I'm a firm believer in planning the day but also allowing room for change, as life is unpredictable in parts which can affect how productive we are. As a multi-tasker, which is essentially a strength but also a weakness, I have learnt that the act of delegation is equally important. Prioritising whats most important goes unsaid, so I try to get this done first and making sure the day feels achievable versus a challenge that you don't to tackle. These are some hacks that I use to help multi-task life as a mum, wife, career woman and entrepreneur.

1) Start the day with positivity and yumminess

For me this means waking up with a can-do and I-will-get-it-done positive attitude, a delicious soy americano coffee and oats with a variety of different toppings. This is my breakfast of dreams and I truly believe it sets the mood for whats to come. The one change I know I need to make is to stop checking my social media accounts, messages or emails as soon as I wake up. I believe this will push me even further.

2) Make a to-do-list within your calender thats longer than what you can achieve

I schedule my to-do-list on my iphone and outlook calenders to help set up the tasks that I need to complete. It's great as I then allocate time to each task, so no excuses to say I have no time, and I tend to put in more than I want to accomplish in one day. This means on some days I might accomplish a week's worth of personal tasks in just two days. It always keeps me ahead of the curve in this way.

3) Answer the call and email now

I learnt this trick from one of my previous manager's years ago, which is to answer all calls, messages and emails immediately, so I have less to do later. I also tackle the associated task straight away. It works wonders as it means I have always tackled and replied to emails and can spend time focusing on other tasks instead of communications.

4) Schedule some me-time

I like to spend 30 minutes during the work day for myself and do this regularly unless I am in an all day meeting, for instance. This allows me to check in, have some down time, recharge and then get ready to go again. I still work a demanding job right now, but my previous roles were even more demanding in the sense that I literally had no time for myself, jumping from meeting to meeting throughout the dy. Having a check-in point allows me to actually be more productive with my time and more efficient overall.

5) Delegate where you can

It's taken me time but I have realised that the art of delegation frees up so much time for activities that actually would be a time waster. It allows me to concentrate on activities that need my full on attention, so I can complete them really well. For me, it may delegating something simple like an administration activity at work, shopping at home or cooking.

6) Schedule the day according to how you feel

Let's be honest, most of us have a slump in the afternoon after lunch with the post-prandial dip, and are more energised in the morning. This is why I tend to get my more difficult tasks out of the way in the morning, and schedule my less work intensive tasks in the afternoon. It's no point pushing our bodies or minds when we are not up to it.

Wishing you a productive and super successful year!

Much love

Shanti

The Kensington Diary

xxx