Productivewhencrazinesshits

Being Productive When Craziness Hits

I’m sitting in a laundromat with my two kids waiting for our 6 loads of laundry to wash! We have had such a crazy week. Both the washer and dryer went out on us on the same day! And no we didn’t buy them as a set at the same time. Our washer was was less than 5 years old. 🙁 We knew our dryer was on its last leg, but who would have guessed they would go out at the same time. When things like this happen, it can be hard staying productive.

Blessed to Work From Home

I am blessed to do what I do. I work from home with my business and my work at The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, and thankfully it’s all internet-based. That means I can do my work from just about anywhere. I just need electricity and my phone for a mobile hotspot. I am very thankful for that. Of course with my laptop battery not always holding a full charge and the laundromat not having any outlets, I’m writing this old school again, pen and paper. But I have my tablet with me, so I will get some work done on there.

When things get crazy like this my mind becomes scattered. I’m never sure which way is up, let alone what is the most important item to be done. When I can only snatch short times for working, like between loads at the laundromat, it helps to have a concise and easy to find TASK or to-do list.

Goals and Planners

I use a paper planner for some things, but I keep my calendar and to-do list in digital form. That way, whether I have my laptop, tablet or just my phone with me, when I only have small pockets of time to work, I know exactly what I need to work on. That alone helps me with staying productive in a way that works for me.

There are a lot of different apps and programs that will help you keep track of your tasks. There is Trello, and Asana to name a couple. But my favorite is ClickUp! I have the ClickUp app on my laptop, my tablet and my phone. That way I have the same, exact task list right at my fingertips. It doesn’t matter where I’m at, I know what needs to be done, and what I can do in the time I have.

Staying Productive
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The ClickUp app has a free version that meets all of my needs, though I did purchase the upgrade when it was on sale. It can be used with a group, which I do with my work at TOS. But I have a personal one I use for just me. It helps me keep track of my errands, client work, business work, TOS work, family items, and personal items.

The thing I like the most about ClickUp is the different views. Trello, which I tried and it was good, just didn’t have the different views. It only works on boards. With ClickUp I can see my items as a list, board, box or calendar. You can color code, tag, set due dates, subtasks, checklists and more.

Keeping Track of the Tasks

Of course, a good project/time management app is only as good as actually adding things to the list so they don’t get dropped. With that in mind, I just started using the email function with ClickUp (which I think is on the upgraded version). I can send an email to my ClickUp account and it will add it right to a specific task list. They even have integration to email programs with the pro version.

I see myself using this feature a lot in the future. Since I work virtually, most of my communication is through emails, so I think using this function is going to be a huge benefit to me and my staying productive on a more regular basis.

How do you deal with the craziness and your business when it hits? I would love to hear any tips you have. Or maybe a time/project management tool that did or didn’t work for you. I like to keep my personal, business and work lists separate but in the same app so I can always find what I need. What about you? Do you use separate apps for different areas in your life? What kind of tips do you have to keep you on track when you only have a short amount of time to work?

Please share. How are you staying productive in your personal and business life?

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