Many of us place a lot of importance on being productive. We want to
achieve our goals, succeed in our ambitions, and accomplish something
worthwhile. That’s all great … but sometimes it can go too far.
Have you ever pushed yourself too much, only to end up producing
poorer quality work … or worse, getting sick or ending up just plain
miserable?
To be truly productive over the long-term, you need to take care of yourself. In his bestselling self-help book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,
Stephen Covey distinguishes between our actual “production” and our
“production capability”, explaining that we need to pay attention to the
latter in order to continue to have the former.
So how can you take care of your ability to keep on working towards your goals?
Take Regular Breaks
Working for too long without a break will sap your concentration
levels and leave you feeling exhausted. When you’re truly focusing hard
on a difficult task, you may find that you can only work effectively for 30 – 45 minutes before you need a break.
Learn to distinguish between the times when you’re unfocused and
distracted – and the times when your mind and body are demanding a rest.
If you’ve been working for a while and you find yourself struggling to
maintain concentration, that’s often a signal that you need to stop and
take a complete break.
As well as taking mini breaks throughout the day, make sure you’ve scheduled in time to rest each week. Many
of us have jobs and other commitments which eat into our weekends – but
try to have at least one weekend day when you simply relax and
recharge. You’ll really see the difference in your commitment and focus
levels on Monday…
Find Sources of Energy
What energizes you and gets you motivated? Much of my life involves
writing, and sometimes this is hard and draining: I find that talking to
writer friends and being part of an academic creative writing course
helps me to keep up my energy.
We all draw inspiration from different places, but here are some things you might want to consider:
- Finding like-minded friends – people working towards a similar goal. That might mean joining a weight loss club, going to an evening class, or finding an internet forum to be a part of.
- Creative activity – perhaps drawing, painting, knitting, writing, cooking… anything which you enjoy doing purely for the fun of it!
- Relaxing times – a long bath, journaling, being outside in nature, sitting in silence for twenty minutes, meditating … whatever helps you to switch off.
- Reading inspirational material – you might have favorite blogs, or particular authors which you enjoy. Biographies of people you admire can often be inspiring.
- Favorite television shows or novels – TV gets a bad press from productivity writers, but watching something you truly love can be a great way to recharge your batteries. Reading a gripping novel can be even more engrossing.
Watch the Energy-Drains
As well as having people, activities and resources which help us to
recharge our batteries, we also have factors in our life which drain our
energy.
Sometimes, other people can really sap our strength.
Perhaps it’s a colleague who you can never get along with, or a family
member who’s always moaning or grouching about something. It could be a
child who’s acting up, or a partner who never seems content.
You can’t always get rid of people (and in many cases you wouldn’t
want to!) but you can be aware of who drains your enthusiasm. You may
want to limit the time that you spend with them, or at least avoid
prolonged contact with them during a pressured week.
If you’re an introvert like me, even being around a group of friends is draining after a while.
Don’t feel bad about having some time alone – the extroverts of the
world may not totally understand, but most people will respect your need
for some quiet.
As well as people, certain activities may drain your energy. Perhaps
you loath doing your taxes and find it a huge chore, or maybe you can’t
face focusing on your small business when you’ve spent a morning doing
housework. Look for ways to delegate any dreaded activities, or to cut
down the time you spend on them.
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