Ever feel like you could be more efficient during the day and just don’t know how? Or are you having trouble consistently coming up with creative ideas? Here are four steps to organize your day for maximum creativity and efficiency.
1. The Brain Dump
The first step in my creative process is brain dump all the tasks I am looking to do that week on a OneNote page. Typically, I do this on Sundays at a café and try to have fun with it. If OneNote works for you, great. If not, try a Word document, pen and paper, or even a custom form to get yourself organized and get your ideas down.
2. Sort your tasks
Sort each task into two buckets: Left Brain Tasks or Right Brain Tasks.
The left side of our brain is the analytical side – when I am tapped into my Left-Brain tasks, I will power through my To-Do lists, send out tons of emails, and dig into data.
Right- Brain tasks are those where we tap into our creativity, intuition, and imagination. These can include tasks like brainstorming ideas and creating content.
What many people don’t realize is that it can be difficult and inefficient to try to flip back and forth between left and right brain activities throughout the day.
3. Organize your day by task type
This brings me to Step 3 – which is organizing your day by task type. I group my left-brain activities and my right brain activities in separate blocks.
In studying my own process for creating viral content ideas, I learned I need at least a 3-hour block to start getting in that right brain zone. You can even spend that first hour getting out in nature, meditating, or doing yoga to help get yourself in a creative flow state.
Try dedicating an entire day for each task type. If this isn’t feasible for your schedule then try to block off around three hours for each task type, especially the creative ones. You’ll learn how to be more efficient with your time after a little trial and error.
4. Stick to your schedule
I typically color code my calendar based on tasks and hold myself accountable to getting things done. Try blocking off your calendar, muting any distractions, and giving yourself the time you need to get things done. This often one of the hardest parts, when there are so many things calling our attention away at any given time.
Now you’ve got my steps for organizing the day for maximum creativity and efficiency. Head over to my profile for more content.