As I’m sure you could ascertain from yesterday’s post, things have been busy for me lately. In the freelance world, that’s definitely a good thing. But, when it comes to my personal life? Well, it can leave me feeling like I want to tear my hair out.

Needless to say, I’ve been trying to make the most of each of my days. I still feel like there aren’t enough hours — but at least I’m satisfied with the knowledge that I’m using each of them to their full potential. Well, at least I’m trying to.

So, today I thought I’d share a few of the tips I’ve been implementing in order to make the most out of each day!

TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR DAY

1. WAKE UP EARLIER.

Alright, I’ll say it — I hate this one. I’m definitely not a morning person. But, there’s no denying that it’s really the only way to literally give yourself more hours in a day. If only it was easier!

2. RANK YOUR TO-DO LIST.

I have the tendency to tackle items on my to-do list that are simply easier to finish (responding to emails, posting to social media, etc.). It makes me feel like I’m getting things done, plus I get the added satisfaction of crossing a bunch of little tasks off of my long list.

However, lately I’ve been attempting to pay more attention to prioritizing. So, instead of looking at my list and thinking, “OK, which of these can I just get out of the way?”, I approach it with a “Which one of these absolutely needs to be done first?” philosophy. It forces me to prioritize the more time-pressing tasks. Plus, I’ve found that it motivates me to keep powering through the list. It feels good to get things done ahead of deadline!

3. DON’T “FILL YOUR TIME”.

This is a little thing that I’ve found actually makes a big difference in my productivity. I’m totally a guilty “time filler”. I’ll think something along the lines of, “Oh, I only have ten minutes until I need to leave for that meeting, so I’ll just scroll through Facebook!” I don’t need to tell you — that’s wasted time.

Since I’ve been trying to prioritize more, there are always still a few lingering small tasks on my to-do list at any given time. So, now I’ll look at my list and pick out the items I can get done in the amount of time I have. Whether it’s responding to one email, creating a blog graphic, or promoting something on social media, I’m making the most of those ten minutes! That all adds up really fast.

4. IMPLEMENT A “SHUT DOWN” TIME.

I feel like I mention this in literally every post I write. And, it’s something I’m still working on. But, I don’t want you to equate “making the most of your day” with “working until you literally fall into a heap on the floor”. No, making the most of your day definitely still involves some personal time.

So, make sure you set a firm shut down time so that you’re leaving enough space in the day for things you want to do, rather than need to do. Hopefully you’re better at this than me.

5. SCHEDULE THOSE OVERWHELMING TASKS.

You know those tasks that keep rolling over on your to-do list day after day? The ones you keep putting off because you just don’t know where to start? I deal with those all the time — and I’ve started scheduling them.

What does that mean? I’ll literally write a time to work on them in my planner. For example, if I want to start writing that intimidating ebook on a Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., I’ll jot it down in my planner and honor it as I would any other meeting. It has really helped me tackle those projects that make me nervous!

What do you do to make the most of your day? I’d love to hear your tips!

Until next time!