How To Get Things Done

Whether you are an entrepreneur, work professionally, a small business owner, or have multiple kids at home, you likely struggle at times to get your daily list and smaller tasks accomplished. Balancing competing priorities and preventing a distraction from getting in the way is not simple.

Where Can You Find More Time?

Heck, we all wish there was more time in the day, this way you could get every important task completed with ease. We would all have time to spare and enjoy some deserved downtime. But, you have emails in your inbox and need to be in the right mindset to get everything accomplished. Adding more hours to the day is impossible, at least the last time I checked, but having more time in life to do what you want, can happen.

You Need Some Productivity Hacks

If you want to be successful at work, running your business, or just progressing in the gym and with fitness goals, there are strategies you can apply no matter what you are looking to get done. So, how do you get shit done? Before we dive in, understand everyone struggles with this at one point or another. You lose motivation, procrastinate, and can’t concentrate on deep work but you can mitigate how often other things get in the way and finding yourself stuck. Today, I am going to relate getting shit done to your health and fitness goals but remember, you can apply many of these strategies to just about anything In life.

What Are The Time Saving Tips?

If you really want more time in your day and routinely find yourself missing workouts often or not having enough time, try these tips to get more shit done, and creating a better habit. First, you need to know what works for you. We do not all do an important thing the same exact way and that’s ok. There are many ways to attack a problem or issue and you were successful at one time. We all still have moments where we find ourselves motivated, getting things done, and other times when we are not. This is normal but we’re here to try and minimize these occurrences. 

So what worked for you in those moments?

There is no “one size fits all” in this department. What worked for each of us is unique and what works for me might not work for you. Set specific goals but allow flexibility in your approach. What I mean is if you are looking to gain 5 pounds of muscle over the next 6 months and reduce body fat by 5 pounds, that is your goal. But, this does not mean every day or every week has to look the same. You might work out 5 days this week, 4 next week, and back to 5 the next. You might also find some days earlier workouts are better and other days a later workout is best.

We all have schedules that fluctuate and specific priorities on certain days. There is nothing wrong with letting this flow but try to plan accordingly. Yes, plan for things getting in the way because it is going to happen. This is what I mean by set those goals and tasks but be flexible in the approach.

Secondly, I mentioned setting a goal above. If you don’t have a goal, set one! Winging it or being generic in “losing weight,” usually doesn’t get you going anywhere. You could actually lose weight without doing a darn thing other than reducing calories. Is this the plan or were looking to accomplish more? Set the goal, be specific and know what you have to do to go in the right direction. Setting your goal should be #1 but I wanted to set the stage with being flexible first and honestly, most people set mediocre goals at best. 

Next, get rid of distractions. If you find yourself checking your phone every 4 minutes, you are going to waste considerable time and find yourself wondering where all your time went. If this is happening to you, lock it up, put it away, throw it in the tub if you have to. Stop letting distractions suck up all your time. If you focus, put yourself in a place to be productive, you will likely be surprised at how productive you can be by eliminating a few distractions.

Also, if you can’t focus because there are dishes in the sink, take a short break, do the darn dishes, and then get back to work. Once you understand where all of your time is going, you’ll have a better idea of how to prioritize or set time aside for these little distractions. Take a 10-minute break after a couple of hours, get your social needs in and get back to getting shit done. Oh, and if these distractions are not adding value, boot them!

Thirdly, write things down. I like a good list as much as the next person, but I know this isn’t for everyone. But if you find yourself forgetting things often and then once you remember, you have to act quickly and drop what yo are doing, you might want to use a planner, calendar, an organization app or other measures (post-its still work) to help organize your day. The more efficient you can be, the more you get accomplished. I know this doesn’t sound like rocket science but this is often forgotten.

Know When It Is Time To Stop

Let’s be clear, just because you are sitting in front of a screen does not mean you are being productive. Know what your limits are in spurts or the entire day. Now I am not saying work a 3 hour day here but we all have limits, know them and stick to them. Productivity is so often confused with always being on and available, but this is the exact opposite of being productive. This will also help with recharging and getting your mind in the right place.

So, how does this apply to fitness?

Well, it all applies to fitness and having time to getting things done. Everything listed above can get in the way of having time for other things like your workout routine and fitness goals. If you cant get what you need to get done, how will you have time to get your exercise in? Here are some other things that I have seen over the years with clients.

1. Get Adequate Sleep. Sleep has a major impact on several items noted above and below. You might be surprised that many people do not get adequate sleep and are sleep-deprived. Check out this article for tips on improving sleep and get to bed earlier. This affects almost every item above.
2. Wake the heck up and stop hitting snooze. Studies show better results for those who get up earlier, even 30 minutes can make a difference, so start doing this and stop delaying your day. How many times do you hit that snooze button?!  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/early-birds-get-better-grades-09-06-2008/
3. Exercise first, if you do it first, it is more likely to get done and fewer disruptions can get in the way. Exercising first is also linked to increased productivity.
4. Spend less time on social media or watching TV. Yeah, you know your wasting time here … enough said.

Get some shit done and be your most productive self. But, cut yourself some slack sometimes too. None of us are perfect and will have a slip up from time to time. Just don’t let it be consistent.