How can I be more productive? How can I get things done without feeling overwhelmed and losing my mind? Productivity is a worthy goal, just like having fun is also. Do you want to have productive days, weeks, months and even year? 2019 is almost here, so how can I have a more productive year.

Plan It

Some days are for having fun, but when my goal is productivity, I make a plan, write it down. I am not a big fan of lists, just for the sake of having a “list”. I do believe the best way to have an unproductive day is to not prepare for it.  Make a simple plan. Create something in the language that speaks to you. I have already talked about the Bullet Journal and can help you accomplish goals. Using this tool can help you get things done now and in the future.

Do you want to be exactly where you are today?  What does that mean? Well, I am thinking about all kinds of things like, financially, spiritually, relationally, stuck in the same place  you maybe right now. I am guessing the answer is no. So where can I start to have a more productive life.

The Bullet Journal

I am going to talk about this journal one more time! I love a bullet journal and I am going to talk about using it for goals including yearly, monthly and daily goals. My favorite journal  is this one, Moleskin dotted journal. 

December is the month all the new daytimers and journals come out. They will be pretty and filled with pages. If you do not like to be restricted by the kind that have the months already in them. The pages are often cluttered and come with stickers. Am I 5 years old? I just don’t need those kinds of things to put on my pages. I already have enough to keep up with. For instance, how many glasses of water you may drink in a day. 🙁 Now, I don’t know about you, but I have a lot more things to put in my journal than how many drinks of water I take in a day.

Make A Long Term Plan

2019 is just around the corner, crazy right? I know this year has blown by for me. How about you? So, I am pretty sure next year will too. That is just how my life is right now, flying. I know that no one is going to give me more hours in the day or even more days in my life. What ever I get, I get. I do know that every one gets the same amount of hours in a day, so I want to make the best of mine.

What Kind of Goals

Setting goals and making long term plans can be very productive. Goal setting that is realistic can make your day week or year more productive. The way to be successful in goal setting is by making them yours not someone else goals. You can make all kinds of pages for instance

• To save 10% of your paycheck
• Read 2 books a month
• Walk at least 40 minutes a day
• Drink half of my body weight in water daily
• Eat at least 4 vegetables a day
• Focus on how I feel each day, not how I look

I think you get the picture. Goals should be measurable and realistic. With a bullet journal and dotted lines you can draw any kind of graph you want and record your goals anyway you want. I actually keep up with what book I am reading and how long it takes me to read it.

It seems like such a simple solution to just write a plan down. The flexibility of a bullet journal is one of the many reasons I love them.  Yes, your cell phone can make list and create reminders, but nothing is more motivating than a check list of things to do. I think it is the key to productivity.  For any type of goal, life goals or even short term goals.

There is Power in the Written Word

Remember when your teacher made you write your spelling words down? How about when your science professor had you just copy his notes? I remember rewriting my own notes in nursing school. Scientist have shown the value in rewriting something to help with memory.  Computers use encoding all the time.  When we write something down it is encoded in our brains to some degree. Sitting down and writing a goal is a terrific way of setting thoughts in our brains. Using your bullet journal to set aside the time and the day for accomplishing a goal is encoding. It’s just engraving the goal in your brain.

 

Big List

I keep a list of things I want to get done. Putting things down on paper helps me feel focused. I put anything I want to on the list. If it’s something I need to be reminded of it goes in the journal. I also sit down at the beginning of the year and make some long term goals for the year, like pay off my car.  I also love to look back over my journal after the year is up and see my progress. It also reminds me of some amazing things I accomplished.

Finishing It All Is Not The Goal

As crazy as that may sound, it is true. My reason for making goals is so that I will be more productive. Productivity is the big reward in all of this. That does not mean there are some things on my list that really needs to be done, but the list of goals is a challenge for me. It is not just a to do list. To do list are great but goals are more for taking and self development. Staying motivated and pressing on can be hard. Looking at the your own hand written plan of action can help you do just that.

Write It Down

Have you ever been somewhere and had a really great thought? Or maybe you heard someone say something really profound.  That is the other thing I love about my bullet journal. I take it with me everywhere I go. It is in my pocket book at all times. I not only keep track of appointments and special events, but I also use it to jot anything interesting to me. So, don’t leave home without it. If you are ever out and about , suddenly an idea for a blog post comes to your mind the journal is the perfect place to write it down.

2019

So make this the year of productivity for you. Sit down now or before the end of the year. Set some goals for 2019 that are realistic and measurable. Don’t make them crazy and don’t make them all task oriented either. If you want to learn how to swim or you want to make a quilt, then let that be a goal. If you want to reduce your debt or learn a scripture by memory each month, then pick an amount and write the verses down you want to learn.

Using a bullet journal and being more productive go hand in hand.  Writing on the dotted lines will help you to remember and setting goals will help you stay motivated. It will be a challenge to complete the goals and a reward when you do.

Successful 2019

Don’t let the lack of preparation keep you from accomplishing every thing you want in 2019. I’m not going to! Plan it, write it down and then look forward to the things you have written down. Let 2019 be the best year you have ever had, because you were ready for it.  Honestly, Janet