27 Sep 6 Tips to Increase Your Productivity this Fall

 

Summer’s over. The kids are in school. Fall is here. But you’re wondering if you’re really ready.

You still miss the carefree days of summer.

You’ve got design projects you’ve started, but fear you can’t finish.

Or perhaps, your clients (or family) are nipping at your heels and you’re not feeling 100%, maybe even a little depressed.

With the weather changing and daylight hours less, we often can feel down and out. Many designers and artisans who work from home can face challenges getting back into the swing of things. They are their own bosses and don’t have a set schedule. It can feel daunting to get back into a routine.

And this summer you swore your fall routine was going to be different.

Sound familiar?

With all the noise going on in the world and social media, we can become overwhelmed. Some days it’s a wonder we can focus on being productive at all.

But we can.

The calendar says it’s fall (still a hot 95 degrees here in Austin!) and the world is off and running. But it does not mean you have to be.

The reality is, our lives don’t always fit neatly into the annual school calendar. Sometimes regular life gets in the way. Some people do great with a structured environment; others flounder a bit until they find their footing.

Whichever describes your life right now, it’s A-OK.

So let’s talk about some ways to help you get back into the game, with your life, and your own time frame.

 

PILLOW GODDESS TIP #1— Hold on to that summer traveling mood.

Finding Your Productive Compass 

Summer doesn’t always have to be over when school starts. It’s a transition getting back to work and finding our own ways to be productive, perhaps in a new, fresh way this fall.

My husband and I took a road trip in August to the cool mountains of Colorado. Being in the car 12 hours at a stretch gave us uninterrupted time with our own thoughts and time to talk. Also, time to stare out the window. To think of nothing but the vast expanses of hills and valleys of West Texas.

We came back from our summer vacation refreshed and fully relaxed, only to be abruptly faced with September temps at 100 degrees, or hovering at 95. It kind of zaps your motivation to get started on new routines or an exercise program, right?

Spending a little more time remembering your summer vacation can help you make the transition.

Here are a few tips to keep your travels alive –

• Take time to have fun with your vacation photos. Share them with friends and family and post them on Facebook or in an Instagram story.
• Think about what you enjoyed while traveling this summer and how you can incorporate that feeling into your daily life.
• Even create a photo book from your vacation, so when you’re having a tough day you can still travel in your mind with your summer memories.

 

 

PILLOW GODDESS TIP #2 — Organizing is not a bad word

Organizing helps us live less chaotic lives.

What to do with the endless “To-do” lists. When you’re still in the summer vacation mindset, you might be resisting making a list at all. You may have millions of thoughts running through your head every day, and especially when you’re trying to sleep.

When will I exercise?

When will I write my blog?

Or how about that thank you note I still need to write?

Organizing your thoughts (even if it’s writing them randomly in a journal) can help you begin to prioritize them.

Here are a few tips –

• Think of a schedule that might work best for you. Try it. If it doesn’t work you can always change it, especially if you work for yourself.
• Take it one day at a time. Give yourself time to feel your natural rhythm of what times are best for you to do certain tasks, your most productive hours.
• Start organizing one part of your life, then move on to the next. If it feels overwhelming, slow down. (Remember, no one is watching over you. It’s all that self-talk in your head that sometimes gets in the way.)

 

 

PILLOW GODDESS TIP #3 — Keep a date with yourself, family and friends.

The conversation that saved the week.

Starting work after summer, with no staff, can all of a sudden feel isolating. We often forget that we still need to spend time with ourselves, our spouses, and our friends.

Personally, I’ve been frustrated with not being able to get out of the house because of a health relapse and I was really missing a particular friend. So she and I scheduled a phone date on a Sunday and ended up talking for almost 2 hours!

I felt invigorated, inspired and positive after that one phone call.

Here’s how you can feel this way too –

• Make a date with a friend. It can be going out for coffee, lunch or a movie. If you’re not up for that, simply a phone call works.
• Talk to your spouse and plan a small get together with another couple, or perhaps a date for the two of you,
• Make a date with yourself. A trip to the park, or simply a short walk in the neighborhood. It’s always a good thing to step away from your computer and refresh.

 

 

PILLOW GODDESS TIP #4 —  Attend design events or sign up for a course

The most interesting way to design a room.

Being able to travel and attend an event is an ideal way to feel productive, but that’s not always possible due to your work or family commitments, or health.

I wasn’t able to go to Dallas Design Week, so I chose to do a free online writing workshop and write a blog post about architecture (See above) for a new client participating in the Houston Modern Home Tour.

One fun thing I learned in the process, was the architect designed an interesting and unique room called the “Cat Lounge”. Yup, you got that right, a lounge for felines and humans to hang out together.

The couple’s original home had been lost to the Harvey floods and they wanted a special place for their cats in their new home. Thus a “Cat Lounge” was born. (Read about it HERE.)

So if you can’t travel right now, here are a few ideas –

• Attend online events, like Twitter chats (for example, #KBTribechat for kitchen and bath inspiration) or meetups in a Facebook group
• Seek out a Home Tour or a showroom Grand Opening. You may not be able to attend the events, but you could write about it on your blog or follow on Instagram.
• Sign up for an online course. There are tons of paid and even free online courses in almost every subject matter.

 

 

PILLOW GODDESS TIP #5— Get ready for a challenge 

Never say never.

Sometimes designers, artists and many of us, can get in a creative slump. I know I do at different times of the year. There’s nothing like a challenge to get you going in the fall, or any time of the year.

Even though I said, “Never again!” after the 2019 Spring One Room Challenge (Learn about the challenge HERE; read about my Guest Participation HERE), I figured out a small project I could do for the upcoming fall challenge, our breakfast nook.

Here are a few suggestions for you –

• If you’re a runner, find a short local road race. Even without your exercise routine going yet, a short road race can jump start it for you.
• If you love baking, something like a “Bake Off” fundraiser might be available, or you can simply bake cookies for a local school event.
• If you’re a creative, there are many projects you can do, some via a formal challenge (like the one I signed up for as a Guest Participant, 2019 Fall One Room Challenge) or less formal, like a DIY fall home decor project.

 

 

PILLOW GODDESS TIP #6 – Travel again 

What do you mean travel again? How is that possible when the kids are in school and I’m back to work? You must be crazy! Well, I am. Stick with me here and I’ll explain.

The wildest ideas are sometimes the best ideas.

I’m not sure I’m ready to share the details yet here in this post, but I’ll give you a hint. My husband and I want to live in a foreign country for 2 months next summer.

Planning your next summer vacation can really help you be more productive. It’s like the carrot at the end of the stick, something to get excited about. It allows you to feel those feelings again that you felt while you were carefree on your vacation and didn’t have a worry in the world. Relaxed.

Think about it. You can almost feel the tension ease from your shoulders.

Planning puts us in that vacation moment. Here’s why –

• It forces us to think of all the places we want to travel to and start planning the next road trip. How fun is that?
• It gives us an excuse to read travel books, learn a new language, or break out an Atlas (yes, they still have them!), and
• It allows us the freedom to dream and hope.

 

 

Feeling productive makes us feel good about ourselves.

You never know what sparks your creativity or what helps you get moving again to be more productive. It can be having lunch with a friend, listening to music, attending an event or reading a great book.

What’s important, is to do something, one thing to get the ball rolling. I know you can do it.

Imagine how you’ll feel after you call that friend you haven’t talked with for months.

Imagine how you’ll feel when you have some of your “To-do’s” organized on a calendar.

Imagine how you’ll feel when you enroll in an exercise class, meet new people, and start getting in shape.

You know you’ll feel great about yourself! And isn’t that the goal here?

These important feelings help us become more productive, but it takes a conscious action step. So why not start today? I know you can do it. I have every confidence you can take little steps toward a more productive fall.

Please PIN this image –

 

Until next week, try a few of these 6 Pillow Goddess Tips and let me know which one worked for you.

XO PG