We’ve been taught that to be productive we must be disciplined, account for every hour and the harder we work, the more we are rewarded with success. A traditional work culture of 9am-5pm has programmed us to believe that days are meant for working, nights for sleeping, and weekends for resting. No wonder none of us felt like we could master work-life balance. It’s time we reconsider what is considered normal could actually be the outdated way of thinking.

Today creatives are demanding a more balanced approach and learning that the key to productivity is to structure your day, how it works for YOU.

Let’s explore the difference between Busy and Productive. There is a huge difference between being busy and lacking any structuring in your day, to being productive and ticking off your list and knowing you achieved the most important tasks of the day and your goals as a whole.

Busy VS Productive, which one are you?

We would love you to be completely honest and have fun with your approach to this exercise. This is for your eyes only, it really helped us to see our individual strengths and how some simple changes could make us go from busy and overwhelm, to working less hours being far more productive.

THE BUSY ONE

• Do you love being busy all the time?

• Are you constantly telling people how busy you are?

• Are you so busy it’s overwhelming?

• Do you feel busier than ever before?

• Do you have a never-ending to-do list?

• Do you eat at your desk?

• Do you grab unhealthy snacks because you’re too busy to eat?

• Are you always running late?

• Do you forget where you put your keys?

• Do you make lists but rarely tick them off?

• Do you check your emails and notifications whenever they pop up?

• Do you get easily distracted?

• Are you mentally exhausted? 

• Have you given up on goal setting because you don’t achieve them?

• Are you always complaining?

• Do you feel like you are running on a hamster wheel?

• Do you set good intentions, but struggle to follow through?

THE PRODUCTIVE ONE

• Are you the master of calendars?

• Do you allow spaciousness and time-out zones in your calendar?

• Have you established a morning routine, before the ‘day’ begins?

• Do you plan ahead, so you can live in the now?

• Does ticking off your list make you feel accomplished?

• Are you always moving a few inches closer to your goals?

• Do you allow time to review and reset your goals frequently?

• Do you set up your home and work life, to support your productivity?

• Do you eliminate any tasks that could be automated or simplified?

• Are you intentional with your time?

• Do you allow your mind to rest and reset?

• Are you flexible and able to adjust if something comes up?

A note from Judy:

If you confidently said yes to most of the questions for The Productive One, then you are well on your way to having a more productive and more balanced work and home life, however, if you ticked (like me) lots of The Busy One boxes, then be assured right now, that’s pretty normal.

With a few changes and some discipline to your day you can start making small steps towards making the right changes for you, I know this first-hand because I have gone from busy to a healthy balance of both. I still have days that I feel frustrated and annoyed it didn’t go to plan, disruptions are a normal part of life but when you can have the discipline to get back on track and follow a schedule, everything changes.

A note from Jess:

The truth is, all of us can admit we’ve experienced moments of feeling totally organised, and other times when it’s just overwhelming and you are juggling too many balls in the air.

We need to normalise rest, create a workday that works for you, set up boundaries to support how you want to live your life, and learn to say no to things that may take you away from your key goals for the day. We all have the ability to make changes in our lives to lean more into productivity, and less busy, but it’s a choice followed up with serious action-taking. Just because you are a creative designer, does not mean you can’t set up an organised work environment that supports your needs. Organisation rocks and you will feel more flow and creativity than ever before.

TEN PRODUCTIVITY HABITS FOR SUCCESS

1. Set a Morning Routine

Before you check social media & emails, wake up to a morning routine that sets you up for a successful day. This is your sacred time before the day begins. It could include morning exercise, meditation, journaling, or anything that fills your cup. This is a distraction-free time just for you.

2. Time Blocking vs Hourly Scheduling

We have made our workweek, work for us! Monday, we work ON our business, Tuesday and Wednesday we have appointments, Thursday and Friday we work in the studio. Map out your perfect work week, and use time blocking in your day. Time blocking for designers is so important. It allows you to intensely focus on creativity or more practical tasks. Plan your week so your creative work, appointments, and admin tasks are separated. This will allow maximum productivity.

3. Stay Organised

To stay organised, you need to stay consistent and disciplined. Organisation takes work to begin with, but once it’s set in motion, it becomes effortless and you have more free time. Think about what simple things you can do in your day to become more organised and make a list of what currently frustrates you in your day. Anytime you think of something, write it down and then work out a solution.

4. Create a Workspace that Inspires & is Beautiful 

We thrive when our office is neat and tidy and visually beautiful. Create a workspace that sets you up for a productive day. Make sure all of your stationery is up to date and start the week with fresh flowers and healthy snacks ready to go.

5. Goal Setting – One Goal at a Time

A large part of being productive is being motivated to stay productive. We never really understood the power of Goal Setting until we created goals that emotionally connected us to what we really wanted to achieve. When you create meaningful goals, you will love working on the smaller tasks to get there. Goal planning helps you stay on track, stay focused, and committed to the tasks on your list. It’s motivating and incredibly rewarding when you achieve your goals.

6. Systems

Systems support your success. Create a system for everything in your business. Systems mean less thinking and chaos, and more doing and automation. Have a think about what parts of your business could be streamlined? What currently causes frustration or what do you repeatedly do that could be automated?

7. Weekly Meetings

Gone are the days of boring work meetings, instead make these fun and exciting and chat to your team about your goals for the week. Involve them in your business, the bigger picture, and the action items for the week. If you’re a solo designer, set yourself a weekly meeting where you review your week and plan for the one ahead, check in with your goals and use this time to get excited and focused, usually we love going to a café for a brainstorm and planning session.

8. Take Breaks Between Tasks

We love the word ‘regulate’. It means to take a break once you’ve worked on a task. I remember when we used to go-go-go, this would create brain fog and exhaustion. Now we regulate between tasks, it may be just 5 minutes of deep breathing, but it’s enough to reset us ready for the next task. Breaks will allow you more creativity and productivity. 

9. Remove distractions

When you become more intentional and focused on the task you are working on, you will increase your productivity by 100%. When you are working on a client project, only work on that project, don’t multi-task. Don’t check emails, social media, or procrastinate. Multi-taking is the root of all evil and will lead to overwhelm, exhaustion, and no items ticked off your to-do list! Become intentional and focused on one task at a time. Turn off email notifications, unsubscribe to any emails that are not important, remove any drainers from your day that you can control, remove any and all distractions as much as possible.

10. Delegate 

What are you currently doing in your workday, that could be done by someone else? A scarcity mindset will tell you that you can’t afford it or no one can do it as you can. An abundant mindset knows that to become more productive and do great work, you need to outsource help. We both have house cleaners and plan to level up the help and support we have in our business. It’s essential for growth and ultimate productivity.

If you are ready to take your design business and life to the next level, then make sure you check out our Vision Board Kit and Goal Planner for Interior Designers, it’s a game-changer and will change the way you think about goals. There is no time like the present to make changes & take action.