JEWELL SIEBERT'S

5 Simple Steps to Triple Productivity

Strategies & Tools to Help You Get the Most Out of Your Time

Hey There, Wonderful!

Thank you for downloading this guide on 5 Simple Steps to Triple Productivity!

If you’re like me, then you know how important a few extra minutes in the day can be. But you also know, it’s not just about the time. It’s also about the quality of the time.

30 minutes sitting in traffic is not the same as 30 minutes laughing with the people you love (well, unless those people are in the car with you and doing a darn good job at keeping you entertained - but you get the picture).

As a mom, wife, business owner, and woman who likes to enjoy a freaking bubble bath by myself every now and then, I understand how precious each moment is, and how easy it is to get sidetracked and worn down.

That’s why I started looking for ways to not only get more done, but to create more joy into my career and personal life at the same time.

My intention for this guide is to give you some time-saving and time-enhancing strategies, so you can go through your day feeling less frazzled, more centered, and happier with how you’re showing up. I hope you enjoy it. Do More Joy!

1) Meditate

Wait - don’t X out of this just yet! I know what you’re thinking: “You said you’d tell me how to get time back, not how to spend more of it!” But stick with me here....

Meditation will actually save you time. Promise. You can take 3-5 minutes when you first wake up, when you’re going to bed, or when you’re hiding out in the bathroom for a moment of quiet (no judgement). 3-5 minutes is literally all it takes to make a difference in your day.

You’ll feel more relaxed and focused, and you’ll be able to get a heck of a lot more done when you’re not running around like a frazzled crazy woman. If you need help quieting a monkey mind, there are a bunch of free apps you can use. Two of my favorites are Calm & Omvana .

Ever since I started meditating on the daily, I’ve gotten much more focused, more productive, and just plain happier (and that’s a bonus for everyone in my life ;) ).

And it’s easier to do than you may think! Trust me - it isn’t just for cross-legged yogis on mountaintops. There are so many different methods, so if one doesn’t work for you, give another one a try. (If you’d like more tips on how to make meditation easier, join my Facebook community here, where we talk about meditation, EFT / tapping, and all kinds of goodness to make life better for working women).

Where can you fit 3-5 minutes of meditation into your day?

2) Social Media Boundaries

It’s so easy to get sucked into social media. How many times have you hopped onto Facebook for “just a minute,” only to realize that an hour has passed? For most of us, this happens a lot of times at night, when we’re checking out account just before bed. This isn’t great because not only does it rob us of sleep, but the new (and sometimes upsetting) information we see gets our minds riled up when we should be winding down for a restful night’s sleep.

And this doesn’t just happen with Facebook - other social media sites, blogs, or even our email can create a time vacuum and rob us of precious hours we could better spend doing something that actually furthers our goals.

Now I’m not suggesting we cut out social media all together. That would just be crazy! But I am suggesting that we use it more efficiently.

One way to do this is to set time limits for when you check social media. Pick a few times a day when you want to do things online, and make a list of the things you want to accomplish BEFORE you scroll through what all your feed.

I also like to set the timer on my phone for 10-15 minute increments to make sure I don’t fall down the rabbit hole.

And finally, we all have times when we're most productive and efficient. Save those times for the important tasks in your day, and save social media time for when your energy levels are lower.

When is the most efficient time for you to use social media?

3) Turn Off Your Pings

Multitasking is seriously...wait - hold on a sec. Ok, thanks, so anyhow, multitasking is one of the...oops, sorry - one more time. Uh, where was I?

Oh yeah, multitasking is crap.

It might feel like you’re getting tons of stuff done all at once, but the truth is that it takes a bit for your brain to stop and refocus as you’re switching back and forth between tasks.

On top of that, how many times have you gone over to Facebook to check a message, then gotten sucked in and poof! It’s 11:30 at night and you don’t even remember what you were looking for in the first place.

A quick fix? Turn off your notification pings, and check your messages, texts, and emails only when you’re not in the middle of something else. You will save a ton of time with this step alone.

And as for email overwhelm...? Yeah, those 2,146 unopened emails in your inbox are right up there on the list of distractors. One tool I like to use to streamline my email notifications is unroll.me. It’s a free service that consolidates emails and helps you unsubscribe easier. For me, it’s been a huge time saver. Yes, I still get emails sent straight to my inbox, but once a day, I get an Unroll.Me message with the ones that are only important-ish (like coupons for stores I like), and I can quickly sort through what’s wheat and what’s chaff. Boom! Email slayed!

What pings & distractions are impacting your ability to get things done?

4) Night Prep

The best way to make sure your day goes smoothly and efficiently is to take a few minutes for planning the night before. I like to do this before I start my wind-down routine.

Specifically, plan out the top three things you want to accomplish (and when), what errands you can bundle, and the things you need to take with you. You’ll be able to get a crazy jump start on you day, and probably even sleep better knowing you have a handle on your tomorrow.

Now, I say “night prep,” but it doesn’t have to happen at night. If you find yourself with a couple minutes on your hands during the day, then by all means, get a jump start on it then.

All that matters is that you take a moment to consciously plan your day. That way, instead of waking up feeling overwhelmed from the get go, you can feel confident in your plan to get all that shiz done like a boss (i.e. quickly and efficiently).

A tool that will make this easier is the calendar app on your phone. For each event I have, I use the notes section like Kim Kardashian uses... who am I kidding - I’m not up enough on pop culture to make that even remotely funny. Suffice it to say I use the crap out of the notes section. I list out the things I need to take with me, and any other special instructions. Then I use the reminder app to build my shopping list (and share it with the hubby who does most of the shopping - lucky me, I know), and other recurring packing lists.

How could you use night prep to make your days run smoother?

5) Backwards Planning

This one is more of a lifestyle change than an immediate gratification tool. You end up doing the same amount of work, BUT it’s a lot easier, and you protect the rest of your time from overwhelm and distraction. It’s definitely one of my favorite time management strategies. I used it all the time during my 14 years on Active Duty in the Army, and I’m still using it today in my personal and professional lives. It works!

Here’s how to do it:

Decide what you want (this is ALWAYS step #1)
Create your breakthrough goal that will get you that outcome
Decide when you want to achieve that breakthrough goal
Determine which projects you will need to achieve that goal
Determine which projects you will need to achieve that goal
Determine the bite-size, manageable action steps you need to do in order to complete those projects
Put the steps on your calendar working backwards from the due date, so that you have plenty of time to get them done without trying to cram it all in at the last minutes, inevitably losing sleep and forgetting something crucial (yep - speaking from experience here)
Rejoice in the fact that you don't have to be a Stepford Wife in order to accomplish amazing things without all the stress and overwhelm.

Click here for a goal worksheet I created to outline each project and task.

By using backwards planning, you save time (and emotional trauma :) ) on the backend. It makes for a lot less stress, and much better quality time.

What goals would you like to backwards plan?

6) BONUS Tapping!

I know I said 5 steps, but I included a bonus tapping video in here as well. If you've never heard of EFT/Tapping, you are in for a treat my friend!

Tapping is an acupressure technique that I use on myself and with my clients. lowers your stress and other negative emotional clutter so that you can function better. And it's freaking amazing. :)

I've created a video for you called Tapping for Overwhelm. You can access it here. Let me know what you think!

5 Steps Checklist

1) Meditate

Where can you fit 3-5 minutes of meditation into your day?

2) Social Media Boundaries

What is the most efficient time for you to use social media?

3) Turn Off Your Pings

What pings and distractions are impacting your ability to get things done?

4) Night Prep

How could you use night prep to make your days run smoother?

5) Backwards Plan

What goals would you like to backwards plan?

Want More?

Join the Life Upgraded Community on Facebook for more tips and my free Morning and Evening Meditations to help you start and end your day feeling great!

JOIN NOW!