We’re often told to schedule our tasks on the calendar, and while I don’t believe this practice is absolutely critical, it’s helpful for many, although perhaps not in the way you think. Resistance There is a natural resistance to obligating our discretionary time, especially for tasks we don’t like to do. Most of us are … Read more
We all have natural energy cycles when we are more or less productive. Ideally, we do our hardest work when we’re at our peak capacity, and save the easier work for when our energy and productivity cycle is at a lower level. Our lowest points are ideal for resting and rejuvenating. But life is rarely ideal, … Read more
My last post addressed some aspects of setting priorities, or more simply, figuring out what to work on. There can be lots of moving parts and I know it’s not easy. I haven’t come up with my own systematic formula, but others have and I encourage you to explore those offerings. I often see the best results … Read more
I’m coming to appreciate that an integral component of prioritizing is getting comfortable with all the things that we are not doing. We all have much more on our to do lists than we can ever do. And life will continue to give us more and more possibilities. Like waves in the ocean, stuff to do … Read more
I just can’t find a system that works. I try something and it works for a few weeks, and then I just stop using it. People tell me this all the time. Often, it’s the reason they call me. So what I’m about to say might just put me out of a job, but I’ll take … Read more
The final item on my list of the Top 5 Obstacles to Productivity is isolation. We believe we should be able to keep ourselves motivated and productive, without any help from others. Our Work Suffers When We Try to Go It Alone Working alone creates all sorts of problems. We have no exposure to other points of … Read more
Catastrophizing is the fourth obstacle listed in my Top 5 Obstacles to Productivity. We tend to assume all the worst things will happen: We’ll do our worst work. The work will be impossibly hard, boring, complex, time-consuming, etc. We’ll never finish. We’ll be judged by our harshest critics. We’ll never be able to recover. Imagining the worst-case … Read more
This is the next installment of my series on the Top 5 Obstacles to Productivity. All or nothing thinking runs closely behind perfectionism as a major obstacle. Here are some examples: I can’t start on my taxes until I find all my receipts. I can’t vacuum the rug because I don’t have time to pull out the … Read more
Perfectionism is the second culprit on my list of Top 5 Obstacles to Productivity. Often, we don’t recognize our perfectionism. We laugh and say there is no way we could be perfectionists, because we know how imperfectly we operate. Just because we acknowledge that we aren’t perfect doesn’t mean we recognize when perfectionism becomes an obstacle. Recognizing Perfectionism Any of … Read more
I don’t have time to take care of myself. Clients tell me this all the time. I suggest that you don’t have time not to take care of yourself. Insufficient self-care was the #1 obstacle I mentioned in my earlier post, Top 5 Obstacles to Productivity. “Self-care” gets a bad rap. Perhaps it’s because many equate self-care with … Read more