Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
On this episode, we are talking about being productive. In order to reach our goals, we have to be productive during the day in ways that move us forward. But, what does it mean to be productive? Being productive isn’t about getting lots of things done during the your day. We can mark a lot of things off of our to-do list, but never actually achieve anything important. Productivity is the intentional application of our energy toward tasks that will move us more toward our goals.
Productivity requires good time management. Time management is the intentional use of our time to complete intentional action. Thus, we need to have control over our time and then use that time to complete the tasks we need to do. All of this requires us to plan and act with intention. If we have no intention to our actions, then we don’t know what the end result is of those actions. Our energy may be applied to our goals, or it may be wasted on something mindless.
In order to be productive, we have to control our environment. There are constant distractions around us all the time. Every one of those distractions will block us from using the time we have available to us to complete the tasks we need to complete. In order to be as productive as possible we can do the following:
- Stop Multitasking
- Focus on what we are doing when we are supposed to be doing it (do work when at work)
- Eliminate the distractions and alerts
There are millions of productivity hacks out there, but they all try to achieve this list. We cannot multitask, plain and simple. You have to do one thing at a time. When you are at work, be at work. When you are at the gym, focus on your workout. When you are at home, focus on your family, friends, or relaxing.
When you act with intention, there is space for things like social media and watching TV. Those distractions should not be used to keep you from being productive. They should be used to help you relax for a few moments, turn off your brain, and allow yourself to refocus. If you don’t want to use technology to do this, great. You can go for a walk, go for a hike, read a book for entertainment, practice a hobby, whatever it is your enjoy. You don’t have to be working toward your goals 100% of the time, but when it is time to work on your goals, be productive with your time and energy.
To learn more on this topic, check out the podcast:
