FAQ- Productivity? Time Management? Let’s dig in!
Today’s blog post is inspired by some of the top questions I receive from my clients, as well as questions sent in on my instagram page. Big thank you to everyone who sent in questions for this post! If you ever have a question, feel free to reach out and I would love to hear from you!
xoxo Alyssa
What is the most important piece of advice you would give for inbox organization?
I am going to break down this answer into 3 parts :
Unroll.me- The greatest email tool that has ever been invented. Mass unsubscribe from anything you don’t need and get all of your subscriptions in one email. Truly a game changer!
LABELS- Create labels/ folders to organize your emails! The key here is to create the categories you need, but not too many. Also using filters to auto-tag is my favorite way to stay on top of your organization automatically.
Archive- The most underused feature. I keep anything I KNOW I will need to refer back to in folders, but I keep anything that I MIGHT need to refer back to labeled and in my archive. Easiest way to keep emails without cluttering your folders with emails you most likely will not need. You can also turn on the “send and archive” feature in your gmail settings so it will automatically go to your archive after your respond!
How do I juggle multiple accounts?
The key here is to get specific. For multiple email accounts, I like to use the same color coding system to tag emails so each email visually looks the same. I keep all of my inboxes together on my phone (to read emails on the go), but I clean through all of my inboxes every day one at a time. My number one tip for apple users (both iPhones and Macs) is to make sure you only have the features you actually use turned on for each account. For each account, you have the ability to sync multiple features such as notes, calendars, contacts, and mail. ONLY SYNC THE ONES YOU PLAN TO USE. The more options you have to store something, the more likely you will accidentally store it in the wrong account and it will get lost. I personally have seen this happen the most with calendar events and contacts.
How can I create more space for myself?
I have a two part answer to this question.
Check in with your mindset. WHY are you not making space for yourself? Action steps will be useless unless you really check in and take a look at what is holding you back.
ACTION STEP- try and account for everything on your to-do list ahead of time. When you plan out WHEN you will get things done, you can actually enjoy your time off without feeling the guilt of “I should be doing something.” No more never-ending to-do list!
How to avoid burnout?
“Productivity can actually be our greatest tool to avoiding burnout… If burnout is when we feel the inability to make an impact, productivity is the roadmap to make sure everything we are doing is actually working towards our purpose.” - quote from ep. 5 on the Practice Parlour
We know that burnout occurs when we are not able to track our desired impact and purpose. My clients often hear me say “your goals serve your purpose and your tasks serve your goals,” and this is my number one piece of practical advice regarding burn out. The key is to make your to-do list based on your goals. I use each overarching goal as an umbrella category for my tasks so I can visually see that each task is working towards that higher purpose.
What are different tools to approach time-management?
So first off, let me start by screaming into the world- YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CONSISTENTLY USE THE SAME TIME-MANAGEMENT TOOLS. Now I think you should definitely find which ones work for you and keep them in your metaphorical toolbox, but different circumstances in your life require different tools. For example when I have a full day (or week) of events, I write myself a very small “white space to-do list” of things to get done in between my events. This gives me the flexibility to gauge my stress levels between meetings so I can decide if I have the mental capacity to complete a task in a given moment. However if I have a day (or week) that is more task-oriented, I am very specific about time-blocking and setting aside time to work on multiple to-do lists. It is all about balance and finding what works for you in that moment.
What is your number one tip you give clients?
SET ASIDE TIME TO PLAN. I suggest giving yourself a specific amount of time to plan so you don’t get stuck planning and never take action, but setting time aside to plan is CRUCIAL.
