Are you looking for ways to maximise the hours in your day using tips for productivity? Trust me, as a busy mum of two, General Manager of a global beauty brand, strategic marketing consultant, household manager and studying my Master of Business (Marketing) – I understand the challenges that women face when it comes to the balancing act of life.
It’s common practice for me to have two screaming children, a mountain of emails to respond to, an assignment to write, washing to fold and dinner to cook. Imagine what it would be like to have more hours in the day! More hours to get things done and achieve everything you want to in your day.
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The following tips and tools help me automate processes, save time and build the business as a busy mum. This means fewer to-dos and more time in my day for the things (and little people) I love. Balancing mum life and working mum life (and study life!) is an art. With useful tools and resources, you can skyrocket productivity too!
Favourite Tools
Canva – The Ultimate Graphic Design Tool!
Canva is the ultimate secret to making your content look like it has been professionally designed! You can buy hundreds of templates and load the templates into Canva for use over and over again. There’s also a magical function to resize your Canva design into another size format at a click of a button. Think Facebook covers, YouTube covers, Pinterest posts and so on.
Asana – The Ultimate Organisation Tool!
As a self-confessed organisation queen, I’ve tried countless apps for checklists, reminders and to-do lists! Asana is hands down the best to-do list EVER, and it even has an app version you can keep on your phone. Projects, teams and lists – plus you can print them off if you prefer hard copy lists.
Creative Market – The Ultimate Online Creative Market!
This place is honestly like HEAVEN for creatives – or not so creatives! There are thousands and thousands of amazing assets for sale. If you need to find stock images, stunning website themes or Canva templates then Creative Market will be your new best friend.
Simple Habit – The Ultimate Meditation App for BUSY People!
While I am time poor, I value my mental health and know how important it is to meditate daily. The Simple Habit app has so many amazing 5-minute meditations that are made for busy people.
Upwork – The Ultimate Freelancer Directory!
You can literally find an experienced Freelancer within any budget for just about anything on this magical site. Need a virtual assistant, bookkeeper, graphic designer, sales funnel expert? The list goes on and on – you’re bound to find what you need on Upwork.
Favourite Tips for Productivity
- Wake up earlier than the kids do – sacred time is productive time, and you can get so much done between the hours of 5 am – 7 am. This is also the perfect time to exercise or have some self-love time. For me – this is the time of the day that I get most of my study done for my MBA.
- Batch your tasks when possible and set timers using your phone clock app so you keep your focus on completing as much as you can within a certain time frame. I often set timers when working on important tasks or studying and don’t check emails or my phone during this time.
- Review your personal and business goals regularly to ensure you always have a roadmap to success. After all, how hard would it be to get in a car and start driving but have no idea where you’re going?
- Do your food shopping online – I either use Click and Collect or have it delivered to my home. We NEVER do our shopping in the actual store anymore. It’s allowed us so much more time to get other important tasks at home done.
- Listen to podcasts – it’s challenging to be able to read a book as often as I used to, but it’s important to still focus on personal growth. Podcasts are a great way to get extra self-education in without sacrificing time to do what you need to! Listen to them in the car, while cooking dinner, cleaning – it’s the perfect compromise, and there are so many amazing podcasts to choose from for every business, industry or niche.
How to plan
Planning my day
I’m a HUGE list fan as it provides a clear structure and a sense of achievement. I find creating separate work and personal tasks to be beneficial in maintaining clarity in my daily organisation.
Planning my week
Writing down my tasks for the week ahead on a Sunday night sets me on the right path for the next seven days. It’s important to do this regularly, as looking back on what you achieved this week helps you understand how to structure your time, how long tasks take and what is an achievable weekly goal.
The more organisation, preparation and planning you do – the better. Remember – we are what we repeatedly do. Our daily habits are shaping our future.
About Olivia Jenkins
Olivia Jenkins is an Australian mum of two, General Manager at VANI-T Australia and in the final stages of completing her Master of Business (Marketing). With over a decade of experience working with Australia’s greatest global beauty brands, she is passionate about inspiring and empowering women with the tools, tips and resources to balance business and babies. www.oliviajenkins.com.au