How to Increase Self Productivity

There are many days on my calendar that I wish I had done more. Studied more. Put in the work more. Maximized my hours to the fullest. It’s not uncommon to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt after an unproductive day – for me, it’s happened more than I’d like to admit. 

Logging into LinkedIn will have you feeling like there’s something you aren’t doing to get the results you want because everyone else is showcasing their highlight reels and groundbreaking milestones. Closer back home, the people in your team have hit their quarterly targets, you haven’t and there’s always that one person who seems to have it all together. Always on time, completing tasks, getting compliments for how great they’re doing their job. On some days you feel like you’re on top of the world slashing every goal you had on your to-do list and on other days you can’t pull yourself out of that social media rut and before you know it, you’re spending very little time doing productive things. 

The lifestyle #hustleculture has us believing that productivity is running ourselves to the ground with work and putting in an insane number of hours if we’re to produce anything significant. True as it may be, the working hard (hustling) part, does it really equate to productivity? Or have we just become busy bees who have so much to do and very little time to do it? With our attention spans getting smaller by every social media invention, is there hope for us who can’t commit to completing tasks within given periods? 

In her book, The Productivity Zone, Penny Zenker introduces a wonderful side to productivity that makes it something achievable – one that we can easily adapt to. She talks about how productivity isn’t related to time which is a concept we don’t have control over. You can’t stop time from moving and you can’t make it go faster. What we can control is our energy and how we can distribute it to the time we have. 

The problem we have is that we use a blanket understanding of productivity as defined by everyone else but us – and we measure how productive we are against other people’s results. You’ve probably googled how to increase your productivity and found the same old techniques; manage your time well, eliminate distractions, wake up early etc. But I’ve come to understand and define productivity personally by understanding the aspects associated with it. Elaborate for yourself what the following mean and how you can get the best out of yourself to ensure that you are truly showing up as your highest self every day;

  • Purpose – What is your why? Why do you need to do what you’re doing? Is it more than just what you can benefit from it? Structure your goals in a way that makes you feel you’re accomplishing a purpose. Make it meaningful. What’s the bigger picture of you being more productive? It could be that your work impacts people’s lives or makes things easier for others or simply gives you a sense of accomplishment. Think of yourself as a piece to a puzzle without which that puzzle wouldn’t be complete. Assign a great deal of importance to what you do even if it doesn’t look like it.
  • Language – We all have inner narratives that shape our self-view. If you’re constantly putting yourself down when you’re not productive then you’ll keep repeating the same cycle. Become aware of how you talk to yourself as you navigate your work. If something isn’t working out at the moment, don’t be so quick to label yourself a failure. Ask for help and know that there’s always a solution. If a day didn’t go so well, the sun will rise again tomorrow and you will try yet again until you get it right. Treat yourself with kindness when you miss the mark – you are a work in progress. Talk yourself into being the most productive person you know because it’s true if you believe it is.
  • Focus – we spend nearly 47% of the time we’re awake thinking about something other than what we’re doing. That’s a lot of time spent wandering and with an attention span of 8 seconds, the future doesn’t look promising in terms of productivity. Attention is one of the best assets we have and it can be used to destroy or build us. Just like technological algorithms are built to give you exactly what you want – to capture your attention for longer, you can also set up the systems that keep you focused for longer. Know what your objectives are, define exactly how you’ll meet those objectives, eliminate the distractions keeping you from achieving your goal, simplify the process and do more of what keeps you in your focus zone. This requires you to learn how your mind functions; some people work better with background music, practicing aromatherapy, working in non-formal environments – where and what time is your brain most alert?
  • Physiology – a healthy body, a healthy mind, a healthy spirit. Your overall well-being determines how productive you are. If you’re physically unwell, the pain will limit how effectively you get anything done. Same as your mental health – if you’re struggling to keep your head above water because of depression, anxiety, stress, or any other mental health issues then concentrating and putting in the effort will be hard. Productivity is not about how much you get done but how well you do what you need to do. Food affects your mood and we should consume meals that boost our serotonin levels which is a chemical in our brains that helps regulate our moods. Eat more healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Don’t forget to drink enough water, exercise, and spend time connecting with nature. Operate from a place of wholeness in all aspects of your being. Seek therapy if your mental health is affecting your work. Indulge more in what makes you happy – sometimes that’s all we need to get us in the zone.

Three Personal Productivity Methods to Use

  • The Eisenhower Matrix

On a piece of paper, draw a large plus sign; the X-axis (i.e the horizontal line) represents the level of urgency with the left side being the most urgent and the right side the least urgent. Your Y-axis (vertical line) represents importance, with the lowest importance at the bottom, highest at the top. You’ll have four boxes: Urgent and Important, Less Urgent but still Important, Less Important but Urgent, and Less important and Less Urgent. You can place all your tasks on a continuum within the boxes, giving you a clear visual understanding of what needs to be done now and what can (and should) wait.

  • Pomodoro/Sprints 

Break your tasks into manageable bits – decide on what you need to work on first, do it for 25minutes, take a five-minute break, repeat that four times then take a longer break – a 15-minute break. It works like a rewarding system. If 25 minutes is too short a period to complete a task, you can stretch the time to fit your needs.

  • Eating Live Frogs: Do the Worst Thing First 

Mark Twain is quoted saying, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Start with the most challenging and time-consuming tasks – when your energy levels are high and your concentration is at maximum. Once you get the hard stuff out of the way, do the easier tasks which may not take too much of your time and may increase your productivity levels. Don’t keep procrastinating on what needs to get done first.

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