Today we have a guest post from Cait McNamee. She’s a freelance writer, blogger and social media enthusiast based out of the 
UK. She also runs a personal style blog that by far has some of the cutest clothing I’ve ever seen. Check out her great tips on how to boost your productivity!
4 Simple Changes to Boost Your Productivity
I always marvel at people who seem to do everything all at once, who achieve so much in a short space of time. We can’t all be Superman, or woman, when it comes to productivity but I think most of us could use a boost to get the most from our days. There will always be changes we can make and sometimes a small change can have a big effect.
So what can you do to boost your productivity and creativity? Here are four ways you can change your routine and make yourself more productive:
1. Change your workspace
I work at the desk in my room and one day I finally got around to mounting my TV on my wall. How is this related to working productively you may ask? Well moving the TV shifted around my whole workspace, my desk was clearer, I sat differently and I immediately felt more focused.
It isn’t always obvious what needs to change as something unrelated can have a big impact. Changing things up from time to time is a great way to stop things getting stale. If you have fallen into bad habits or your routine is lacking then have a look around. Maybe you need to change the way you sit at your computer, tidy your workspace, move to a different room altogether. Don’t mistake this for procrastination, a change up like this can shift the way your mind approaches your work.
2. Get up earlier
Yes, this is easier said than done and it can take time to get into a routine of getting up even an hour earlier and you shouldn’t get disheartened if you sleep in one day, just try again the next day. Eventually you can edge the day around until you are gaining an extra hour or two in your day.
This may not quite work for everyone, if you work at home like me and set your own schedule you need to discipline yourself but it can take a bit of experimentation. Work out what works for you, what is your optimum time to get up, when in the day are you at your most productive? You can only find the answers by trying different things. If your current routine isn’t working, work out why and change it. If I get up too late not only to I lose precious hours but I am also sluggish for the rest of the day. If I get up too early I have plenty of time but progress is slower. It is just about finding what works best for you.
3. Step out of your routine
We are creatures of habit and most of us like a little structure and planning to focus us on the tasks at hand. It is important to step outside of your daily work routine from time to time and relax. Learning to put aside stresses and clear your mind of thoughts of how much you have to do can be difficult and it takes time to form the habit.
If you can take some time to go for a walk, do some exercise, or be creative in a way that is unrelated to work you can go back to your desk feeling rejuvenated and full of creativity. Letting go of the guilt of taking time for yourself can be difficult especially if you are self-employed, but it is essential to let your imagination and creativity soar.
4. Just write
If you are a writer like me or your job involves writing in any way you will know how daunting it is staring at a blank page. We have all been there, sat for hours in front of our computer screen waiting for the words to appear. But they don’t, they aren’t going to appear unless you start typing.
The most important thing is to get words down on a page even if they are unrelated to what you are supposed to be writing about. Writing is a snowball effect and the more you write the easier it will be to write. So gain some momentum. Early! Get something written, I usually draft a couple of blog posts to get into the flow or even write a personal diary entry just to get going. Soon you will be unstoppable.
What hints and tips do you use to keep motivated and maximize your productivity?
“Changing things up from time to time is a great way to stop things getting stale” – I love this statement, and it’s something I do several times a year (if not more). When I was a teenager I would rearrange my room every season, to change things up and prepare for the new season. Recently I noticed I haven’t been doing this with my desk at work, like I do at home. So I decided to move everything around and I discovered two things: 1) I’m more productive and 2) I don’t have stacks of clutter every where. It’s amazing what a little change can do!
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