Productivity isn’t really about getting MORE done – it’s about managing your time to make sure that how you spend it lines up with your priorities.

Don’t tell me that you don’t have time to blog every day, and then tell me how much you love the Real Housewives series (all 48-or-however-many-there-are of them).

Don’t tell me that you don’t have time to write an ebook to sell, and then tell me all about how you went dancing Friday and Saturday night.

Don’t tell me that you don’t have time to clean your house, and then tell me all about how you’re training for a marathon.

None of these choices are right or wrong – everyone’s priorities are different. Yyou can absolutely spend your time training for a marathon or blogging every day.

But each of these choices are just that. A choice.

You are CHOOSING to stay caught up with 200-online-friends’ blogs instead of creating for your own. You are CHOOSING to eat more takeout food so you can spend the time building your business. You are CHOOSING to train for a marathon instead of taking on more design clients.

The way you choose to spend your time reflects your priorities.

(sidenote: sometimes it is easier for someone’s ego to tell them you don’t have time or money to go drinking with them rather than explicitly state that your priorities do not align with theirs. I support small fibs to others when necessary. Just make sure you’re not lying to yourself)

Make sure you are 100% sure what your priorities are – and then make sure you are managing your time on those very things. Recognize what you are choosing to spend your time on. Own it.

I choose to read a lot for fun.

I choose to make homecooked meals for my family as often as possible. I choose to serve leftover homecooked meals even more often than that.

I choose to allow my house to be cluttered.

I choose to help run 30 Days of Lists (and all that entails) twice a year.

I (will soon) choose to get by with less money rather than give away 52+ hours/week to a cubicle.

These are just a small handful of the ways I choose to spend my time.

If you need help figuring out how you spend your time, think about keeping a time log for a couple weeks. More info here, but Laura suggests thinking of yourself as a lawyer or consultant, tracking your activities to ‘bill’.

Are your priorities lining up with your time spent?