Why You're Struggling To Be Productive
Are you struggling to figure out why you just cannot get through the items on your to-do list? Do you go to bed at the end of the day feeling like you got nothing accomplished? If yes…KEEP READING, GIRL! Today we are digging into what could be keeping you from being productive.
I get asked about this often - you have a perfectly color-coded time blocked schedule all ready to go but as the day goes on you are just not getting stuff done. You’re getting frustrated because for whatever reason your productivity levels are just not where you want them to be.
We’ve all been there...really. I put together a list of 3 things that could be keeping you from being productive so let’s talk about them, shall we?
1. You don’t have an accurate definition of productivity.
We are often tempted to link productivity to the number of tasks that we are completing but this isn’t always the case. The actual definition of productivity is the state or quality of producing something. Emphasis on QUALITY!
In my Hustle Sanely Intensive program, I talk about how the foundation for being truly productive is mindfulness. Mindfulness connects our mental, physical, and emotional states. It allows us to operate optimally. The actual definition of mindfulness, “a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”
Mmm, I just love that! Mindfulness is being aware of the present moment while CALMLY accepting yourself from the inside out. Mindfulness is not a destination but a state of being, which means that you have to choose it every day. You have to practice it and be intentional about it. So let’s go ahead and ditch the idea that productivity = drinking tons of coffee, cranking through an endless amount of half-important tasks, and depriving yourself of sleep in the name of “getting it all done.”
Instead, we’re going to embrace the TRUE definition of productivity. I posted this graphic that I drew on the Hustle Sanely Instagram a few days ago and it outlines what healthy productivity looks like:
If you are making all of these things a priority, not only are you going to be an all around wellness queen, you are going to actually be able to focus on getting important tasks done when they need to be done. How do I know this? Because if you’re doings things like taking care of your body from the inside out and filling up your cup by resting and spending quality time with your loved ones then you’re going to operate in your daily life with a clear mind rather than it being clouded by guilt that you’re not showing up well for your life. You’ll be able to focus on what you’re doing because your mindfulness practices are equipping you to be present in each moment - which includes the ones where you need to be getting things done.
So I challenge you to really embrace what true productivity looks like - I bet once you let go of the idea that it’s just running yourself into the ground that you’ll actually wind up being more productive.The second thing that might be keeping you from being productive is:
2. You’re wasting energy multitasking.
I talk about this often on Instagram but I am not a fan of multitasking. Maybe because I’m terrible at it but we’re gonna go with I don’t like it because it’s actually stealing your productivity. Multitasking is when you’re doing multiple things simultaneously. Girl, you are one person - overloading your plate via multitasking is not only overwhelming you, but it’s probably causing you to do things sloppily and/or let things slip through the cracks that you wouldn’t if the task had your full attention.
Now listen here - I am preaching to the choir with this one because while I’ve recently discovered that multitasking is NOT my jam, I used to think I was the multitasking queen. And I was PROUD of it. I thought I was getting more done when actually I was spreading my energy out wide rather than going deep with it. Let me explain.
This time last year, Hustle Sanely was only a few months old. I had SO MANY ideas for things that I wanted to create for the brand and I saw no harm in knocking them all out simultaneously. Sure, I could create planners, start a podcast, start a t-shirt line, launch my first course, and write my first book ALL AT THE SAME TIME!
Sounds crazy, right? But I really thought that pecking away at each task at the same time would lead to a lot of epic final products when it really led to burn out and a bunch of halfway done projects. I was spreading my energy so thin across so many things that none of them were actually getting done. When I finally decided to focus my energy on one major project at a time, I was able to complete quicker and with more ease. And uhhh actually complete them, lol.
Multitasking drives us toward overwhelm and it causes things to be done poorly and/or fall through the cracks. So let’s go ahead and take off our multitasking badge of honor and instead focus on doing one task well and thoroughly at a time, okay?
3. You have a lot of open loops.
This is another thing that I cover in the Hustle Sanely Intensive Program - the danger of open loops. Open loops are the death of true productivity. They drain you without you realizing it. Make you feel overwhelmed and like you’re running, running, running but going nowhere fast.
Let me explain what an open loop is: it’s a task or conversation that is partially completed. Open loops take up space in your mind because they quietly linger there sucking up energy without you really realizing it. I suggest that you minimize the amount of open loops that you have going on. There will always be a few, but try to fully complete things in a timely manner so that you get that brain space back. Don’t add new things to your plate if you have tons of open loops already.
Here are some examples of open loops:
Unfinished conversations
Work projects that you started but have not finished
Unfinished home projects like cleaning out your closet (maybe you’ve cleaned out the closet but you need to drop bags off at a donation center)
Knowing that you need to make a doctor’s appointment
Needing to schedule an oil change for your vehicle
Packing up something that you’ve been meaning to send to someone in the mail
The goal is always to create a calm headspace. Open loops cause chaos, steal time, and rob you of purpose.
And most of the time, closing an open loop doesn’t take up too much time and energy.It takes more energy to house the open loop in your brain than it does to just close it. You know what I’m talking about - that one task that is in the back of your mind ALL THE DANG TIME and you’ve been dreading it with everything inside of you - calling and making that dentist appointment, for example. You tell yourself 18 times a week, “Wow I really need to make that dentist appointment.” But then you get distracted and forget and it’s a constant loop in your brain.
That is energy wasted! Plus, you’re thinking about the dang dentist appointment as you’re trying to focus on other tasks that you’re doing and should be focused on - like watching your kids play or going out to dinner with your best friend. If you just pick up the phone and take the 30 seconds to make the appointment you feel SUCH a relief, you know? And it only took 30 seconds!
Closing open loops allows us to be present and productive.
I schedule in time every single Friday to work on closing open loops and since doing that, my productivity has for sure improved.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure to tune into episode 027 of The Hustle Sanely Podcast for more!
