Hello hello, and welcome to Episode 40 of Life On the Brink!
I don’t know about you, but October always ends up being one of the busiest months of the year. Between school schedules, projects coming up, and all the fun fall things we try to fit in, my life is certainly very full right now, as I’m sure yours is. So, to that end, today we're talking a bit about productivity.
How to work productively, yay! It makes my little Enneagram 3 heart sing to think of maximizing my time and energy (though it’s so much easier said than done), and especially as we’ve slowly adjusted from our respective lockdowns, this autumn is probably the busiest we’ve all been since Covid started.
So it's nice to evaluate and see where you are. Whether you're someone who has had a hard time setting structure for yourself, or your work has shifted, or maybe you have creative projects outside of your job, finding the time and the motivation is tricky.
Or, on the other hand, sometimes we can easily find ourselves stuck in a cycle of work, work, working and burning ourselves out. Here at Life On the Brink, though, we’re all about enjoying your life and, dare I say, enjoying your work too.
The essence of this episode lies in this statement: The point of productivity is not to be able to work more, but rather to work more effectively so you can rest and enjoy your life more.
Now with that in mind, make yourself a cup of tea and get ready to dive in...
What’s in my teacup? Harney and Son’s Paris blend
I’ve split up the gist of my productive work routine into 4 main parts: Organization, Prioritization, Motivation, and Reward. Don’t be intimidated by the terminology, it’s actually very straight-forward. Here we go!
Organization:
-I recommend investing in a planner or journal to help you organize your thoughts. I also recommend getting one that’s cute and that you like using. It’ll feel good to open it up, and little things like that are seriously underrated when it comes to motivation.
-Start by putting all your thoughts, all your “to-dos” on paper. Sometimes called a “brain dump”
-Organize your tasks by priority and make either a Weekly List, parsing it out each day, or perhaps giving yourself a long list for the day and carrying over unfinished tasks to the next day.
-Break down big tasks into smaller sub-lists (way more satisfying, plus you’re less likely to forget things)
-Some people like putting everything together online in apps like Notion. I prefer my journal, but feel free to check it out!
Prioritization:
-Pick one big task for your day; you can always have a list on the side for that week or month that you can pull from, should you have time. Prioritizing your work by tasking less can help avoid procrastinating.
-Do the hardest thing first, when you’re at your most focused. Then you can do the menial tasks that require less brain power.
-Try to take notice of when your brain is the most active (for me it’s between 9 am and noonish), and how long it takes to get into a groove.
Distractions and Motivation
-Either develop a work space, or simply dedicate a space to it while you’re working.
-Note: a quick walk does wonders, and so does a quick nap (not to mention being well rested from the night before). Identify what you need and take the time to refresh.
-Giving yourself the time to rest BEFORE the burnout happens is more productive and better for your body and brain in the long run.
-Sometimes we feel guilty or “lazy” for resting, but rest is not lazy. Rest is not irresponsible.
-That being said, there’s a lot of scrolling time that probably isn’t feeding us. It’s not that enjoyable, it’s just procrastination. Why not spend your off time doing things you really enjoy, things that refresh you?
And before we get to the Reward section, I wanted to share a method of working that has helped me tremendously when it comes to eliminating distractions:
The Pomodoro Method
-Developed by Francesco Cirillo. It’s name comes from the Italian word for “tomato,” as Cirillo had a kitchen timer shaped like a tomato that he used to work in this way.
-Step 1: set a timer for 25 minutes and dedicate it to uninterrupted work
-Step 2: take a 5-10 minute break. I recommend getting up and moving away from the space. Spend it doing something you enjoy
-Step 3: after 3 sets of 25 minutes, take a longer break (20-30 minutes)
**don’t forget to drink water, friends**
This method has helped break up my time, and does a lot to keep me focused on the task at hand.
Reward:
-Try to have a cut-off time. For me it’s between when Josh gets home from work around 4:30 and when I start making dinner.
-Plan fun things during your free time that you can look forward to at the end of your work.
-Limiting your time actually working does increase productivity.
And remember you don’t have to work on EVERYTHING every day.
No matter how much you get done in one particular day, make time to enjoy the things you love. You don’t have to “deserve” it; you are worthy of your own time, and stopping to enjoy the things you love is the whole point of working productively.
“We overestimate what we can do in a day, and underestimate what we can do in a lifetime.”
I wish you the best, friends. May your work days be swift and satisfying, and your rest be sweet and oh-so enjoyable. If you have any tips or ideas, feel free to reach out or leave a comment below!
More inspiration:
This Week’s Little Joy: I’ve set up our garden for autumn, and it’s bringing me so much joy. Not only are our raised beds now filled with kale, arugula, spinach, radishes, and carrots (plus, I’m trying my hand at broccoli), but the flower bed is exploding with color. Last year’s chrysanthemums are HUGE and a deep purple, I added 2 new orange mums for a pop of fall brightness (they match the pumpkin out there, too), and the cardinal climbers we grew from seed are finally in bloom, climbing up a trellis. The whole garden is a mix of purple, red, orange, and deep pink hues, it’s just gorgeous. Plus my herbs are as happy as can be, it’s going to be a beautiful fall season.
What I’m Listening To: This is a playlist I made called Kinda Cozy, and it’s basically my autumnal jazz playlist. I’ve played it several times this season, as it contains pretty much every jazz standard that even mentions autumn, plus it has that necessary dose of Charlie Brown. Happy listening!
Thank you so much for listening, friends! If you're enjoying the podcast, it would help out so much if you left a star rating or review over on Apple Podcasts. Or, as always, share this episode with someone who would enjoy it. Until next time, friends, have a lovely week!