Productivity: A few tips.

I've just dropped off Miss Almost-Two at the halte-garderie, and I now have half an hour before I need to be at the school gate to pick up Master Five (Miss Eight will be picked up later by her maman). With such a short amount of time in between, I found myself wandering aimlessly. So I decided to head to the nearby park and write something, rather than wandering in a shop, where I would probably end up buying something unnecessary. 

I'm someone who generally works project to project, task to task, but when there are many demands on your time, suddenly you have to really re-think how to get everything done. Since starting work as an au pair, I have learned a lot about productivity and time management. I've had projects on the go on top of my busy «nounou» (nanny) hours, and it is HARD to manage it all.

So what HAVE I learned?

1. Schedule in time to work on each project. Book it in in the diary. Stick to what you planned, but with a little flexibility where needed. 

2. Break down the tasks. Work on one thing at a time, and don't pressure yourself to get a certain amount done at once. Unless you are on a strict deadline. Then maybe push yourself a bit more!

3. Take time to relax at the end of the day. Work for an hour or so, then stop. Watch some YouTube, get ready for bed, and just generally chill.

4. Sleep early and wake up early. I used to be able to handle late nights, but no longer! I am also much more likely to get things done in the morning. I'm sure this is different for different people, but figure out when you are more likely to get stuff done, and make sure to give yourself plenty of available time at that point in the day. I think most people are naturally more morning people, but not everyone has the choice.

5. Keep putting yourself in situations where you can get fresh ideas. Don't get stuck in the busy-ness. You are much more likely to get things done if you are inspired and passionate about your projects.

Have a productive day!