Do you have big dreams for 2011? I know I do. There are never enough hours in the day, so it's important to make the most of what you have. Here are five simple tips to help optimize your time and make your creative dreams come true. Ready, set, go!
1. Set Goals… like on paper. If you're afraid to set specific goals with timelines it's probably because you're nervous to 'fail'. I understand that feeling. Just remember… without specific goals it's difficult to celebrate your accomplishments. So, don't be nervous… make your lists and celebrate each small achievement one by one! This will help you feel motivated and inspired to move forward!
2. Create a personal 'rewards system'. I've done this for years and it's helped me get MUCH more done in shorter amounts of time. When you're working on your own dream you have to create your own deadlines and schedules. Little rewards help so much! When you set a new goal, set a timeline and a reward for yourself. Make sure it's something that you won't allow yourself to have unless you make the goal and it's something exciting enough to motivate you to work hard. Depending on the task I have I set little rewards scaling from a nice dinner out to a weekend trip or a new pair of cute shoes. It's silly, but it works wonders.
3. We're all busy. Whether you're a student, a business owner, a full time employee or a mom we're ALL busy. We all have only 24 hours in each day and options for time management. Stop making excuses and set an amount of time (no matter how small) each day to work on your goal.
4. Love your working atmosphere. If you don't love it, redecorate. An inspiring space can increase productivity.
5. Schedule. Know when you're working, when you're playing and when you're relaxing. Focus on quality time spent working so that you'll feel good about your time spent relaxing.♥
Cheers to a productive new year! Love, Elsie
83 Comments
great tips and i love the photos! happy new year, elsie!
That last photo is beautiful, Elsie!
ALl true! It’s so important to just make a goal and writing it down is one step closing in making it happen 🙂
I’m going to try, although i have some major goals to work on, i just pray 2011 is a positive year for me. i want to find myself dancing like you are in the awesome first pic!
this came at the perfect time! I had JUST finished a list of goals for my blog and etsy shop when I read your tips! thanks for the inspiration, as always!
xo,
sarah of teacup adventure
This was great lady. Thanks for imparting your knowledge.
i liked the rewards part :))
xo.
http://dropsofjupiterBLOG.com
The reward system works wonders! Though in 2011 I am definitely using Starbucks less as a reward and opting for more waistline-friendly ones. 😀
All great tips… I agree with the reward system. I always indulge in a nice facial or massage after the end of a big work project. Thanks for sharing and happy new years!
Cheers from snowy Amsterdam,
http://www.GlocalGirl.com
These tips couldn’t have come in a better time, as we’re just about to start pursuing our new business. Love the idea of personal reward system – will have to give it a go! I know already, that I’ll have difficulties drawing the line between work/social/relaxing time, but hopefully I will learn to do so!
Thanks a million Elsie ♥
Xo Mervi
http://myfriendjules.blogspot.com/
great tips! 🙂 thank you so much, Elsie!
#3 = so true! I have used this as an excuse in the past but, as Liv Tyler says in Empire Records “There are 24 useful hours in every day!” There is always a spare five minutes, and I usually find that if you’re doing something you enjoy, five minutes can easily turn into half an hour, an hour, two hours…!
Thank you for the great advice Elsie, we all appreciate tips from successful people like yourself 🙂
Definitely need to start thinking about these soon! Thanks for the tips 🙂
Wonderful tips! Thank you for sharing your personal keys to success; your words serve as great motivation to me and my creative life!
this was juuuust what i needed! thanks, darlin’ 🙂
I’m going to print that list out & stick it to my inspiration board. 2011 will be the year I make something happen for me. Thanks for the tips.xx
Thank you Elise. I’ve always been a VERY hard worker, goal setter, and accomplish-er: but your blog and blogging class taught me a new concept, REWARDING MYSELF. I’ve been playing with the system ever since I read it from you. 🙂 Sushi dinner last night for cleaning up the whole house and writing a blog post ahead of time, yay.
Fabulous tips Elsie 🙂
I am a huge list maker and goal setter, but I always leave out the reward part. This year I am going to make an effort to reward myself with more than just the satisfaction of a completed list. Thanks for the motivation!
Thank for the ideas – love the thought of having a reward system – I need that – mmmm monthly sauna trips when I’ve been good….sounds perfect!
Have anice new year celebration!
This wassssss TOTALLY AWESOME! 🙂
I have a rule of 3 that if I see something 3 times from places other than my own head (heh heh) that I jump on them… and you, dahling, are the #3 SET SOME GOALS! message to hit me 🙂
Thanks for stoking the fire!
sweet tips!
Great tips…thank you! Wishing you all the best in 2011!
I love lists 🙂 Thanks for the tips!
i’m so excited about making my goals list this year! i feel like i have so many tiny lists here and there, but I’m planning on dedicating an entire day just to compiling all my lists into one special “goals journal” and getting to work!:) thanks for all your inspiration to work hard and achieve dreams! you’re the best Elsie!:)
Lovely post! Thanks 🙂
This was exactly what I needed to hear! Great tips!! 2011 is going to be the BEST year yet 🙂
-Ashleigh
http://www.ashflynn.blogspot.com
Thanks for sharing, I am a little nervous about setting goals…I didn’t achieve too many of mine in 2010! Maybe 2011 is my year!! Have a lovely day Elsie!! ♥♥
xoxo~Meg
Thanks for posting these tips. I need to take on the challenge of setting goals and staying focused.
the only way I was able to quit my day job to sew full time was to have weekly & monthly goals. goals are AMAZING! and setting small rewards is the best way for me to get them done.
great post!
love love LOVE your blog! I am so glad I found it!
This is great, thanks for sharing. 2011 is all about me getting to my dreams and goals.
oh, that number 4 is one I needed to read, for sure. I’ve been at this work-from-home thing for a year now, but I can’t say that I truly love my workspace. Time to do something about that, I think.
thanks, as always, for the inspiration!
Thank`s!!!
yay! love this 🙂
one more little question:
do you use a virtual or a paper planner? (how do you keep track of all deadlines and appointments whether related to work or personal?)
Nicely put 🙂
Beautiful photo and very inspiring (and motivational) post! It makes me want to seize 2011 and make it the best (and most creative) year yet!
thanks, elsie. this was very needed today!!
Hi Elsie! I wondered if you could tell me which software you used to edit that last photo of you. It looks so pretty! Xo
a perfect list for heading into the New Year!
Thank you for this great post. I like how it’s direct and leaves no room for excuses. I’m in the process of putting together a lot of new goals for the new year and these tips really help!
Thanks for the inspiration…2010 has been a great year for me…but 2011 is gonna be out of this world! I might even try to stop by your lovely store..on a trip to Nebraska to see my parents. 🙂 That’d be stellar! I wish you an early Happy New Years….a kazoo is blowing…hearts, janna lynn
Those were a very good “ten” tips. I think i will implement them this next year
These are great! Thanks for being an inspiration!
I am curious. Do you use your iCal on your iPhone to stay organized or do you buy/make/ restyle a planner with actual paper. I am a mega list maker, but I have many methods of organization and none seem very organized.
These are wonderful, but the text said “ten tips” but there are only five. I want more! ^_^
Great tips… and in perfect time. I have been strongly feeling the new motivation a new year brings this year. Got more of a creative fire in my belly. Thanks for keeping us motivated!
Happy New Year
http://www.iheartcocoon.com
These are fantastic, and rather inspiring, tips. Thank you!
This is awesome. Over the past few weeks I’ve been realizing I need a big change in 2011 and its not the typical “I’m going to go to the gym every day”. This was really inspiring! Thanks as always 🙂
Great tips that I will definitely put to use in 2011. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Great tips! Thanks!
Great post, Elsie. As a fellow creative junkie/big dreamer, you are always endlessly inspiring 🙂 Hope you are having a great week so far!
This was just the post I needed to read! Thank you! You are always so inspiring!
you are my fav elsie, great post
You probably have no idea just how helpful tips like these are – thank you! I know that so many people find the amount that you manage to achieve really inspiring so its wonderful to get some advice 🙂 Happy new year xo
These pictures are beautiful everyday. I know that you sometimes use your phone…what app do you use if you don’t mind me asking?
Thank you for the encouraging insight. It’s helpful to grab some grease from someone else’s wheel of ambition.
Thank you Elsie! I love every tip. They all address the fact that we need to do what is appealing and works with us, not just be stone cold disciplined. Inspiring!
I’m a college student who ended up wayyy stressed and wayyyy under-productive last semester. Your list was just what I needed to get my brain moving on ways to be happier and more productive in 2011! It would be great if you could talk/write more on tips for creating a personal reward system for accomplishing goals–this sounds like a great way to keep to-do lists and goal lists from becoming stressers instead of stream-liners! You’re the best!
And I echo a few comments above…do you use a paper planner or a virtual one?
Oh my gosh I have those shoes and I LOVE them! They look adorable with that dress, I’m going to have to find a cute dress to wear them with =]
Thanks for posting this! I never thought to use a rewards system for goals- that’s brilliant! 😀
Sounds like a plan!
This is great advice!
These are great tips! I struggle more with managing my time then anything else. Couple that with being easily distracted and that sometimes makes working for myself a disaster! I really like the idea of a self reward system to help keep motivation up.
I love it! <3
I’m tackling #4. I feel inspired already!
Cheers! Thanks for the inspiration!
I’d love to hear some examples of #2. I’m pretty good at setting goals, but rarely reward myself (other than financial goals).
Great list!
I’d love some examples of #2 – rewarding yourself. I’m pretty good at goal setting, but could use some incentive to remotivate me in some areas this year.
thanks!
Wonderful tips! Being self motivated is pretty hard at the best of times, especially in January with a whole year of uncertainty stretching out in front of you! I will certainly heed your advice! Thank you
thanks for the post, it was just what I was need to read today.
Great tips! Thanks for the inspiration!
Sunglasses convey a huge quotient of style in your whole personality that is certainly something one can’t manage without, but given that a person believes in updating itself down to the buzz goes.
totally agree! thank you , i like your blog and shop, love your lift, wish all best to you
.I so enjoyed every bit of this site and I’ve bookmarked your blog to keep up with the new topics you will post in the future.
These are all very beautiful, I like very much
http://www.1stpromdress.com
This is just what I needed to read! Thank you Elsie!
im definitly going to try this on my german learning and then in my sweden learning, im looking to end this two by the end of next year 🙂 thanks Elsie (sorry if my english is not so good 🙂 im a young latina starting her life)
A lot of people actually don’t have plans and goals for their lives, because they’re too busy doing the usual stuff. But setting a goal will help inspire you strive better in life. You can get motivation from no one but yourself.
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As ridiculous as this may seem I burst into tears reading this post! There are so many things I want to achieve and I think about them all day without taking time to think about an action plan. I am only 18 years old but sometimes i get these horrible chills like life is getting away from me its too late for me to achieve anything. I really need to set aside some time to clean my room and then make a plan of how to achieve these goals. Ah Elsie, thank you thank you thank you.
Fabulous tips 🙂 thx for sharing!