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Welcome back to the Everyday Mentor Newsletter for another week!
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"Productivity & Inner-Life Health"
There is so much information in today’s world about productivity. There is no shortage of writers, creators, coaches and others who are ready to give you their best strategies for being more productive, doing more and making the most of your time.
Without doubt, much of this information is worth considering for people who are in need of better time management, diary planning and prioritising of tasks.
There are specific, high-impact voices that I myself have drawn a lot of constructive advice from including; Ali Abdaal, Matt Gray and others.
However, something that often goes unseen, is the fact that there is a dark side to the current digital obsession with hyper–productivity.
The cold hard reality is, that many of the people who are attracted to this narrative, are attracted because they only see increased productivity as a means to an end.
Often, the end that they have in mind is making more money. Whilst making more money, is not evil, in and of itself, there is however a brand new wave of over-obsession with making money as efficiently and quickly as possible, seemingly regardless of consequence.
Many of our young people are caught up in the frenzy, but just like the old saying goes “not all that glitters is gold“
I have discovered through much observation, and conversations with people of all ages and backgrounds, the dark side of productivity obsession easily translates into increased anxiety, jealousy, misguided expectations, and poor mental health generally.
Our lives were designed to be about so much more than simply identifying the shortest pathway to an external reward.
Don’t get me wrong, I get it, we need to make money, we need to pay our way in life.
However, the truth is that money cannot solve all your problems, it can only solve your money problems.
We must pursue a 'richer' expression and experience of the journey of life.
Making the most of every single second is a lofty and unattainable ambition, and even if it were attainable, it still could not produce the result of a joy-filled life.
I guess the summary of what I am wanting to encourage you with today, is for you to be mindful of the pseudo-gurus, as I call them, who want to preach to you only a message of 'go go go'. Do more, be more, make the most of every single minute, never waste a day, etc etc.
This narrative has more potential to drive you into a depressive low than it does to achieve anything worthy of retention in your life.
Having said all of that, of course not everything to do with productivity is evil or wasteful. Certainly not!
In fact, there are many concepts and practical applications for sharpening your own edge in regards to productivity.
When healthy productivity management strategies are deployed effectively, they can actually create the result of producing increased health in your Inner-Life. Better mood, increased peace, more joy in the mundane, and a greater sense of purpose & progress.
All of these are worthwhile outcomes to pursue.
Here are a few of my favourites that I have found helpful, and yet still restrain me from experiencing the negative effects of productivity-obsession outlined above;
- Consistent start times - Commencing your work day as close as possible to the same time sets your habits in place and builds structure around the remainder of your day
- Sleep, diet, exercise - These simple but powerful components will never cease to be an important part of any approach to health and productivity
- Big tasks early in the day - I have found this method to be one of the most effective in defeating procrastination and achieving soul-satisfying productivity
- Deep work - This is the idea of creating an environment conducive to focus, without the distraction of items that are important, yet not urgent (such as emails, small tasks etc). This allows for accomplishment of significant progress with multiple positive ripple effects on the remainder of your day
- Small task momentum starters - These can have an occasional place in your productivity strategy when you are struggling to get things kicked off. Identify 2 or 3 really small tasks (low hanging fruit), get them completed and ticked off a written list, then quickly spill that energy over into a big ticket item
- Shared diaries in family - This one saves time and wasted energy that can get consumed by miscommunication, repeating yourself, and 'double-ups' in the diary. I use shared calendars for work and for family so that the right people know where and when each other will be. It's a huge winner for teamwork
- Intentional ‘wasted’ time - This might seem counterintuitive, but the truth is that time is a resource, and occasionally you should 'spend' some on activities with no significant bearing on life. If you do it intentionally with parameters, you will be amazed at the sense of freedom and autonomy it can breed in your soul
I want to hear from you!
Have you ever been caught up in the trap of trying to be a productivity ninja? If so, how did you escape, and what is working for you now? Or, if you have achieved healthy balance in this area of your life already, what strategies did you use that have worked for you?
| If you were looking for more guidance and support in regards to your own personal growth, what format appeals to you most? |
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Until next Tuesday, have a great week!
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