I used to be so excited to have alone time that I saw it as just that- alone time. But the thing is, dedicated work hours aren’t “me time.” The hours are accounted for. If I’m going to leave my kids, pay someone to care for them, get gussied up and leave the house then it’s not time to recline with a podcast and a snack. Its time to tackle the to-do list. Here are my tips to maximize that work time, even if you only have one hour to get it done.

3. Turn your phone on airplane mode. Our phones are distracting – we know this. If some of your work must be done on your phone set aside time for that or even set a timer to tackle writing, reading, emails or whatever it may be for one hour, then once that timer goes off you can do whatever needs to be done on the phone for a while. There are so many things that actually do need to get accomplished on our phones like responding to DM’s, commenting and engaging on social media, taking or editing photos and all the fun phone things. BUT. Breaking up work to constantly check and work on that little distraction machine is never conducive for productivity.

4. Invest in some Blue Light Blocking glasses. The majority of my work is done looking at a screen of some sort. I wear glasses and contacts because my vision is shockingly poor (praying it doesn’t continue to get worse!) so I’m no stranger to eye strain. I found myself squinting at the end of the work day just because my eyes were tired. It was like that headache inside your eye ball, you know? After doing my research I found that the blue light shining from our phones and laptops is really bad for our eye health. Yikes. I scooped up these glasses on Amazon for $16 and they have made such a difference! I also have always used ‘Night Shift’ setting on my phone which helps your eyes a little bit as well.

5. Don’t come hungry. I face every work day with a giant Yeti Tumblr full of either ice water to sip or a giant smoothie. I don’t work well with a growling, angry stomach and since I typically work in coffee shops and cafes the smell of food is constant and persistent. I always, always keep a snack or two on hand in my bag incase I forget to properly plan for my work day but ideally I pack a big salad or many form of protein, greens and fat. My go-to snacks are plantain chips, fruit, and macadamia nuts to keep me full and satisfied.