Ep #15: Productivity Tips for Food Bloggers with Jeff Sanders

Time management and productivity go hand in hand and they’re both big issues for food bloggers. Because food bloggers are entrepreneurs and the job of an entrepreneur, as we know all too well, is never done. So finding ways to stay motivated and productive is really important. That’s why I reached out to Jeff Sanders, a productivity guru, to share some tips on how to stay on top of your game! Read and listen on for Productivity Tips for Food Bloggers with Jeff Sanders.

It’s not easy being a blogger. There’s so much to do at any given moment that it’s easy to succumb to the pressures of the little things and not get done the important things that you intended to do in the first place. Your days can turn into what I refer to as Grocery Store Syndrome. You know? When you head to the grocery store to get one thing and then return with twenty other things, but not the one thing you went for? It’s enough to drive you crazy.

Jeff Sanders is a productivity guru and he has a lot of great advice to share on helping food bloggers get the most out of their designated content creation time.

You have to know what matters, identify that upfront and then decide how you’re going to make time for those specific things. — Jeff Sanders

Jeff and I talk about how being busy can be the enemy of being productive. It’s probably because being busy lures you into feeling like you’re being productive. But the question is, are you getting done the things you actually want to get done?

When you’re being ‘productive’ you’re basically just busy — you’re doing a lot of stuff — but does any of it actually matter? When you’re being effective, you’re doing stuff that you’ve already pre-identified as ‘this is important, this matters’ and when you do this whether you feel good about it or not, it doesn’t really matter, at the end of the day the things that needed to get done got done. — Jeff Sanders

Jeff recommends a lot of great tools and resources for being productive, but he’s also passionate about exercise as a means to being the most effective version of yourself.

If you are a creative person and you’re trying to produce better work and you’re trying to get more done, exercise can be your greatest asset to doing that. — Jeff Sanders

Featured Content – Productivity Tips for Food Bloggers with Jeff Sanders

Here are some of the highlights of my discussion with Jeff:

• How Jeff decided to start his podcast the 5AM Miracle
• Jeff’s favorite key tools for increasing his productivity
• Why knowing what matters is the key to productivity
• The difference between being productive and being effective
• Also, how YOU define what being effective is
• Why Jeff recommends an early start for being productive
• Jeff’s favorite productivity hack includes starting the night before
• How working at a coffee shop can help you be more productive
• How being unplugged can make you more productive
• Why you should consider a sabbatical as a way to grow your blog
• Jeff talks about why exercise is such an important part about staying productive
• Why Jeff’s favorite way of working out includes Burst Training
• How Jeff uses meditation as a tool for productivity
• Jeff describes the 12-Week Year as a productivity goal system
• What Jeff considers to be the Enemy of Greatness!

Show Notes

This episode includes references to several resources you might find interesting. Here they are:

• Learn more about today’s guest, Jeff Sanders and his productivity podcast, The 5AM Miracle.
• One of Jeff’s favorite productivity tools is a task management tool called Nozbe. Here’s a page from his site where Jeff Sanders tells you all about Nozbe and how to use it.
• Check out Jeff Sanders’ post on his Triple Threat of Productivity that includes tips on how to use Nozbe, Evernote, and Google Drive.
• Jeff Talks about the book Die Empty by Todd Henry as a way to stay motivated and to recharge your batteries.
• Jeff also talks about the book Spark, which shares how exercise works to build neurons in your brain.
• Jeff’s favorite meditation tools include Buddhify, Calm, and HeadSpace.
• Jeff’s favorite productivity books are: Getting Things Done and The Compound Effect.
• Why not give Jeff a shout-out on Twitter and say thanks for the Chopped Podcast interview

Announcements

1. Learn about future Chopped Podcast episodes by subscribing to the ChoppedCon newsletter. Just add your email in the subscribe section at the bottom of this page. You’ll be glad you did!
2. Our next podcast interview is with Amy Lynn Andrews with the blog of the same name and her incredible blogger resources, like her weekly Useletter. Amy and I talk about SEO strategies for food bloggers, along with other good blogging practices.  Amy has developed a successful platform as a blogging expert and has a loyal following. If you’re interested learning to be the most successful blogger, you’ll love my interview with Amy Lynn Andrews. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it!

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