4 Secrets of High Productivity

Or how I manage to work on 2 business projects, care about myself, study, create arts, NFTs, podcasts, walk out with my dog and date wonderful boy.

Kseniya Kovaleva
4 min readJul 3, 2022

When I mention all of the things I do daily, it seems like even I become afraid of the list — but the key is not to think about the things you have to do, but just do them. Without panic, thinking of time and if you are in time or not. Just do what you have to following the plan. By the way, plan is necessary — without it you will hardly remember what you have to do.

Unsplash image by Surface

Manage Time and Tasks

Not to feel frustrated about not-forgetting-smth-important it’s much better to follow to-do list in your phone. I use simple Apple Calendar and have schedule for a month. Every time in the end of the month, I make a list of my “activities”, mentioning there all types of things I do from house care and up to the daily routine with my dog. Having this list allows me easily plan tasks for the month.

I never use exact time slots in Calendar, since most likely I will be out of time and I hardly can predict when I will feel inspiration for what, so it’s better just to have a list of things you have to do without limiting yourself in hours and minutes. Don’t overestimate your powers and always keel one day off in a week — let there be a day, when you have zero tasks and can just have lazy day off. It’s important to re-charge and avoid burning out.

Daily Care and Routine

Once you have a plan, it may be scary to look into it, since list of tasks may seem endless. Not to stress out and worry, try waking up earlier and put daily schedule for yourself. For example, every day I begin from jugging and working out in the part with my dog. I combine several tasks this way: to walk the dog out and do some sports. And I never start working before 10am, since this is time for myself and my health.

Then, I can work from whenever I want to combine for example sunbathing and working or walking and working — not to limit myself and feel a bit more flexibility. Also, I never keep on working after 8pm since it’s time for my private life. It doesn’t matter how urgent things are, I will be able to move the schedule, just because someone I love needs attention no less then numbers and tables. People are more important than tasks, you need consider this always while planning your day.

Try to make your daily routine similar so then your brain will get used to it and will be finding it easier to live every day through. Talking simpler, you won’t be thinking about what you do, as you do it on the daily bases.

No Mood — No Work

One more rule is always following your vibe. It’s no use in working if you don’t feel inspiration. In that way things won’t turn creative and they won’t be done with a good quality. At the same time, of course you can’t just give up on your job, so when you have low-inspiration-level days, just work on obligatory tasks and then put things in the “waiting list”.

And let yourself do nothing or switch to something you really want to work on now. Because it will be more effective. The secret is not in breaking yourself forcing to do something. The secret is in doing something with a true willing to do it.

Let Yourself Free

The last, but not the least, is allowing yourself be you in everything you do. Stop watching what and how others do, stop thinking about “right” and “wrong” hours to work, run, date, anything. Do things like only you do them.

For example, I may go jogging and have team meetings at work at the same time via Zoom right during my run. And that’s fine. When I’m out of time, I may easily run at 1pm, and that’s fine. You need to have the schedule, you need to have daily routine, but never take it as unbreakable rules. Allow some art and air in the frame you built yourself following 3 steps above.

And only then you will become really happy in every moment of your daily and work routine.

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Kseniya Kovaleva

✏️Journalist with 7 years of work experience.🌍CEO and author of UI/UX design boutique-TheRoom.📌VOGUE ex-intern. Writing for Marie Claire💥