Productivity is always a buzz word amongst the entrepreneur world. With the amount of distractions in our lives coughcough smartphones coughcough social media coughcough shiny objects. It’s easy to get a push notification (or one simple chime for that matter) only to have hours of your life slip by. Before you know it your miles deep into the land of youtube watching cat videos or Pinterest searching, “exactly why am I so bad at crafts?” 

So when I have a deadline staring at me in the face. Whether that’s a blog post that needs to get done, images that need to get edited, or an inbox full of emails that need to get answered.. I have a sure set of tips that I utilize to help me hone in on my task.

1. Headphones : I’m sure I’ve made mention of this before, but it’s a good way to lock in focus. Blacking out the world with some good tunes always helps! My favorite Pandora stations are : Gregory Alan Isakov | Bon Iver Radio | Lord Huron Radio! – They’re all acoustic/alternative/chill. So not really distracting but easy on the ears. 
2. Getting Rid of Anything Outside the Necessities : Your business isn’t going to fall apart if you don’t post to Instagram.. Or Snapchat your day.. Or answer your already booked client (with a non pressing question) right away. These things quickly take a back burner when I have a plate full of things. Running my business on it’s bones is what I often do when deadlines are staring at me in the face. 
3. Work at your Most Productive Hours : I am by no means a morning person. Like not at all. As hard as I try I just can’t get my brain to be productive before 11AM so I don’t force it. Sometimes it makes me feel a bit like a bum.. But my day really truly starts mid afternoon to 8/9 o’clock (with a couple hour break and then I’ll work more from 11-1ish). How did I find this out? When editing a wedding took me twice as long during the day & half that at 9-10PM. 
4. Create Deadlines : It’s true that I work best under pressure. So if you’re not one of those people then this probably won’t pertain to you.. (sorry!) – I religiously use Google Calendar. It helps keep my brain clear & happy. I’ll put deadlines on specific dates like, “Have Addy & Adam’s wedding edited!” and then another, “Mail out Addy & Adam”. Google Calendar is open pretty much 24/7 over here so seeing those reminders helps me a ton. 
5. Remove Distractions :  This point dances with number 2. Turning off push notifications from all social platforms (& deleting FB messenger) was seriously one of the most helpful/beneficial things I could do for myself. I get distracted easily by shiny objects so doing this keeps my brain on one track verses spidering off into a million different ways. 

By combining all the points above, I truly feel it helps set myself up for a successful day. I encourage you to find what works best, as the 5 things I do might be totally different for your brain. You might need to take 5 minute breaks, or take the dog outside, or allow yourself a youtube video.. You might find music distracting, or maybe you’re way better at multitasking! It’s a little trial and error but can be done! What are you productivity tips?! I’d love to hear your favorite!