“We are what we repeatedly do.

Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Will Durant

I’ve been struggling of late. I’m having trouble finding the organized, driven and productive version of myself.

In all of my 20s I was hyper focused on work. not so much my career, but my jobs. I didn’t know what my career would shape up to be but I was told young that hard work was the only way up. as of today, I might challenge that notion but we’ll talk about that another time. at the time, other aspects of my life had taken a backseat. but as I entered my 30s my personal life started to pivot and things outside of work started taking up more energy and time. where there was once a time I would stay at the office until 7PM, I was no longer able to sustain that type of dedication. I had responsibilities and engagements that needed me to be elsewhere.

I had a hard time making that shift, because in reality I was happy working. not at all to say that I wasn’t excited about my personal life stepping into main character energy but it was just hard to reconcile that I had to give up something that validated me to gain another thing that brought me joy. sounds basic, but it just didn’t click for me as smoothly as it could have.

anyhow, we’re about some years deep into this shift and I lost my footing a little bit. as a result my confidence is trailing and I insist on correcting this.

as they say, the first step is awareness. we’ve reached.

the second step is being brutally honest. with myself. and committing to setting myself up for success.

understanding what’s realistic : my personal blueprint needs to work for me. while I want to make changes to some of my habits and workflows, I don’t intend to make large, sweeping changes and definitely not all at once. historically, that’s how I’ve failed; I’ve taken on too much all at once. so I am making micro changes. to this end, here are some considerations :

• instant gratification
  • I’m patient with others, but hardly with myself, I have a need to feel like I’m seeing results fast
• systems
  • tasks, routines that are realistic (I have trouble sleeping and waking up, so 5 AM routines won’t be for me) but I do like simple order
• aesthetic element
  • I like a cohesive theme, or look but anything that is too involved loses me early
• simplicity
  • keeping things uncomplicated, fewer steps
• wellness
  • the wellness of my body, my mind and my heart are priority

1. 😴 improving my sleep

we all know this: good sleep is life changing. on the off chance that I do get a good night’s sleep, I feel like I’m hyper charged. like on some drug. it’s amazing what it does to your mood, your ability to think clearly and focus.

I’m not ready to rely on serotonin to help with my sleep as of yet, I think I can do a lot better in terms of my sleep hygiene, so I’m taking these steps to improve my sleep:

• consistent schedule: I aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends (this is a stretch goal).
• wind-down routine: doom scrolling actually knocks me out, but it can take up several hours. instead I’m trying to adopt a super simple night time routine that eases me into a calm state. once I’ve been able to run this routine for a month or so, I might consider adding a step or two, but nothing more.
  
  • drink a cup of water
  • brush my hair and set in lose braid for sleep
  • wash face (1 product)
  • moisturize face and hands (1 product)
    
• my environment: I use my phone as an alarm so it’s always nearby. it’s tempting but I am challenging myself to not touch my phone once I’ve docked it to charge. I noticed that I fall asleep much faster. comfy sleepwear (nothing tight, my husbands old shirts and PJ bottoms are ideal). good bedding – I recently changed my bedding and comforter (I get cold very quickly but need to sleep in a cold room). the greatest impact has come from changing up my pillows. HUGE. (I love the Calvin Klein pillows from Costco).
• bonus point : get out of bed and make it, as soon as I wake up. if I linger, I will fall back asleep.

I’ve made most these changes and have been sticking to it on more nights than not, so far. the impact is notable, and I suspect buildable – sleep debt is a serious offense, your body will punish you for it if you don’t pay your dues!

2. 📝 habit trackers to set reminders and log progress

if you have a thyroid condition or any hormonal imbalances, you’ll understand how much that can play into how you feel during the day. the fatigue is paralyzing. for anyone that needs to be taking regular medication, consistency is very important. admittedly, I do a very bad job of staying on top of my daily doses — this is because I need to take it early, alone and on an empty stomach and then wait at least an hour to eat or have my tea. most days I forget and by the time I remember I am too hungry or too keen on having my tea. not a good reason.

I also want/need to be more regular about my prenatal vitamins, ideally I should be taking these consistently for a period of time before conception. in my case, regulating my thyroid condition is also meant to help with conception. both things I need to get on track with with, like last year.

I tried using the reminders app on my iPhone but for some reason I couldn’t get myself to adopt it wholly, the notifications felt like a nuisance rather than a reminder. I do have a very specific goal I need to work towards : because I need to be preparing for a blood test, I need to track 6 weeks of uninterrupted dosage.

I’ve tried habit trackers in the past, but I don’t think I was giving them a fair chance. I know for a fact that I despise habit trackers that are included in physical journals. so I’m giving this one digital tracker another go. I don’t like elaborate interfaces, I wanted something simple and easy to use. I’m using Onrise and have programmed my vitamins and medication. the app has a pomodoro feature too! more on that below.

seeing my progress visually motivates me to keep going and I also get to check things off (instant gratification? ✅).

3. 🧘🏾‍♀️a clean workspace

small apartment living is a sport. it’s tetris on steroids. I live out in the suburbs so my apartment is most likely larger than most downtown Toronto condos but with the lack of storage, and still a fairly small space, it is hard to find an ideal space for my workstation. I work from home and have been for some years now. one promise I made to myself when I first moved out into my own apartment was that I would not have my workstation in my bedroom. I hated the lack of separation. the second bedroom we have is inevitably multifunctional: used as a gym, holds half my wardrobe and all my traditional wear, serves as a storage space for our Costco stock piles (unless heavily discounted, I refuse to buy toilet paper or paper towels for my little family of 2 + 2 doggos, elsewhere). I knew that I absolutely did not want my back to the door (it makes me uncomfortable and apparently Feng Shui explains why). so we have my desk against one wall and the treadmill, weights and bench along the other walls. it’s pretty crammed in there, which is more reason to keep it clean and organized. I can’t think in chaos.

I’ve found that physical clutter often leads to mental clutter. it gets very messy and chaotic in a small space, very quickly (doesn’t take much) and suddenly I am overwhelmed. here’s how I expect to manage this :

• daily reset: At the end of each workday, I clear my desk of unnecessary items.
• minimal decor: I keep only essentials and a few inspiring items, like a small plant or a special photo or a motivational quote.
• cable management: Organizing cables with clips and ties reduces distractions and keeps my desk looking sleek.

3. home office set up 👩🏾‍💻

I’ve been working from home since a little before pandemic. what they don’t tell you about working from home is exactly how to go about it. the importance of having a dedicated space, an ergonomic, well lit set up. I’ve worked through many iterations of my WFH set up, and with limited space and a conservative budget, I have finally arrived at a set up that works for my space and that has significantly improved my productivity! the key was to ensure that I was comfortable and not straining my eyes, or my muscles as I spent more time seated than I was used to at the office. I am so tempted to upgrade to those beautiful sit stand desks, but I know myself, and I won’t use the function often enough to justify the cost. I preferred to spend on my monitor.

my must haves for a productive WFH set up :

• ergonomic chair : office chairs are expensive! but they are also a critical element of an ergonomic setup — with some research I found an affordable (and aesthetic) chair that I love
• ergonomic mouse : my wrist pain disappeared overnight when I changed to a vertical mouse. there is no going back.
• external monitor : I hate when I am not working from my ultrawide monitor. I dock away my MacBook and use my one 34″ ultrawide monitor for just the right screen space that helps me stay efficient and productive
• headphones : I’ve tried Beats, Bose, Sony headphones and AirPods and AirPod Pros – I keep going back to my wired Apple EarPods. half of it is that I never keep anything charged and the second half of it is the comfort. my Sony headphones are the the only model that don’t hurt the top of my head with extended use. AirPods tend to hurt my ears after sometime. EarPods aren’t the best option, but at least I don’t have to worry about charge.

4. the Pomodoro method: staying on task ⏲️

The Pomodoro method has been a game-changer for managing my time and energy. Here’s how I use it:

1. Choose a task to work on.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes (one Pomodoro).
3. Focus solely on that task until the timer rings.
4. Take a 5-minute break.
5. Repeat the cycle four times, then take a longer 15-30 minute break.

this technique breaks down my larger tasks into more manageable tasks, so as a result when I accomplish a series of smaller tasks, I feel much better about my day.

final thoughts

improving focus and productivity isn’t about perfection; it’s about progress.

if you’re looking to create your own blueprint, start small. choose one or two areas to focus on, and build from there. productivity is a journey, and the key is finding what works best for you.