Intuitive productivity
‘Growth is not Linear’ available as a Giclée fine art print
Productivity does not always have to be input and output. Do you find yourself struggling to 'do it all' or do you spend time trying to prioritise your endless list of tasks? Maybe you're downloading the latest app to help you micro-manage your efficiency. Even when you have ticked off jobs, do you feel anxious about the next one? I invite you to gently pause, get a soothing drink and read this.
Since the dawn of the time pieces aka watches, clocks etc. we have been all too aware of fitting in as much work as possible. Samuel Pepys, an English diarist diary, noticed that as soon as a clock was installed in the town square and people had their own watches, there was an air of anxiety.
“But, Lord! to see how much of my old folly and childishnesse hangs upon me still that I cannot forbear carrying my watch in my hand in the coach all this afternoon, and seeing what o’clock it is one hundred times; and am apt to think with myself, how could I be so long without one; though I remember since, I had one, and found it a trouble, and resolved to carry one no more about me while I lived.”
In an effort to beat the clock and manage our time efficiently, we can drive ourselves into a state of unproductivity by either burning out or flitting between tasks without completing one.
What about being intuitively productive instead?
By this I mean, make your to do lists, but structure it in a way that means you can pick up tasks which align to how you are feeling rather than opting for the most loaded task first. Some come with deadlines of course, so they can take precedence, but I am a firm believer that if you start with something more engaging, you will find the next task much more manageable and palatable.
It’s also important to not do too much. Have just one or two tasks per day. Scaffold them in terms of enjoyment, importance and time you think it will take to complete them effectively.
If you have completed them, check in with your energy levels, take a moment to appreciate your work and you can decide if you have the capacity for the next task.
Remember, productivity does not have to be measured by how much you have done or evidenced by how you’ve spent your time. It’s far better making intuitive decisions before putting something out in to the world which doesn’t feel aligned to you. Start and share from a place of strength and authenticity.
And sometimes doing very little is the most productive choice you can make.