4 Habits Making You Unproductive
I feel like all 4 of these things kind of creep into our day to day lives without us realizing it and before we know it, they become our norm.
So how I define productivity is doing what matters most when it matters most. Sure, you can plow through a to-do list of tedious tasks all day long but if you didn't accomplish what actually needed to be done that day, were you really productive? Quality over quantity comes into play here. I’m all about teaching how to use your best time and energy to do what matters most.
What are 4 habits that are keeping you from achieving this kind of productivity?
01. Multitasking.
I’m SURE you’ve heard this tip before - that multitasking prevents you from being truly productive because you’re cutting your focus up and not moving the needle forward on anything. TRUE. But I think a lot of people have misconceptions about what negative multitasking looks like. I don’t think ALL multitasking is bad.
The kind of multitasking that I think robs us of being peacefully productive is when we are multitasking big or important projects/goals. Because that leads to work that isn’t done with excellence AND to us spreading ourselves too thin which is the first stop on the road to burnout.
I can use myself as an example here - when I went full-time with Hustle Sanely in 2019, I was stoked to do ALL THE THINGS. I thought it would be fun to launch a merch shop, my first course (the first version of the Hustle Sanely Program), and start one on one coaching. Those are 3 pretty big projects to take on at once. It took me a while to get them all off the ground because I was trying to pour into all of them at one time.
Not only that, but I was freaking exhausted to my core at the end of every day because my energy was being dispersed at such a rapid rate. Every day was filled with high energy tasks and it was burning me from the inside out. I felt like I was always on E - running on fumes and too much coffee.
If I would have focused on one project/goal at a time - starting it and seeing it through to completion before starting another one, I probably would’ve finished the projects quicker because I wouldn’t be shifting gears all day every day and I could stay in the headspace of that project which preserves energy and I would’ve been prouder of the quality of work of each one.
I see this kind of multitasking done a lot at the start of a new year - people get stoked about all of their new goals and want to crank them out all at once...YIKES. You know how that ends. You go balls to the wall for a few days or weeks then you crash and burn completing none of what you set out to accomplish.
This is exactly why part of the Hustle Sanely Yearly Vision meeting includes mapping out not only your goals but when you plan to focus on each one so that it lessens the temptation to try to tackle them all at once.
If you want to be peacefully productive, ditch multitasking when it comes to big projects and goals.
02. Winging it.
When you roll out of bed every day with absolutely no type of game plan for your day, things are bound to fall through the cracks and also you’re probably not going to accomplish what actually needs to get done, ya know? Instead you bop around trying to figure out what needs to be done or where you’re supposed to be when you could be using your precious time and energy ya know...doing what needs to be done.
Here’s the thing when people say they do better winging their days - I don’t believe them. I’m not saying that everyone needs a color coded Google cal schedule like I have BUT when you have some sort of plan for your days, you’re able to get the things done that matter quicker which leaves you with more time then to spend doing what you want to do - like hang out with your friends or family.
I’m all for spontaneity - but like, save it for planning date nights, choosing where you go out to eat, taking an unplanned vacay - sure, sure, sure! But in your day to day life, I think having a game plan positions us to spend our time and energy wisely. To be good stewards as I always say.
If the thought of planning out your day by the hour stresses you out then don’t do that. But go into each day knowing what needs to be done to move the needle in the right direction. Go back and listen to last week’s episode on How to Choose Your Focus 3 if you need to.
The Hustle Sanely Handbook - is a workbook that outlines how you can live the Hustle Sanely Lifestyle all year long - this is a great place to start if you’re new to adopting Hustle Sanely strategies into your life. When you are intentional about planning your months, weeks, and days, you own your time instead of your time owning you.
Spending a small amount of energy every month and week planning for your days has a high return in time and energy saved each day - you get done what needs to get done AND it’s done well because your energy is spent doing the tasks instead of trying to fumble through and figure out what they are. Plus you’re less likely to let people down by missing an important date or meeting.
Winging your days is keeping you from being peacefully productive so go into each day with a game plan.
03. Not being mindful of the energy that tasks require.
Okay hear me out - I feel like sometimes when people hear the word “energy” they freak out. They think I’m talking about some woo woo thing but no - I’m talking about the output that is required from you. Like the actual energy that you are exerting - whether it be mental or physical.
I’ve talked about this in podcast episodes, but not all tasks are created equal. Some tasks require more energy than others and that’s going to vary from person to person because we’re all wired differently. Something that might be a low energy task for me might be a high energy task for you and vice versa.
Examples of high energy tasks for me: writing podcast scripts, creating new products, going live
Examples of low energy tasks for me: responding to emails, answering DMs, creating graphics
So what does a task’s energy requirement have to do with your productivity levels?
If you’re trying to cram too many high energy tasks into a day, you aren’t going to be peacefully productive - you’ll be frantically burnt out.
I mentioned this in last week’s podcast episode but it’s super tempting to start your days by reaching for all the low hanging fruit on your to-do list - those easy or low energy tasks - so that you can get that quick high of checking off a bunch of stuff from your to-do list.
But that leaves your days unequally yoked - when you front load all of your low energy tasks for the day, you’re not using your energy wisely and you’re setting yourself up for exhaustion by backloading all of your big energy tasks.
Stop fighting against your energy and work with it. Be mindful of the energy that tasks require of you and sprinkle them evenly throughout your day instead of grabbing at the low hanging fruit first to get some ambiguous checkmarks on your to-do list.
04. Copying other people’s schedules and routines.
I’m gonna keep this one short and sweet but it needs to be talked about a little bit. Just because you see me doing a 90 minute morning routine and crushing my goals does not mean that you doing a 90 minute morning routine is going to work for you and the season that you’re in.
Just because you see someone in your same industry on Instagram doing something a certain way doesn’t mean you’ve got to do it that way, too.
Maybe you are 10 times more creative in the evenings than you are in the mornings. So write your podcast scripts in the evenings and get your emails and graphics done in the morning!
It is SO important for you to spend time assessing your strengths and weaknesses so you can work with yourself and choose habits and routines and schedules that support you and meet you where you’re at. We are all so different - as people - and our lives are different too. Our circumstances. Our seasons. All of it!
I picture a toddler trying to cram a square peg into a round hole. Instead of trying to cram yourself into someone else’s schedules and routines, spend your energy creating schedules and routines that work for you! It might take some time to figure them out but once you do, you will be living a peacefully productive life before you know it instead of fighting against yourself all day every day.
If you enjoyed this post, tune into episode 071 of The Hustle Sanely Podcast to listen into this topic!
