To Be Productive One Must Take These Steps

Productivity is seen in many different ways and it can be quite distracting. Many believe to be productive it is about doing a lot of work and producing efficiently. Too much work can lead to low-quality work, so this would be called diminishing returns (It is always about quality over quantity). Another issue is always thinking about outcomes and goals. Nothing is done without action taken. To be productive one must take steps without anything in mind. What is imperative to do is to do the process with great intensity. From there, the person enhances their attention to the task which makes it feels effortless. 

A mission is important to have since the individual has some direction. There is nothing wrong with having goals but there can be too much thought about the goal (outcome). This poses a distraction in many cases the outcome is always unknown. A person can fail, achieve, or surpass their goals but the idea is to just do. When doing something one must have the intention of executing it. There are many steps a person can take to be quite productive. 

Does Planning Contribute to Being Productive? 

What’s important is having a mission so the individual can ask themselves questions. Questions can be looked at as a quest for a potential outcome. When planning it is ideal to keep it simple without inputting too many details. Any additional details can be added later on during the process of execution. There is a common saying “Things do not go as planned.” plans always change and one must be open to other options or adapt. As mentioned, too much thought can be a distraction which leads to very little action and getting fatigued (No progress). 

Tools/Methods for Planning

• Pen and Paper (Classic): A person can draw, outline, and list their plans without distractions. Brainstorming or Mindstorming is a great practice when using pen and paper. It is also inexpensive. 
• MS Office/Google Drive: Access to applications such as Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. (affordable and great for collaboration)
• μPad or Milanote is great if you are interested in digital note-taking on canvas. 
• A/B Scenario. This is great if the person would like to compare two scenario, plans, or concepts to see which may be effective in the long run. 

In summary, it is best to do minimal planning since planning can be time-consuming. But in many cases planning as you execute the process can give a person some ideas in the making. Therefore, the actions can provide additional concepts to the plan. But it is also important to work through compromise. 

Being Still helps with this. If you want to learn about it check out this post!

Having Energy is Important

Energy helps the individual function efficiently when doing a task. Without this, it can be difficult to be productive when needing to do something. What happens is the person is not able to concentrate and if being pushed too hard it can lead to frustration. There is no need for strain because when one is stressed while doing a task the individual will not get the most out of what they are doing. As mentioned the intentions matter when wanting to do something. This is the reason being calm and energetic enhances one’s experience when executing a process. 

Methods for Maintaining or Gaining Energy

• Avoid eating heavy meals, especially meals that are high in carbs. 
• Stretching because it opens up the body.
• Short periods of dynamic exercises so it keeps the blood flowing. Examples could be push-ups, air squats, lunges, or jumping jacks.
• Resting. The body needs to recover through sleep or sitting still. 
• Plant predominant diet since there is much nutritional value. 

Fully Immersed in the Process

Being fully immersed in the process is the main component of making progress. Every action being taken is every step to defining the outcome. Keep in mind the outcome is not how it is imagined but made by the person. There are a number of ways to be involved in the process. In other words, it is when someone is in a flow state. This is when the person is feeling ecstatic and focused on the task. Every being has their own process in getting into a flow state.  

When beginning it is best one must proceed slowly and build momentum since maintaining their pace is important. As the individual develops and becomes adjusted to their pace everything becomes at ease while executing their process. Because of this doing the work feels effortless in which case it becomes less strenuous. 

Some Practices To Consider 

• Eliminate distractions since they can be tiring and time-consuming. 
• Doing isometric exercises (Balance movement).
• Prepare “triggers” to help yourself to do the process. These “triggers” can put someone in a feeling of doing the work without force. Instead, the person is slowly immersing themselves into the work.

To expand on triggers, it varies based on the activity the person wants to do. One example can be a person wanting to be active in content creation. Whether it’d be creating videos, imagery, or writing but they all require recording and processing. When creating content it can be somewhat boring/complex to edit. One can put themselves in motion by setting triggers. It could be just by preparing the environment (files, programs, documents pertaining to the project). From there when the individual puts themselves in position all they have to do is review and take action without thought. This can help the individual become immersed in their process. 

Another example can be exercising since it can contribute to a person’s health. One can prepare their equipment or whatever prerequisites are needed for their routine. Whether it will be at home or at the gym it can help the person get involved with their routine. 

Conclusion 

Overall, being productive is based on the work being done. Every action taken is productive since it is leading to the outcome. Without an actionable process, there is no defining outcome. In order for this to happen practices must be implemented, so the individual is able to work efficiently. Minimal planning, energy, and having the intention can make someone effective in their process. Fully immersing oneself is what makes a big difference than forcing themselves to do something. There would be less resistance and more acceptance to do what is needed. 

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