To Be Productive Or Not To Be
There is so much emphasis on productivity lately. Don't you guys agree? I mean, I love my productive days where I'm just going through one item after another on my to do list, striking items off with my pen like the ninja that I am. But I feel like the emphasis on productivity has gotten to a point where it's just a little extreme. Even to my liking. There is research suggesting the most ideal time to take a nap to be your productive self, there is research on the ideal time to drink caffeine (which if you ask me, is any time), there are so many lists on habits of productive people, there are videos on morning routines of productive people, evening routines of productive people, there is a list of things productive people do during their morning commute. There is even a time in the morning that you are supposed to wake up in the morning to be productive and successful.
The question is if we all do the same thing, would we be as successful and productive? No, of course not. If we were to do things that didn't follow the suggestions made it in this list, would we not be as successful and productive? Again. Of Course not. Productivity is an extremely individualised process, just like how success is. Sure, you can take a look at these lists and videos for some ideas and inspiration but how much of it can you imitate to get yourself to the level of productivity and success that the person sharing this is at? I'm fairly confident that I'm not the only one who looked at a list of successful people's morning habits and thought "Start with the most difficult task? Hell no!" Yes, I cannot start with the most difficult task because it makes it extremely easy for me to procrastinate. I thrive on the whole rewards and motivation system. This is how I've lived my entire life. I always start with the easiest item on my to do list and go ahead with items with increasing levels of difficulty. By the time I get to the most difficult item on my to do list, I'm feeling confident about my capabilities and slightly cocky from the whole "I've been killin' it" vibes. I end my day with having done the most difficult item on my list, feeling all accomplished. I go to bed, wake up and repeat.
But the truth is, this is what I observe for 5 days. And then for the next 3 days, I do next to nothing beyond the bare minimum that is required for a human being to stay alive. By that I mean, I do nothing more than to eat, watch TV and breathe. Because this is how I function. I hustle for those 5 days. I work at twice to thrice the speed of my average working speed that for the 3 days where I chill, I'm completely okay with it. Because I work in bursts. Because I know how much I have pushed my brain and body the past 5 days so I know I deserve these 3 days. And it's not like I'll be completely useless during the 3 days. I can do things. It just won't be my maximum effort. It will be good enough, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't be proud of it. And anyway, all the TV and movie watching and book reading I do during the 3 days is usually forming thoughts in my head that isn't fully coherent to me until a later time when inspiration strikes and I hammer away at my keyboard. So. It's all good.
The point is. Unproductive days are JUST as important as your productive days. Productivity has started to take a similar tone to success. That if you are not succeeding, you are failing, which is not good. But just like how there are lessons in failures, there is a point in being unproductive. Pay attention to your mind and your body. Listen to it when it wants the stillness. I believe that the human body wants activity just as much as it wants inactivity, or rather, minimal activity. Stillness, in the form of meditation, can bring your attention back to what you have neglected - maybe your activities and your behaviour or not in line with your fundamental values and you need to recaliberate. Stillness, in the form of simple rest, can bring so much rejuvenation to your mind and body that you hit the ground running for your next task. Stillness, in the form of solitude, can bring your awareness to your accomplishments and things you should be grateful for. Because, what is the point if your life is just a beehive of activity and there is no memories for you to look back at?
So of course, I have suggestions for your best productive self.
1. Meditate/Stay Still. You guys should have seen this coming by now and I believe it goes without saying. Life is all about the yin and yang. You cannot have action without stillness. Have time to rest and rejuvenate so that you can be productive.
2. Identify your own working rhythm - For example, like I said, I work in bursts (another reason a 9-5 was not good for me). Identify how you work. Do you need a break every 30 minutes? Do you need to take a walk after 2 hours? Do you need to have some snacks ever so often? Pay attention within, because what worked for that YouTuber doesn't have to work for you.
3. Be organised - This can come in handy in so many ways. No one's asking you to have colour coordinated pantries and an alphabetically organised bookshelf and filing system (I do have an alphabetically organised bookshelf and filing system) But do whatever works best for you to have an organised system or simply for you to locate things. Why? Take for example this scenario - Would you rather roughly know where your receipt from your doctor's appointment is and spend 5 minutes locating it? OR! Would you rather spend 10 minutes being put on hold when trying to call back the doctor's office, another 5 minutes typing out an email clearly describing the date, purpose, nature, etc. of your appointment and ANOTHER 3-5 working days waiting for them to email you a copy? Time, that you could have used doing other things?
And yes! There is honestly only 3 things that I believe can be consistent across everyone to be productive! Let me know what you think about productivity in general! Or what other habits that you think can transcend individual differences!
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