In this day in age, you have to make the most your time. People want more for less, they expect a lot, and only give a little bit in return. You have to be emotionally intelligent, quick witted, and agile.
There’s just this one little thing, it’s called burnout…
And once you get burnt out, it’s a pain to get back into a good place! It can takes weeks, even months after going too hard before you get back in the swing. So, what’s a girl to do? Move!
Productivity by definition is the effectiveness of productive effort. Ask yourself, how effective are your efforts? If you feel like a hamster on a wheel because you aren’t going anywhere, you have to get off the wheel. Stop putting in effort and try something new. Go with the “flow” of what’s easy and what works.
“Flow” is actually a term in psychology that means you are in the zone!
This is the creative state that is critical for true productivity. What does it feel like?
- You’re involved in what you’re doing: focused and concentrated.
- There’s a sense of excitement: outside of everyday reality.
- There’s inner clarity: knowing what needs to be done with immediate feedback on how well you’re doing.
- You know you have the necessary skills to complete a task successfully.
- You lose your sense of self: worries and concerns drift away.
- You lose track of time: completely focused on the present moment.
- You have internal motivation: flow becomes it’s own reward.
So, how does one go with the flow?
- Find a challenge. Do something you enjoy doing. Hobbies, sports, activities…
- Sharpen your skills in order to meet the challenge. If something is too easy you’ll be bored–and your mind will wander. If something is too hard you’ll be overwhelmed and won’t reach a flow state.
- Set goals. Be clear on what you want to achieve and how you know you’re succeeding.
- Focus on the task at hand. Eliminate all distractions. Don’t take your attention away from the task that you’re performing; if concentration is broken you’re going to lose the state of flow.
- Set aside enough time. It’s likely that it’s going to take at least fifteen minutes to get to a flow state, and even longer until you’re going with the flow.
- Monitor your emotional state. If you accomplished the above, but are not entering flow, monitor your emotional state. If you’re aroused, angry, anxious, worried… try doing something that will calm you or pick up your energy like jumping jacks, having a healthy snack, reading something, or calling a friend.
It’s as easy as that! Choose the flow, stop obsessing about things you can’t control, and breathe. If you get stuck switch things up and come back to them when you are in the zone.