Every moment of your day is precious. Are you treating it that way?
From the moment you wake up to when you lay your head to rest, your time matters. Are you using your time wisely?
Did you know what you think has a direct correlation to the productivity of your day?
Just give it some thought. When you enter your workplace already thinking, “I don’t want to be here,” how well do you work? Are you working with excellence or only doing the minimum?
Look, being productive is not a mystery, but it does require intentionality both in our actions and in our thoughts. So let’s take a look at how to increase your productivity by embracing these three healthy thoughts.
I will embrace work and rest.
Say out loud: “I give myself permission to work with excellence and to rest well.”
All too often we go to work frustrated because we spend more energy pushing ourselves to work and not enough time valuing the importance of rest. Productive people are not people who push to exhaustion. They are people who understand our brains and bodies function more effectively with proper rest. Choosing to rest well gives your mind and body a chance to recover from the day allowing you to perform at peak performance.
To rest well, there must be clearly defined boundaries between work and rest. Set hours for completing chores around the house and running errands. As much as possible, don’t bring work home. Even when you are home, outline the amount of time you will spending writing or editing your work. Creating healthy boundaries prevents work from bleeding into our personal lives taking away from our relationships and allowing our bodies time to recover. Work with excellence and rest well.
I will embrace my mistakes.
Say out loud: “I give myself permission to make mistakes without condemnation.”
Ummm, last time I checked the only person who is, was, and will ever be perfect is Jesus Christ. So whatever expectation you have for yourself as a wife, mom, professional, or student, I hope it is not one of perfection. To allow ourselves to be productive, then we also accept nothing significant happens without failure. When we take a look at people like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, or Lysa Terkeurst, they are not people who became successful without mistakes. Quite the contrary. Instead, they made mistakes, learned from them and went on to become household names in their professions.
Thinking of trying something new in your business, doing a different routine in your home, or creating a different program at work? Do it. Maybe it will work, then again maybe it won’t. You won’t know if you won’t try. Who knows? It could be the best step ever. Even if taking that next step doesn’t work out, YOU are not a failure. Remove condemnation as a barrier to moving forward and you will see just how much you can improve your productivity.
I will focus on the one.
Say out loud: “I give myself permission to not do it all.”
Can I tell you something? Of all the three statements, this is the hardest one for me. When I start my day, immediately I see everything and everyone who needs my attention. From projects at work to checking homework in the afternoon to the laundry and grocery shopping in between, there is always plenty to pull at my attention which only creates pressure I need to do it all. Do you relate?
In the moments where I start to feel pulled in a thousand direction, I stop. I tell myself “I do not have to do it all.” That one thought helps me to zoom in to the one area that needs my attention now. Focusing on the next step can significantly improve your ability to be more productive in the day causing you to experience fewer frustrations and stress. Instead of focusing on everything on your to-do list, identify the next item you can complete and can control. None of us is designed to do it all and do it well.
Taking time to improve your productivity starts with the way we think. Changing our thoughts, changes our behaviors. Whether you are a mom or entrepreneur or both, you can improve your productivity any time with just shifting your thoughts.
Cheering you on,
