It’s that time of year – when you want to burrow deeper under the covers and quit your job (it’s cozier here anyway). But this year, we’re finding ways to work smarter, not harder. We asked some team members from SJ Mag Media to share their own ways for boosting productivity this winter. 

Your bestie: routine

My biggest tip is having both a digital AND a print planner to keep track of everything I have to do – that’s number one. As for what’s in those planners, I schedule out pretty much every minute of my day with my morning and night time routines. I won’t say I stick to them 100% of the time, but just having them written out gives me a productivity boost. (But don’t worry, I wake up at 6 am – none of that 4 am overachieving necessary to fit everything in.)

Ashley Resh

Dir. of Digital Marketing

Some of Ashley’s routine points: 

6:30 – 7:30 am drink water, greens (avoid caffeine until 10:30 am) DO NOT LOOK AT PHONE AT THIS TIME

6 – 7 pm QUALITY TIME and dinner 

7 – 8 pm night care /self care routine: shower, skincare, make tea to unwind 

8 pm kiss your phone goodnight and put it on the charger (don’t look at it anymore) 

It’s like a KitKat

You know how you always sang along “give me a break” to the KitKat commercials, I’ve built that into my work strategy. A couple months ago, I realized that when I sat at my computer and forced myself to write for hours my brain would just shut off. But when I wrote for 2 hours, got up and walked around or did some small household task for 20 minutes, then sat back down and got to it, I was so much more effective. So now I build those breaks into my schedule and it really helps. 

Klein Aleardi

Video Producer/Writer

Build your confidence

It might sound odd, but no matter what’s on my schedule for the day, I like to kick things off in the morning with a few minor tasks. When I tackle a few small things first thing in the morning, it gets me in the groove to be productive and makes me feel ready to tackle the bigger things on my list. I might look for some stock photos we need and then make sure my calendar is updated – or it could even be non-work related, like emptying the dishwasher.  

Marianne Aleardi

President/Publisher

Eat the frog

I make tons of lists (I mean, tons) and try to get at least 80% done each day. But with each one, I like to follow the “eat the frog” strategy – which means you do the gross thing first. That could mean it’s the hardest, or it’s that one thing that you’ve been meaning to tackle for days, or it’s 30 degrees outside and you have to go check on your chickens in the bitter cold. But no matter what it is, getting it out of the way first makes everything else seem so easy. 

Toni Farmer

Co-Host, “The Goal is to Become a Gardener”

(Marianne Aleardi would like to note that Toni’s tip is in direct contrast to hers, which is why their Facebook series “The Goal is to Become a Gardener” is such fun to watch!)