Productivity is something I have been trying to perfect for a long time. You see, I'm the Queen of procrastination. That coupled with a reasonably short attention span means that I find it so hard to actually sit, focus and get things done, particularly when I'm not under pressure to do so.
I think that's one of the reasons why I find it so hard to be consistent with my blog, because the pressure is self imposed and therefore it's easy to be distracted by something else and just not do it. When I have external pressure, for example at work, I can be super productive and get so much done, but outside of this not so much. Not that I don't do anything, but it's more done at my own leisurely pace when my own self imposed pressure leads me to feel the need to do it now.
Needless to say, this is something I want to change. I really want to create more and find ways to feel more productive in relation to this little outlet of mine without it significantly impacting on my life balance.
Life balance is something I really value, I mean there's a whole blog post that could be written on life balance alone, but in terms of productivity and increasing my ability to engage in the creative process of this blog (and other things) it's an important consideration.
So how does one go about increasing productivity whilst promoting life balance? Well one method that I'm currently trying out is the MYnd Map MY Journal*.
As I'm sure you're aware if you've read this blog for a little while, I've tried using bullet journalling to help plan my time, however, I found that after a while the act of having to set up each day became slightly arduous and if I'm honest detracted from my productivity. I found I was wanting to spend so long making my journal look pretty that it meant I had less time to actually plan and execute my tasks.
MY Journal is already planned out for you, which for me makes it a more usable journal. It also draws on principles from positive psychology, affirmations, goal setting, visualisation, gratitude and colour therapy. It encourages you to think about what you really want from life and how and why you intend to get there. It then helps you focus in on your goals through setting weekly intentions that help you strive towards living your best life.
MY Journal has a timeline spread for each day so that you can structure and plan your time more effectively. I can totally see the positives in this, but for me personally, I spend such a large chunk of my day at work and the subsequent travel time that this feels a bit like wasted space as I wouldn't use this journal to plan my work time. However, I love that it encourages you to think of your daily focus, actions and what you're grateful for, along with providing a daily affirmation and a colouring/doodle space. Each week also has a recap that allows you to rate how happy you feel your week was and why. Reflection is a really useful tool for self-development and is something that I try to do regularly although I'm not so good at actually writing this down, so having a dedicated reflective space in my planner is definitely a win for me.
Overall, I can really appreciate the hard work, research and positivity that has gone in to producing the MY Journal. It's definitely helping me to focus on what's really important, what I want my best life to look like and how I'm going to work towards this. It's also aiding in promoting a positive mindset, which is always welcome if you ask me. The version I have is a prototype, however, if you fancy giving the MYnd Map MY Journal a try for 21 days, you can sign up and download a FREE PDF version of the journal on their website just here. If it's something that interests you, then you can also help fund the production of the MYnd Map MY Journal through their Kickstarter campaign.
Let's start a conversation:
What's your favourite way to journal for maximum productivity? I'd love to hear your thoughts either in the comments below, or why not drop me a tweet @_hellojordan
* Products marked with * were sent for review purposes, however, as always all thoughts are my own*