I thought this post would be suiting for Tuesday since it was my least favorite week day! To me, Tuesday used to be the day where I totally wouldn’t get anything done. I can think of ways to stay productive any other day of the week, just not Tuesday.

Monday is a brand new start to the week. It’s easy to get a hustle on after having a refreshing weekend.

Wednesday feels like you should get a gold medal for making it through the middle of the week and you just want to keep working to keep that medal.

Thursday is like Friday Jr. and you can start feeling how close you are to the finish line.

Friday – the end is in sight! You work the hardest you’ve worked all week just to make the weekend come quicker.

…. and then there’s Tuesday. The day that I used to have the hardest time crossing things off my to-do list.

I’m not sure what it was, but I couldn’t get things done on Tuesdays. I would feel unmotivated, distracted or straight up lethargic. I would log on to my computer with the intention of working and then end up saying, “I’ll get to work… right after I watch ONE episode of The Office.” Guess who ended up watching five episodes instead? (Spoiler alert – it was me.)

I would have a million and one things to do and I would literally get none of them done (which would result in either having to work on the weekend or cramming the rest of my week with things I should have gotten done sooner).

Eventually, I had to start cracking down on my time in order to make sure I could plan which days I was going to spend away from work and which ones would fully be dedicated to getting things done without rushing or having stressed mindset. Here are my top five strategies for having a wayyy less stressful work week while getting everything on the to-do list finished:

1) Have a Weekly Plan

When you’re a business owner, no one is there to tell you what your schedule is, when you have deadlines or when you’re slacking off – you’re in charge of all those things. So, instead of casually rolling through the week with spontaneous bursts of hustle, I started planning out my weekly tasks and which days I was going to use to get those things done. For example – Mondays are used for writing all my social media posts (for Facebook, Instagram and my blog) and scheduling them throughout the week! Because I get specific with planning my weekdays, I get more done and spend a lot less time watching The Office!

2) Set Timers

Obviously we’re human! We’re going to want to take breaks when we have the opportunity – and it’s healthy to! The problem is when I take a few minute break without any regulation, it suddenly turns into a few hours (oops). So, on the days I work, I will lay out when I can have a break and set a timer for how long I can take it for!

I’ll also use timers for particular tasks that I find I can get lost in like how long I spend on engaging with people on social media or how much time I should spend editing photos. Timers help make sure you’re utilizing your work day to achieve tasks that are necessary for your business while also taking strategic breaks that are necessary for you!

3) Make Your Tasks Flow

One of the biggest reasons why I couldn’t focus on my work is because the tasks I would be working on didn’t flow. I would try write some of my social media posts, have a meeting that day and try editing photos one day. Although those were all things that needed to get done, so much of my energy was spent on trying to get into a different mindset for each task. Usually they wouldn’t get finished and would carry over into the next day. So, when I started planning out my weeks, I would look at which things went together.

For example: Since I’ve chosen Monday as my “writing day,” I will spend it writing all the things I need to write for the entire week. This helps my energy stay in one place instead of trying to refocus every time I change tasks! The more organized I got with planning tasks, the easier it became to focus and make sure nothing went unfinished!

4) Have a Productive Morning

Before I started implementing time management strategies, I would regularly have lazy mornings. I would wake up whenever I felt like it, check social media while laying in bed, watch YouTube videos and before I knew it, it was already 11:30. My morning would get eaten up so quickly and I would have absolutely nothing to show for it. I recognized pretty quickly that if I started out the morning on a lazy note, it was even harder to try and find motivation to get into a work flow throughout the day.

Nowadays, I wake up at 6:30 am, go to the gym, eat breakfast and get to work all by 9:30! I know there will be days where you need to stay in bed for an extra hour or maybe take a nap in the afternoon (trust me, naps are my love language), but when you start the morning on a productive note, you’ll keep that energy flowing throughout the entire day!

5) Don’t Mindlessly Check Social Media

Awhile back, I was borderline addicted to social media and it was having a huge effect on how I was spending my time. I was always so interested in looking at pretty things and seeing what others in my industry were doing. Sometimes, I didn’t even know what I was looking for, it just turned into mindless scrolling! So, I had to do things like turn off my notifications, install a newsfeed eradicator for Facebook and start setting specific times of the day for me to check social media. This lessened my distractions and exponentially boosted the time I was spending on my work!

Those are my top five tips! Even though it can be intimidating being in charge of your own time, it doesn’t have to be difficult! The more organized you get with having a flow, the easier it will become to knock out your work and fully enjoy the days you have off!

Have a great Tuesday!