At the start of the year, most of us like to take some time to reorganize and regroup to set ourselves up for success in the workplace. How you do that depends on each person, but if you’re looking for a place to start, here’s a list of some key areas to focus on in the new year.
Having a strong calendar system is imperative to achieving success in any area of your life. If you don’t currently live by your calendar, try out a new system and find something that truly works for you. Digital calendars are by far the most popular in 2023, but there are so many options out there it can seem overwhelming. I highly recommend Google Calendar if you’re not happy with your current calendar system. It’s easy to customize, and you can probably integrate it with some of the other programs you’re currently using.
Pro Tip: try using shared calendars to keep your team or family organized. At 4C, we use a shared calendar to keep track of important dates such as birthdays and anniversaries.
Time blocking is a way of scheduling your day that helps boost productivity by focusing on one task at a time instead of multi-tasking.
After creating your to-do list, look at your calendar and see what open blocks of time you have to schedule each task. Assign each task its own block of time on your schedule. Then, follow your schedule to complete each task within its scheduled timeframe. This is perfect if you’re easily distracted because you’re forced to focus on one single task under a time constraint.
Pro Tip: Pair time blocking with the Pomodoro Technique for maximum productivity. The Pomodoro Technique involves setting a timer for 25 minutes while you work on your task. Once the timer goes off, you take a 5-minute break and then repeat that cycle throughout your day. Traditionally, you would take a 30-minute break once you complete that cycle three times. But you can vary your timers for work and breaks depending on what works best for you.
If you don’t currently have a system for keeping track of your daily to-dos, now is the perfect time to start. For some people, a classic to-do list will do the trick. I recommend using the reminders app or Todoist, which you can use on your phone or web browser. If you like to follow a more detailed agenda, you can use a paper or digital daily planner. At 4C, we made a daily planner with a place for your daily schedule, top priorities, to-dos, and notes. Feel free to download our planner here or create something custom that works for you.
The new year is a great time to go through a digital reset and create some space on your devices. This can be a tedious process, but the end result will be so worth it, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. Just get started!
