Ways to Stay Productive

We live in a society where we are lucky enough to make our own choices.  We should never take that for granted.  We get to choose what we do with our day.  I hope we all choose to make the most of it.  My favorite professor says that “the busier you are, the happier you are.” Taking on more does not always mean you have to have more stress! Here are some tips to help manage your everyday tasks:

“An Hour of Planning Can Save You 10 Hours of Doing” ~ Dale Carnegie

Everyone needs a planner.  Every Sunday, I write down in my planner everything that I know I have to do that week and things that I want to be able to do—classes, time for friends/family, homework, meetings, meal plan, etc.  Making a list has so many benefits.  You are less likely to forget something that you were supposed to do.  Also, when I have my days planned out it helps me to get accomplished what needs to be done in order. Prioritizing is key. If it’s Monday and I have my list of my plans I’m not going to work on something that I have to do by Friday, instead I’m going to get done what’s due on the days before.  Just doing something as simple as this can make such a big difference.  It really does help you to not procrastinate.  Visually seeing on paper what needs to be done will motivate you to accomplish your tasks at a faster rate.  Every week I also plan my goals.  I’ll plan a goal in different areas of my life.  Doing this holds you more accountable.  When you have a list of your goals and plans, you can make sure they correlate with each other to help you smash your goals and get more out of your time.  Simply taking 20 minutes max on Sunday to plan your week can save you so much time during your week.  

Visualize Your Highest Self and Start Showing Up as Her

Visualizing your goals helps you turn them into reality.  I’ve been making vision boards for a few years.  You can make one for the year, one for a season, one for a specific goal.  You can make one on an app, from magazine cut outs, have a Pinterest board, etc.  You can hang it on your wall, make it your laptop lock screen, etc.  There are so many different ways to make one and it really just depends on your personal preference.  Being able to see what you want to achieve will motivate you even more to do it.  Plus, it’s a fun thing to do with your friends especially if you have an eye for aesthetics.  

“The Meaning of Life is to Find your Gift.  The Purpose of Life is to Give it Away.” ~ William Shakespeare

The number one way to be motivated is to work towards something that is meaningful and purposeful to you.  Here’s a personal story to give you an example.  In high school, I did a program called the Early College Academy.  Instead of taking classes at my high school my junior and senior year, I got to take classes at a community college and graduate high school with an Associate’s of Science Degree.  In between my college classes, I got to mentor at an in-patient pharmacy at a hospital.  One day I went with some people from the pharmacy department to deliver chemotherapy to the oncology department.  This was the first time I had ever been to an oncology department, so I didn’t know what to expect.  Obviously, every one wishes that there won’t be any patients there due to no one wants anyone to have to go through cancer.  I remember walking through the first set of doors and into the waiting room and no one was in there.  Then, we walked on back to the actual department where they were giving chemotherapy.  There was only one patient in the entire room. No one with the patient.  No doctors, nurses, etc. around the patient.  No one in the waiting room for the patient.  The patient was a child who couldn’t have been older than 7 years old.   I will never forget the genuine, sweetest smile this little hero gave me as soon as we walked on back.  This child wasn’t bitter.  This child was going through something horrible, completely alone and didn’t have anyone there to try to help make it better.  This motivated me so much more to achieve my dream job of being a pharmacy director.  I want to be able to help little heroes like this.  At the end of the day, it isn’t the job or the title that you have, it’s how you use that job to help others.  I hope everyone chooses to work towards something that is meaningful to them.  Sometimes we find what that is for ourselves and other times it finds us.  

Mindset is Everything

Be a glass half full person.  You attract what you are.  When you think positively, you attract positive things.  You can learn to train your mind on how you think. Instead of looking at things as tasks, we should look at them as what they are doing for us.  For example, when someone is cramming for finals typically that person is stressed.  Instead of being stressed, choose to train your mind to look at the positive of the situation.  You are going to pass the test to give you credits toward your degree to lead to you landing your dream job.   This is just one example, but we should look at everything in our life like this.  Always look at the whole picture and the bright side of things.  Always remember to talk about your blessings more than you talk about your problems.  Training your mind to be positive will lead to a more positive, goal-getting life.  

“The dream is free.  The hustle is sold separately.” ~ Steve Harvey 

Success is a decision.  You can dream whatever you want but in reality, you have to also real life it.  One of my favorite quotes is “People pray for the cake.  Then when God gives them batter, eggs, oil, icing, a pan, and an oven, they get frustrated and leave the kitchen.”  You have to do your part.  It’s hard work and it’s not for everybody.  If it was easy, then everybody would do it.  If you want to be successful, you have to decide to be successful.  

If you want to hustle you have to put your whole heart in your dream.  You have to give it your all and go for it.  Don’t let anything or anybody hold you back.  Don’t hold yourself back from reaching your full potential.  Blair Waldorf was right when she said, “If you really want something, you don’t stop for anyone or anything until you get it.”  

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