Five Ways to be More Organized and Productive in 2017

I typically do not post on Monday's but getting more organized and productive is one area I really want to work on in 2017, so I knew I wanted to participate in this blog hop with my friends at The Blended Blog, so I could share my thoughts and also see what great things they had to say.  If you are stopping by from Deena's blog - hello and welcome!  

At the end of my post, be sure to "hop" over to Whitney's blog to read more about her suggestions.

So, here are my five recommendations on how to become more organized and productive...

1. MAKE A LIST

In order to be more organized and productive, it is important to make a list; however, I rarely make a list of what I need to accomplish, which I am going to work on changing this year.  I have found that when I make a list, I am far more productive at getting those things done.  Someone once suggested that when making a list - prioritize the items by easiest to most difficult (or ones that can be done quickly to ones that are a longer duration.)  Start with items you can get done quickly - because you won't get hung up on those tasks that take longer - leading to procrastination or feeling like you didn't accomplish anything.  

Also, along the lines of making a list and getting things done, I was recently reminded of the phrase - "Paralysis by analysis" - sometimes we can spend so much time over-thinking and trying to make the perfect move that we don't get anything done at all!

2. SET  GOALS

Along with making a list, are setting goals.  I am going to try to organize my list by daily, weekly, and monthly goals.  Then, at the end of the day, I can look at what I accomplished and get ready for what is next.  Then, evaluate at the end of each week and month.  Without setting daily goals, it is easy to let things slip and before you know it an entire month (or year) has gone by and not as much as could was accomplished.

3. SET REWARDS

I once had a life coach recommend setting up rewards for each task or goal I accomplished.  If I didn't get it done, then I didn't get the reward.  We do this with kids, but as an adult, I think it is a great idea.  She said that if I accomplished something off my list, I could reward myself with going shopping or buying something, or something as simple as watching my favorite TV program.  I am really going to try to instill this mind-set this year!

4. LIMIT SOCIAL MEDIA

Along with rewards is the importance of setting boundaries.  It is easy for me to get sucked into looking at Instagram, Snapchat, and blogs - for endless hours.  My goal this year is to spend less time on social media - and also set aside a dedicated time to look at them.  I plan to set a specific time each day - along with a time limit.  Also, my goal is to totally detach from everything on the weekend - to give myself a break. 

5. CREATE SPACES

Lastly, for 2017, I want to work on creating dedicated spaces for important papers, documents or things I need to handle.  Also, since I have started working on my own clothing line, I have boxes of yarn samples, fabrics, material, etc. - and right now everything is in boxes on my floor - which is driving me a little nuts.  I want to come up with some shelving (like these which are only $19), filing cabinet, and possibly a new desk (20% off this week) that has more room for filing away papers.  Also, since our kitchen remodel, my normal area for important papers has gotten shuffled around - and I have been loosing (or misplacing) more things than usual.

Next, be sure to stop by Whitney's blog...

I am participating in the following link-ups.