cleaning Archive | Berlin and other stories

As you know, in my day job I work at a PR agency. That in itself can be quite the hectic environment. Telephones ringing, people talking to journalists day in, day out and running around, trying to make deadlines. Additionally, the agency has grown quite a bit in the last 6 months. We are now up to almost 40 people, trying to fit into an open plan office that is honestly much too small to hold everyone comfortably. You can imagine how that can affect everybody’s concentration for the worse.

Due to the situation, I had to find different ways to help me get into my zone and keep my productivity on fleek. In this post, I want to share some of these methods, to hopefully keep you concentrated as well.

Clean your Desk

In all honesty, I have to admit that I am quite messy and scattered when it comes to my desk at the office. (To my co-workers reading this, trying to mend my ways guys. Promise!). However, whenever I have a hard time concentrating on a task, cleaning my desk is the first step I take. Here is why:

The Princeton Neuroscience Institut has found that clutter can be a cause for distraction. According to the study, having various visual impulses within your field of vision will cause the impulses to compete against each other for the attention of your brain. This will lead to unnecessary distraction. Therefore, having a clean desk can help clear your mind and focus on the important tasks at hand.

Organize + Prioritize

Often when I get distracted from work, I just have too much on my mind. I attempt to do three things at once and end up not accomplishing anything at all. To overcome this problem I try to get a structured mind, before jumping into a task. I do this with these two steps:

To Do List
I dump out everything that I have to do, keep in mind and think about on a piece o paper. This clears up space in my head and gives my brain back some breathing room. Without having to constantly keep these To Do’s in the back of my mind, I can focus on the actual assignments.
Order
To make sure that deadlines are met and every task is finished when needed, it is now time to prioritize. The most time sensitive or crucial assignment should be your number one on that list. Following with the second important task and so on and so on.

Limit Distractions

As mentioned in the beginning of the post, my work environment is temporarily pretty chaotic. That said, it is tough to always drown out every distraction completely. There are however a few things, that can be done so spike your concentration. Here is a list of examples:

Turn your Skype on “Do not Disturb”
Switch your phone to silent. If you are not expecting an important phone call, you can call them back.
And now put it away. You don’t need to see the flashy light of an incoming notification. Your Instagram followers will survive a few hours without you.
Turn off your e-mail notifications. That way all mail will still be coming in. You can then check and respond after you have finished your task.

Turn on the Music

The last step before jumping into the first assignment is to zone out from the rest of the world. For me, it sometimes even helps to just put on my headphones. Why? My co-workers will be under the impression that I am busy and therefore far less tempted to disturb me for meaningless chatter.

If I really need to get into my headspace though, I put on a playlist. Usually, I turn to classical film tracks. To learn more about my favorite tracks for concentration and follow my work playlists, check out my post on “The best Playlists for every Girlboss”.

I hope these tips can help you with your concentration to stay on top of your productivity. Let me know if you have any other techniques or tips for staying focused. Be it in a noisy office or at home in your workspace. I would love to hear about them!

Nico

You might be thinking: “Lists are for people who are unorganized and don’t have their shit together”. And you are right. But most of us have countless responsibilities. There is the job, the house, the partner, maybe even the kids. And all of it is sitting on our shoulders, weighing us down. I mean, show me the girl who has never been laying awake at 2 a.m. making lists in her mind, right?

To me, lists are an excellent way to coordinate and systematize the chaos that is my life. And if I didn’t make them, I would probably be running around like a chicken with its head cut off, to be honest. A list just gives me a sense of direction. You see, I am very passionate about my lists. Let’s be real, I writing a list about lists right now 😀 . But honestly, if you have ever felt like your head is going to explode because you are trying to not forget 1 billion things, keep on reading Babe.

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How to have your shit together with these 7 lists

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To-Do List

Let’s start off with a no-brainer and one that has been my friend for years. The To-Do list is a thing I either put together in bed before I go to sleep or write down before I genuinely start my day. It contains everything that needs to be done that day. And it has check marks because checking a check mark is one of the most rewarding things ever. Feel me?

So I put EVERYTHING on that list. From bringing out the trash, to finishing a big project to calling my mom (don’t worry, I go to the bathroom without needing to check-mark it 😉 ). Your list, however, can consist of whatever you want. Some people work great with only having a rough outline of their tasks. I, on the other hand, need to plan out ever little detail of every task. Everyone is different. 😃

Gift Ideas

I’ve talked more in depth about this in the post “8 ways to improve yourself in your twenties”, but I am determined to become the most amazing present giver in the universe. Well, maybe not the universe, but you get the gist. However, I am not one of those people that have a great memory, when it comes to other people’s wishlists. Because of that, I keep a simple memo app (the one that’s usually already installed) on my phone. It’s called “Gift Ideas” and locked with a password for obvious reasons. And it works wonders.

I mean we’ve all been there one week before Christmas, going crazy because we still don’t know what to buy this uncle or that friend. And if you are as lame as me, they generally get the “real special bottle of wine” again. Well, not anymore my friend. With the memo app, you have all year to write down ideas whenever you’re with them or thinking of them. It’s gold, believe me.

Meal Plan

Since working full-time, I struggle even more with eating healthy. You just don’t have the time and energy to cook elaborate meals every day. It’s a luxury. And let’s be honest, it’s so much easier to get a quick bite on the way home. After the tenths Falafel in a row, however, I finally got fed up with it. Me and my thighs both.

I now take the time to plan out our weekly meals. Every Sunday, like a good housewife, does 😉 . But it is actually nice. I found some great recipes that are fast to make and healthy. And by planning them I don’t have the daily struggle of “What do we eat for dinner?”, “Do we still have enough tomatoes at home?”, “What can you make with an apple and an egg?”. Liberating!

And that brings me to the next list …

Grocery List

The time I have spent in grocery stores running around looking for “inspiration”. Ridiculous! Since having my meal plan, I also have my grocery list. It’s so grown up that it makes me proud and shocked at the same time. haha. But it does save a lot of time. I include everything I need for the weekly meals and then add everything else that comes to mind, that we might also need. Sure, I still have the occasional “Ups, no milk in the house”-moment. But those are an exception now.

Cleaning Schedule

Also a very grown up list. But quite handy, especially if there is more than one person living in the household. In my case, it is only two, which makes it a lot easier. I tend to be a neat freak only if I want to be. Doesn’t make sense? Well, it doesn’t to my boyfriend either. So I have found that splitting the tasks up evenly and knowing when they are supposed to be done and by whom, makes everything go over a lot smoother. Also, the house is way cleaner.

Birthdays

I am a little embarrassed that I even need to put this list here. But since we are all human I might as well put it out there. I regularly forget birthdays. All birthdays. And now I hope there are some of you out there who are as horrible as me. Come on, don’t leave a girl hanging here 😉 .

Because I have this habit and my mom keeps getting more annoyed at me for it as I am getting older, I have a list. Facebook is a nice little helper, but it doesn’t help me when it comes to grandparents and others. For that, I keep a list on my phone. It consists of all the birthdays of friends and family. At the beginning of every month, I make it a priority to transfer the birthdays into my calendar.

Why do I not put them there in the first place? Simple. If I did I wouldn’t think about them until the day of. And that brings us back to the gift debacle. With the list, however, I have thought about the birthday at the beginning of the month. That way, it stays in the back of my mind in a natural way and I can get the presents ahead of time.

Doctors Appointments

There are certain doctors appointments that need to be done once a year or every few months. But the way life keeps you busy and throws you things, it is the easiest thing in the world to forget about them. I live in Germany, where keeping up with doctors appointments is especially vital when it comes to the dentist. The government graciously gives you a kind of discount on your dental fillings. But only, if you’ve kept your yearly appointments for a certain amount of time (depending on the discount it varies anywhere from 5 years up). For that, you get a little book where the dental assistant marks of your appointments. Leave it to me, to go too late every year. That’s real money, I’m losing there. 😮

But even if you don’t get monetary refunds for going… we all know those appointments should be kept. The best way to stay on top of that is by creating a list. I personally do a checklist, where I can check off the appointments I have already dealt with. Not only does it help to clear up space in my mind- it actually keeps me more healthy!

Those are the lists that make me feel like I have my shit together. Lists that keep me organized and help to free up the mind space I need. I hope you enjoyed the suggestions and they might even help you to coordinate you own life. Do you have certain lists that help you have your shit together in your daily life? Let’s chat in the comments!