14 May Thinking About Productivity Differently
Here are some of my favorite thoughts on productivity. They aren’t what you typically hear, but they’ve helped me and my clients. I hope they’ll help you too!
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
This is one of the hardest lessons to learn. We often think that because we can do something, we should just do it. But building in a pause and asking whether it’s in our best interest to say yes is a powerful shift. Here are some questions to consider when deciding if the answer should be yes:
- If I say yes to this, what will I have to say no to in order to make time for it? Remember, time is finite. You can’t keep adding commitments indefinitely. Are you willing to give up time at the gym or working on a project that matters to do this?
- Is there someone else who can do this well enough? Not only could it be a good opportunity for someone else on your team to learn a new skill, but it might also be better for you to stick to your high-value work and let someone else do this.
- Will doing this help me achieve a long-term goal or intention? Look at your goals for the year. Does this action support them? If not, the answer is most likely NO.
Retraining your brain around this takes time—it’s a new way of thinking.
It may be less about setting boundaries and more about considering the future result of saying yes.
This is what we call a “time horizon” issue. If you look at your calendar three weeks from now, it may seem like you have plenty of time, and you might believe you won’t need to compromise your boundaries to say yes. But is that truly the case? You know how often things pop into your life and take up time that you didn’t anticipate.
Ask yourself: How would you feel if you had to fit this event, action, or task into your calendar this week or today? Would you still say yes?
When learning a new habit—remember the why, not just the what.
When we try to change something, our brain tends to push back. Doing something different— even if it’s for our benefit—can trigger the brain’s threat response, leading to fight, flight, or freeze. That’s not the ideal mental state for making lasting change.
When making a change, it’s natural to focus on the “what”: the specific steps to implement it. For example:
- “I’ll go to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning before work.”
- “I’ll do my daily planning with my coffee each morning.”
- “Even though the report isn’t due until Friday, I’ll schedule time to work on it Monday.”
But what often happens? You know the answer! So try shifting your focus. Instead of just the “what,” consider the “why”:
- “I know I will feel better physically and emotionally if I work out three times a week.”
- “When I take five minutes to plan today’s tasks, I get more done, feel less stressed, and enjoy my free time more.”
- “When I give myself time to write, pause, and revise, the quality of my work improves, and I feel more confident.”
Motivation follows action—not the other way around.
I often hear people say, “I just need more discipline.” But I believe discipline isn’t the key. How do you gain motivation? Simply—by taking action. Once you start, it feels good. Completing tasks feels even better. Success breeds success.
Remember, motivation follows action, not the other way around. This makes building habits easier. Give it a try: see if it’s motivation you need, not discipline..
A final note:
All these mindset shifts are valuable. But as we’ve discussed, trying to change too many things at once makes it harder to sustain those changes. My recommendation – pick one and test that for a few weeks. Good luck!
If you enjoy my blog, you’ll love the insights in my book, Productivity for How You’re Wired, available on Audible, in print, and as an ebook all on Amazon.
