​These last couple of weeks have been extra cold around here. I feel like I’ve been walking around the house like a marshmallow with all the layers of clothes and a permanent cape from the blanket that I drag from room to room. Brrr, I love wearing boots outside, but I’m also ready to start getting a tan back.
 
A couple weeks ago, I talked about a great gift idea with a DIY blanket and today I have the full tutorial for you. 

1.  Lay the first piece of fabric face down over a large surface. (My dining table isn’t big enough so I did it on the bed) You want the side of the fabric you want people to see facing down. 

2.  Line up the second piece of fabric face up, directly on top of your first piece of fabric. This time, you want the side of fabric that you want people to see facing up. 
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3.  Trim the edges so that both pieces line up exactly. 

4.  Start with one side and measure 2.5 inches in and make your first cut the 2.5 inches up into the fabric. 

5.  From the first cut measure 1.5 inches horizontally and then make your next 2.5 inch vertically. Keep going with the same pattern along each side. At each corner, you will cut a 2.5 by 2.5 inch square out.

​There you have it. This is so easy to do and a great activity to do with kids too while you are bundled inside during winter storms. I’d love to see what you guys come up with. Try it out and be sure to tag @beyondtheclock or hashtag #btcdiy. Can’t wait to see the fun you have! 

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Do you ever walk into a room with the intention to sit down and get something done, only to be met with eight thousand distractions? It’s truly amazing how fasts our minds work, sometimes to our own demise. There are so many times I walk into my kitchen, which I use as my office, to knock things off my to-do list, but instead I end up wiping down the counters, making my shopping list, taking things back to their rightful homes or worse, find a magazine I left in the corner last week and flip through my favorite articles. Ahhh the distractions are so real!
 
I’ve been really trying to make a conscious effort lately to find focus during the dedicated moments and keep my space and mind in a place that allow for productivity rather than floating to the next fancy thing in my line of sight.
 
Here’s what’s been working for me:

1. Whether you go into an office or have a space at home, make sure you have a designated location for “focus time”. If you online shop in the same place you need to be paying bills, your brain will naturally pick the fun stuff first.
2. If you are like me and don't have a dedicated space (I use my kitchen counter) then find focus by mixing up your posture or direction when it's time to hammer things out.  Whether it be standing vs. sitting or facing the center of the room vs the wall, switch up your body and view for doing things that require less focus. If you chat in the office, see if you can stand for the social times and sit for the focus times, or even walk over and socialize near the coffee pot instead of right at your desk
   

​Scientifically speaking, our brains actually get trained through association and repetition, if you can help train your brain to have a certain place and position for focus, the likelihood of you sticking to your productive tasks in that space drastically increases.

I don’t know why this is so much easier said than done, but it is. As hard as it is to keep that designated space clean…DO IT. Before you leave for the day, put everything back in it’s place, take the dishes away, maybe even wipe it down with a Clorox wipe. A clean space helps keep the distractions to a minimum. You may still have the virtual ones, but at least by doing this, you are eliminating the physical ones as best as possible.

Not only does it look super cute, but it’s been proven that plants help with stress relief. Keeping something low maintenance like an air plant or succulent can help both you and your co-workers find a little comfort and channel the right side of your brain.

I like to use the Reminders app on my phone that integrates with my computer for this. The purpose of a hot list is to help prioritize things you must get done TODAY.

I generally keep 3 or 4 to-do lists for key areas of my life. Home, Work, Little Foodie, and Beyond the Clock. I found myself getting super overwhelmed about all the things on my list. Most days it felt like it was growing exponentially, and I was only getting 1 or 2 things off my list. I started to take the top 3 things off of each list and prioritizing those, but even that seemed like a tall task. I was getting more disheartened that I couldn’t get 3 from each list off a day.

That’s when I tried the hot-list. Each evening, I go through the lists and prioritize something that absolutely must get off the list from each category. Normally it’s 3 items from my work list and 1 item from each of my other lists. Best of all, with the reminder’s app, you can right click and move the task over to the hot list so after I have done my prioritization, I only see those 6 things in the morning.

​The list is much less overwhelming looking at 6 rather than 16 per list. My mind is able to mentally prepare and commit to accomplishing them that day which keeps all aspects of my life moving forward.

I’ve spoken to so many of you who have big dreams whether it be for a specific project, your career or next big purchase. I know from my own experience, staying committed to them can be hard, especially with the ten million other things going on and/or a day filled with Netflix and cookies only. I’m right there with you. The good thing about us as humans though, is we are able to form habits that can enable big things to happen.

​I’d love to hear some helpful habits that are helping you guys stay productive and focused? Drop a comment for your favorite tool, app, desk décor or other that keeps you going strong.