocked event is over.
I’m working from home for the 3rd day in a row because of a snow storm. I usually go to an office 4 days a week and work from home 1 day of week. So perfect timing on this video as I lay in bed not working because this is so hard! I’m not used to it and am super lonely and unmotivated. I’m an extrovert and need to talk to people!! Trying to figure out how to be creative and motivated so thanks for the video.
Thank you Hannah! I've watched this in a study break which was perfect. I work as a therapist but I'm on a part-work part-study contract as I'm getting an advanced diploma, so weekends and term holidays are my study days, as 2 days per week I'm at uni and 3 days per week I'm seeing patients in clinic. Calendar blocking is something that used to work really well for me but now I'm doing 2 things part-time it's much more difficult. Also because things are taking longer than they used to last time I was studying because I don't have as much time for R&R and also I have a chronic illness (which was undiagnosed before). Shall definitely check out the video you recommended for calendar blocking. I think that will help me to re-learn how to do it to make it work for me now, versus how I used to do it then. 100% agree that really important things are: keeping a regular work cycle, knowing when we are at our most productive, and taking regular breaks. I need to get better at using my breaks to go outside or exercise.
Ok next week I am definitely trialing the closing the email tab if not doing emails suggestion! - we have “power hours” at our office where we will work offline for an hour if your feeling overwhelmed by your inbox or just need a solid hour to focus only on emails without any new ones coming in but I ALWAYS end up staying on emails after a power hour and getting distracted during actual tasks by answering or looking at emails! So am excited to give it a go 🤓 thanks!
I work at home a couple of days a week and the one thing I need to remember is to keep my phone in the other room! Too easily distracted by them. Other than that, I find I can be more productive at home as I have no one to distract me/allow myself to distract myself by talking. Also let’s DEFINITELY talk about emails and being smart around them. Loving these productivity videos you are doing more of now 😀
hannah, you are a superstar! email nerding: i like to put the little 'please consider the environment before printing this email' signature i saw everyone else at my workplace using :)
This was super helpful Hannah, thank you!! Feel like I lie a lot to myself with stuff like "When I'm most relaxed I'm most focused" and "I actually focus better with quiet TV in the background" ??? So this has kinda kicked my butt into gear (thankfully) in time for my uni finals
This could NOT have come at a more perfect time! I just started working from home and I have been really struggling! It is crazy and stressful but also I love being able to do what I love as a job! I can't work outside my bedroom as I still live with my parents, but I have just set up my own mini office in my room (so literally a tiny desk with my PC and everything I need to work) and my back faces my bed, so it's like my little "office area" is a seperate part of my room from where I relax (i.e. my bed) even though my room is really small, I find that a really helpful (not being able to see my bed/my relaxation area) idea while I don't have my own place!
I have an app blocker on my phone (Stay Focused) to keep me on task but I haven’t had to block LinkedIn yet. I had a genuine laugh at that but at the same time, maybe I should watch out for that happening to me.
What keeps me distracted from my laptop (I study online) is housework. I just remember I should do laundry, or the washing up or empty a bloody cupboard and clean it... There's always something to be done at home and apparently I prioritise chores over studies. It's really hard for me to break from that!
Firstly, this video is going to help motivate me to continue my masters dissertation, secondly I could NOT agree more about the getting dressed thing, putting on a pair of jeans and a t shirt, rather than a hoody and comfy clothes makes a massive difference to my mindset
This is so interesting! I do work in an office (8-6 most days) but I’m certainly going to give calendar blocking a go... anything I can do to make me more productive
Hi Hannah I work for a large company but am allowed to work from home. All of this advise is fantastic and I use it already (most of the time). Can I add an 8th tip though. If you have other family members in the house when your working you have to define a space that is work space and be left alone to work. Also make clear working at home is not one big skive and no will not be stopping mid afternoon to go shopping. Setting this out with your partner / Children up front really helps 😁
Thanks for this Hannah! I'm currently juggling a day job with working from home on my own business and I'm really struggling to get the balance right. Some of these tips are beautifully simple and yet I had never thought of them!
I did lots of these things studying at University -especially blocking revision in a calendar! Also at work now I don't have much management so tips on planning out your work are just as helpful for some people with a 9-5 😁 Also I love a good mindmap for to do lists, it feels less overwhelming for me. Thanks for the video Hannah :)
I'm doing my masters right now and I do a lot of these! I am only in class 6 hours a week and I don't work (and I'm living abroad in Brighton so I don't have my partner/family/regular social life) so a lot of my time is open for getting work done and even getting ahead on work. I don't have a separate room that is all mine to do work but I do have a desk so I only do work at my desk and then try to take breaks on my bed or elsewhere. I also like keeping a study tumblr to post pictures of my workspace and track progress. I feel more productive when random strangers online are validating my studying lol. And also my planner is my best friend. When I'm procrastinating I try to take purposeful breaks so I'm actively resting instead of just doing other things while feeling an undercurrent of anxiety about what I *should* be doing.
May or may not have been on likedin as you were talking... so one thing if you need to up date your subscribers because it says you only have 450k haha. Seriously though great video! I work from home a lot because I actually feel more productive than when I work in the office, and my fellow co-workers are so shocked by that. Honestly I feel like you hit the nail on the head with these, but my one additional tip is if someone does actually have a main office or a boss send an update email at the end of the day with the tasks you have worked on. Personally it helps me with accountability plus I know my boss loves it. Other wise you're amazing as always. Thank you for your content!
Since living on my own at uni, I find it so hard to organise uni work and my social life. I find this so helpful, I just need to start doing it - but it's so hard 😭 you are an organised inspiration 😂😊 xx
I use Cold Turkey to block websites! (I should have used that this afternoon...) Helpful tips Hannah! I have gotten much better at being productive lately. I think it is partly due to having a set bedtime and wake up time, and a set morning routine, which makes me feel very awake and ready to do some work. Also, working together with someone helps me concentrate. As in, they'll see when I am not working haha, and you can take breaks together. :)
Thank you for this! Currently on a break from school where I need to study and not having a place where I need to be is messing with my brain. Thanks for the motivation
Talking about e-mails: they scare me an abnormal amount. I receive an e-mail one day and will stare at for days before I answer it. How do you get over e-mail anxiety and answer people in a timely manner? This is beyond important for my studies and line of work, but no matter what I try I still fall behind and get anxious over e-mail.
Practice by emailing your friends! I had the same issue when I started my job, I was so scared to reply incase I got something wrong. The more emails I sent, the more comfortable I felt and now it's no big deal :)
Thankyou so much... Much needed tips nd motivation.. 😘 I quit my job recently and gave myself an ultimatum of 1 month to sit at home and update my resume, portfolio to apply for a new job... 1 month is over, have not even opened my laptop yet.. 🙄
Back when I was a Graphic Designer (over 10 years ago) I had a really bad flare up from my Crohn's disease. So I organised with the company I was working with to allow me to work from home. I either collected the work that was needed to be done or had it dropped off to me. It was convenient that I lived 10 minutes from work. If I was designing adverts for our magazine, depending on the size of the advert, a certain block of time was allocated for the design of that piece of work. Half page advert = half hour. Full page advert = 1 hour etc... If I was designing spreads for the magazine, then the time allocated was a little more flexible depending on the number of pages for that particular spread and the amount of work that was required. Looking at the work I had to do for that particular day, I would set a time limit in which to complete said work and would not let myself get distracted. I think working from home requires a certain level of discipline. You must be regimental and stick to your plan and time frame. I always allowed for breaks. Lunch and maybe a few minutes get up and stretch every hour, as sitting at a computer all day long can be taxing on the mind and body...
This video was amazing- thank you so much for making it! I am a student trying to write a thesis and I’m really excited to try these tips out! (Also, I looooove talking about email, but I am DEFINITELY guilty of giving the kind of disruptive and immediate response that you describe! It just makes me FEEL productive b/c then it looks to whomever I am responding to that I am super on top of my game, but overall, you’re totally right! It’s a productivity drag! What are the two times of day that you check? I was doing first thing in the a.m. and then just before bed for a while, but then I totally miss business hours! Advice on how to best establish healthy email habits would be much appreciated!)
Yeahhh I've been working from home for 5 years and I only this year stopped working from my bed because my energy issues got so severe. I can't sit up at a desk all day, but I make it most of the day and then go do the last 1-2 hours from bed.
I would love to get an email from you LOL I bet it would be so professional and well written! Writing emails has honestly been a difficult part of joining the white collar work force for me because they don't have a course or anything for it in college. Obviously, I know that emails have to be professional and not sound like a text, but my boss has had to edit some of my emails before I've sent them because I get to nervous! One big tip she taught me was don't include too many questions or requests in emails (i.e. question marks can be overwhelming for readers so try to limit them as best you can). Honestly, do a video about emails and I will watch it 100%. I need any tips you can give me.
The calendar blocking really helps on my (office) job as well. I will put every task I need to do in my calendar (even if it's just some phone calls) and I put OK beside it when it's done. Which really makes me want to "OK" everything by the end of the day, I'd be so upset if there were still 5 things without an OK beside it :D
I have boomerang for gmail and it means you can (1) schedule emails and (2) pause your inbox. sometimes when I can't sleep because of a lot going on, I might try to lighten the next day's to-do list by scheduling important emails for the morning (when I'll be catching up on the lost sleep!)
The email tab thing omg! I literally only just realised a few days ago that I was doing the exact same thing 😂 have been ridiculously more productive now that I don't have my emails open all the time
