Video Transcript
Hi, it’s David Patmore here from CAL Corporate Solutions, and I just wanted to bring a quick thought around creating productive habits.
Let’s talk about the word ‘busy’ and how subconsciously, it could be impacting our thinking and productivity. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as having a great deal to do, and I’m sure we can all relate to that, and we probably use this word multiple times a day, maybe in phrases like, “I’m too busy right now,” or, “I’m always busy. It never stops,” or, “I wish I wasn’t so busy today,” or maybe in response to someone, “Sorry, not right now. I’m too busy.” We use many phrases like this, but why do we use this word? Well, when you think about it, we use this word partly as a coping mechanism to help us verbalize how we are feeling at any given moment in our day when the stress of people and task pressure are upon us.
So here’s a thought. When you think about how words create our world, it is possible that we are programming ourselves with this perception and reinforcing task stress and chaos around us. “I’m too busy right now,” really is a state of mind that could be contributing to a stressful or busy stressful reality. Now, the main thought here is, what is the mental and emotional state that we’re bringing to our tasks, and are we making it easier for ourselves, or unwittingly, are we recreating more task stress? We do know that increased stress or stress perception is the greatest enemy of productivity and can sabotage the time we do have through wastage and lack of mental focus, resulting in, perhaps, procrastination and thought fragmentation.
So here’s a suggestion. If we started with a different focus in our mindset, what would that do as far as making a difference to our productivity, or would it make a difference to our productivity? Well, I believe it will. So here’s an idea. Think momentum over task, and maybe if we start our day with a primary goal to focus on creating positive momentum versus pushing through a busy task list, what impact might that have? Well, certainly, the research tells us that creating positive momentum is the best breeding ground for productivity and achieving increased outcomes. So let’s make that practical.
Rather than creating a task list to begin your day, firstly, think about working on things that support positive momentum mindset and integrate those practices into your day. So some examples could be change your self-talk. Stop saying, “I’m too busy,” and start saying, “I always have time for the important things,” and create a new reality. Build space into your day for regular breaks. Stop thinking you don’t have time to do this and push through without a break, because even though it might feel counterintuitive time-wise, it is also counterproductive momentum-wise to take breaks. Negotiate deadlines. Biggest issue with big workloads is deadlines are not negotiated and people don’t test when the real deadline is. Develop focus work zones and find spaces for block-out work. Create healthy boundaries, manage those relational expectations, balance your workload realistically, and stop creating ambitious task lists. Take deep breaths often.
Anyway, I trust there’s been some useful practical strategies for you. Thanks for watching, and bye for now.