Now more than ever, we need to be able to find ways to stay focussed, and therefore productive, in these times of uncertainty and change.

Therefore we wanted to share with you some of the best practices we use at SCALE to manage work, creativity, and now homeschool our son, in an easeful and productive way.

Here are our top 10 hacks:

1. Schedule - Create a plan for your day that honours you and also takes into consideration your housemates / family. Work with them to create the plan if needed. Having uninterrupted time to work on your music / business is essential for focus and allows for the lifestyle you wish to have.

2. Routine (aka habits), become addictive - If you do something repeatedly you start to become addicted to it and actually miss not doing it. Days flow more easily, you and everyone else knows what is happening next.

3. Start small - Implement your new routine and habits bit by bit - don’t try to change everything in one go - it's hard to sustain and then easier to give up. Set small achievable goals and add another each time you reach one.

4. Reward - Treat yourself to breaks, for example you could separate the weekdays and weekends - honour them and enjoy the difference.

5. Tidy Space Tidy Mind - Have a clear, organised place to work, somewhere you want to be. If your desk is untidy, or if you can't find certain cables etc, you will be wasting valuable energy and losing focus regularly.

6. End of Day Review - This is an essential hack. Carry out an EDR, review what you achieved that day, and set your next day’s priorities. This will keep you tracking your goals and you’ll have a great night’s sleep and wake up in the morning ready for the day!

7. Prioritise - If you're having trouble choosing what is best to do next and wasting time doing non essential tasks, a simple way to focus is to ask yourself - is this the best task to be moving my music career forward right now? 

8. Keep track - While your focussed on the main task, have a pen and paper to hand to write any other tasks or ideas which come up. Then add them to your calendar or EDR later as appropriate.

9. Pause - Another essential hack - Sit for at least 10 minutes each day. Turn phone off, close laptop. This is hugely beneficial for relaxation, focus, creativity, and productivity.

10. Invest in a mentor! - you are guaranteed to learn more, work faster, harder and better, knowing you have to show up to another person week to week!