It's Time To Reframe Productivity

Often, people’s shorthand for productivity is how much they get done. It’s a simple, straightforward metric. It’s easy to get. More things done = more productivity.

This approach to productivity values volume, speed, efficiency. Of course, these are useful measures. However, the problem is they shroud - and may undermine - the bigger picture of productivity.

This tight focus on volume, on ticking off to-dos, fuels our cultural obsession with “busy.” Everyone is so busy. And if they’re not, they fear there’s something wrong.

Days (and nights) are packed to the brim in order to Get. Things. Done.

People often seek my services because they want to find a way to get even more things done. They’re not quite satisfied with what they are getting done (and with what remains undone). Often these people are busy all day, yet ironically, they don’t feel accomplished. They don’t don’t see the progress you would expect from all that busy-ness. Something doesn’t compute.

They want a tactic, or a trick, or a tip, to squeeze even more into that pretty packed schedule. They’re hoping that a time management technique will help them beat the clock once and for all.

Yet, with this limited equation of volume (of things to do) and time (to do it), all you can really do is tweak a little at the margins.

That’s because it’s the framework that’s flawed. This dominant perspective about productivity misses the mark, and frankly, the point. It’s a production model of productivity. It’s a machine model, where your options to increase productivity are constrained to doing things faster or more efficiently. Tweaking the machine.

Instead of productivity being narrowly equated with getting things done, consider productivity from the point of view of impact. This perspective features effectiveness, not just efficiency, and requires clarity of purpose and intent. It’s not just about ticking things off a to-do list. It’s ticking the right things off, at the right time, in the right way.

This is a performance model of productivity, rather than a production model. It’s looking at productivity as a sophisticated, interdependent ecosystem, not a simplistic, linear assembly line. The performance model seeks mastery in achieving a goal. The production model seeks the production of more widgets. More things done (more widgets) = more productivity.

This performance model of productivity is the athlete model, in which you cultivate and draw on all the factors that contribute to great performance. You look at technique, energy, intent, strategy, focus, mindset, resilience, adaptation, team play, endurance, flexibility, stamina, habits, nutrition, sleep, motivation…

The game of work and life requires more than a machine approach of grinding out more to-dos faster. Yes, that will work for awhile. But over time, the machine wears down and eventually breaks down. That’s what happens to even the best of machines.

And it really doesn’t work when we humans try to act like machines. We need a more fitting framework for productivity. Human performance is an ecosystem that is infinitely adaptive, robust, and resourceful.

If you want to expand your approach to building your productivity, consider your performance and what helps you to:

Build and maintain focus

Get going when you lack motivation

Be creative, innovative

Collaborate

Maintain good energy

Keep going even after setbacks

Prioritize and focus, rather than react and multitask

Persuade others

Be the boss of yourself and your time

Leverage your impact

When you use a performance framework for productivity, you no longer discount things like sleep, exercise, and enjoyment. You know that sometimes (or oftentimes) less is more, focus is gold, and running yourself ragged is for suckers. You sense that giving yourself a little more grace and a little more time to focus on what matters will outperform the fleeting high of being being busy and overextended.

Don’t get me wrong. I love crossing off those to-dos as much as the next person. I adore getting stuff done. I love to take action. I love to accomplish. I mean seriously. It’s so satisfying. This is not anti-to-do’s or anti-ambition or anti-hustle or anti-hard-work.

This is about getting things done from the point of view of performance, of impact, rather than simply production.

You may be working around the clock, on call for every need, everyone’s go-to gal or guy, but the question is:

Are you getting the right things done?

Are you bringing the best ideas to bear?

Can you sustain the energy you need to see it through?

Are you having an impact?

Are the things and people around you flourishing?

Did you rise with that challenge or mistake?

Is your thinking flexible?

Are you solving the right problems?

Are you clear and committed?

Are you satisfied at the end of the day and hopeful at the beginning?

Because it turns out, these things matter. Let’s pursue productivity as a self-renewing resource, rather than a self-limiting obligation. Productivity as a dynamic ecosystem, not a production line churning out widgets.

It’s time to reframe productivity, wouldn’t you say?

Routines and the Middle Way (Or, Don't Use Routines To Feel Bad)

I was speaking with someone the other day about ways to support a productive day. I mentioned that it's great to come up with a simple routine that helps you get off to a great start.

She gave me a dubious look. She countered, "I don't like routines because then I'm just hard on myself if I don't live up to them."

Ahhhh..... right! This is what often keeps people from adding productive habits to their day: they end up using them as a weapon (on themselves). In fact, often the people who opt into routines are high achievers with a penchant for perfectionism. It's just one more thing to pressure yourself to do. Who needs that?

Literally, no one.

“The problem isn’t the routine. It’s the mindset that goes with it. This all-or-nothing, I-must-be-perfect, performance-fixated mindset takes all the fun out of life.”

But I think we’ve got the problem wrong. The problem isn't the routine. It’s the mindset that goes with it. This all-or-nothing, I-must-be-perfect, performance-fixated mindset takes all the fun out of life. Not very productive.

What if you could hold your productive routines lightly? What if you saw them not as a harsh standard, but as a generous, easygoing support system? What if, instead of getting rid of the routines, you started to dismantle that intolerant mindset that pushes pressure?

I see this a lot with my clients - they approach the day-to-day as a performance, rather than as play. And as a result, they amp up the pressure and miss the progress. Routines aren't here to remind you that you suck, but instead, that you are freaking awesome. Amirite?

Truly, the all-or-nothing approach (I'll do it if I can do it perfectly or I won't do it at all) is relatively easy. It's like the simple on-off switch I wrote about yesterday. On or off: easy.

What's initially harder (but more effective) is the middle way: working with yourself, finding your rhythm, adjusting, accepting, and productively challenging yourself into your own fulfillment and contribution. The middle way means you must be willing to make mistakes and adjustments. You must be willing to let go of perfectionism and, instead, strive messily for progress.

So back to the idea of productive routines. I like to design simple things that will help my energy, inspiration, mindset. I started small and have added elements to my routine over the years. And I switch it up. Most important: I make everything easy. Coffee, water, stretch, sit quietly for a few minutes, read (for learning or inspiration), get clear on my goals and gratitude. Then, move (run).

What one or two things could start your day off to a productive start? You might consider what derails you. Look back on that day that seemed to start off wrong. What happened? Is there a way to create a routine that protects against that?

Consider the rushing vibe that can derail even the best intentioned. You’re trying to get yourself and everyone else out the door, dressed and fed, but what if something doesn’t go as planned? What if your daughter has a meltdown about her sweater? What if your son can’t find his shoes? What if you have no idea where the homework is? What if your dog takes longer on the walk? What if you have to (heaven forbid) iron something? Or take a call?

So maybe you decide this adrenaline-pumping rushing isn’t setting you up well for your day. You might consider waking up earlier to give yourself more runway in the morning.

You might find that reading something inspiring puts you in a good mood that energizes you.

Or that a walk around the block gives you the perspective and fresh air and energy that sets you up for success.

Little things. Not big things. The little things make all the difference. It’s the small actions that exercise our power.

Experiment. Be easy. See if there is a routine that might fortify your energy, outlook, peace of mind, clarity, and focus. Don’t make it hard by being rigid about it, by burdening yourself with the expectations of perfection, by the all-or-nothing mindset.

No, don’t do that.

Instead, find the middle way with your routines. Tweak, test, try. Play around. Have fun. Find that routine that’s like a supportive friend. Steady, helpful, encouraging. The routine that brings out the best in you.

Push the Edge for Productive Pride

So, I “run.”  

Well, that’s how I’ve described it for the past two decades or so: “run” in quotes. 

Because, who am I kidding? My “run” is slow – much more like jogging (but that sounds so ‘80s, right?). And, it often includes, well, walking. “Run” a little. Walk a little. You get the idea. But I’m moving. And somehow, I get just enough effort in there to sweat and to get the thing I most want – a dose of those feel-good exercise endorphins that upgrade mood, clear the mind, and jumpstart the creative juices. Oh, and it’s good for your health.

I’ve kept up this “running” practice – about 25 minutes, 3 to 4 days a week (sometimes less, sometimes more) – for years. However, this past winter the wheels fell off my “running” game. I’m not sure why. The cold? The dark? The flu? I didn’t power through the weather. I didn’t get on the roads – or the treadmill. 

And, I’m not gonna lie: it was hard to start back up. The weather got better, but I didn’t put on my running shoes. 

Finally, at the end of May, I got back out there. I walked more than I ran. But it felt good to be back at it and to sweat (I’m weird that way).

First day back, my lungs were pushing. Second day, my lungs were better, but my legs were pushing. Each passing day, the time walking decreased as I toggled back and forth between feeling my effort in my lungs or my legs. 

Meanwhile, for about a year, I’ve been having this nagging sense that I need to push myself more in my workout. My “run” really wasn’t pushing my fitness or even maintaining it given the accelerating physical effects of time ticking by (aka, aging). 

I figured that to push myself – to be able to run farther, faster, longer – to get in better shape, I’d probably have to get a trainer, join a running group, or sign up for a half marathon. But none of that seemed especially enticing. Yet, I couldn’t see how I could push myself out of my running rut on my own. And something in me wanted to level things up in my workout routine and my fitness.

Last month, I heard Rachel Hollis interview Robin Arzon on her podcast, Rise. Robin is a lead instructor and VP of Fitness Programming at Peloton. I loved her story and perspective. And bonus: I learned that Peloton had an app that doesn’t require purchasing the bike or treadmill. And double bonus: there are outdoor running sessions on it. Say, what?!

About 5 weeks ago, after my regular, no-push “run,” I remembered I had downloaded the Peloton app. So, I decided to listen to the beginning of one of the outdoor running sessions – just to see what it was like. A few minutes. That’s all.

I pressed start.  And a few steps in, I was hooked. Before I knew it, I had run an additional 45 minutes – another 4+ miles! Holy. Freaking. Cow. 

Let me be clear: running 4+ miles was absolutely, positively inconceivable to me (much less the 6+ I did that day). The last time I did that I’m sure I was in my 20s - you know, decades ago. My mind was blown. And I felt so good. Pretty sure I could have kept running… 

Since that day, I’ve run with the Peloton app (and Robin) 4+ miles most every day. And, did you notice?.... I’ve dropped the quotes. As Robin says in the one of the sessions, “If you’re running with me right now, you’re a runner. Claim it.”

During these few weeks, I’ve watched my legs and lungs become stronger. I’m making progress far beyond what I thought possible, and that is downright thrilling and motivating. I’m pushing myself. I’m “flirting with the edge,” as Robin calls it. I’m proud of myself. I feel strong.

During the running sessions, Robin has you reaching for your pride with each step — the pride of accomplishment, of making the effort. This sense of pride is so visceral and invigorating as I take each step and keep going. In one of the running sessions, she said something like “With each mile, you pick up accomplishments like souvenirs.” She inspires you to run proud – “Shoulders down, chest open, head up, gaze forward, crown on….” 

Why am I telling you all this? No, this is not an ad for Peloton (though get that app!). This is not a post to promote working out (well, maybe a little). 

I’m telling you this because my running story got me thinking about … productivity.

Let’s face it, pride gets a bad rap. The pride I’m talking about here is not of the arrogant variety — you know, the kind of pride that is obnoxious and often just a poor cover for insecurity or low self-esteem. I’m not talking about the pride that has its roots in fear. Nope. 

I’m talking about the pride that naturally bubbles up when you recognize and acknowledge your own power to take action, make a change, and create something with your own two hands… or feet. You know how when a kid makes something and comes to you so proud: “I did this!” That kind of pride.

This kind of pride feels like delight, exuberance, amazement, power, strength. This pride sings “yes!” It’s tastes like motivation. It stirs self-respect. It is rooted in responsibility – the responsibility to take action, to do your best, to try, to make an effort, to get up and do it again and again. It’s watered by true humility – to be brave, to try something, to expose yourself, to show the world (or the people around you) that you care, to play full out no matter what happens. Win. Or. Lose. This pride is alive with appreciation, determination, grit, aspiration, hope, vitality. 

So how does this relate to productivity? Here are two transferrable lessons from this running story.

First, it’s important to push the edges of your skill, comfort, experience. 

I often work with clients who are demotivated. They’re dialing it in. They’re just trying to get by. There’s nothing positively challenging them, inspiring them, making them work hard to achieve, pushing them to put anything on the line. 

Now, when I say “work hard,” I know: Everyone is working hard. But there’s a difference between working hard because you’re busy, overstretched, overcommitted, overwhelmed, overwrought – and working hard because you’re trying to achieve something new, you’re pushing your capacity and skill, you’re after a goal.

When you work hard because you’ve decided to improve a skill, expand your capability, achieve something you’ve never done before, that’s when hard work is rewarding. That’s the hard work I’m talking about here. Choosing to stay with a goal or commitment and pushing yourself a bit beyond the known edges of where you are comfortable, or where it’s easy. 

I’m not saying to push the edge in everything – just one thing. That will wake up your effort, motivation, and confidence – which will spill over into other areas.

Pushing the edge in one thing stirs this productive pride, which puts you in contact with your power. And that changes everything.

This connection to your power has compounding effects that pays big dividends in your overall performance and productivity.

So the question is: Where can you push the edge? What goal, project, skill, dream, habit - calls out to you? What are you willing to go for? Once you find it, start where you are. And build.

Second, Keep a steady focus on your accomplishments, your progress. 

Acknowledge your efforts and your achievements. And, by the way, effort, in itself, is an achievement.

It’s easy to zero in on what’s not working, what you haven’t done, what you’re procrastinating on, what you haven’t achieved, where you’ve fallen short, and so on. This is basic brain science at work, specifically, a thing called Negativity Bias. Negativity Bias is the handy-dandy feature that keeps you on the alert for potential threat. It’s a kind of early warning system. Eons ago, the threat showed up as a tiger. Today, it more often shows up as a worry about what people think of us, a mistake we made, or who’s winning on Instagram.

And the culture at large only mirrors and amplifies this mind game with a focus on deficiency, weakness, not-enough-ness, lack. 

Add to that, the fact that we’re subtly trained (especially women) that’s its impolite to celebrate one’s accomplishments. Just look at how people were losing their minds about the on-field celebrations of the US Women’s Soccer Team in the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup. We’ve made it unbecoming to unapologetically celebrate an effort, a victory, a success, an achievement. Better to dismiss or downplay it – and put your eyes on where you need to improve, get better, or where you’re lacking. 

This negative, deficient obsession dramatically weakens performance. In fact, I believe it’s the root of unproductive or, at the extreme, toxic, work environments. When everyone is dialed into what’s missing and what’s wrong, it becomes unnecessarily hard to perform at the top of one’s game. What if everyone focused far more on their victories, progress, and accomplishments than on their deficiencies? What kind of self-propelling, motivating, productive power would that unleash? You might just find that you – and your team – are unstoppable. 

Consider keeping a running list of accomplishments big and small. Look at it and add to it every day. Pat yourself on the back. Give yourself a high five. Delight in your effort and your accomplishments. Notice when you do things that are hard or a challenge. Every day, practice being proud of the effort you make. This kind of focus builds mental discipline and strength and will fuel your efforts. And remember: you’re competing with yourself. You’re besting yourself. This is about practical progress, not abstract perfection.

Push the edge. Acknowledge your effort. This is a surefire way to tap into this natural, productive pride that will keep you playing a bigger, better game. 

And as a side note: my running experience reminds me of the transferrable benefits of building physical fitness.

We often treat fitness as an optional side gig – unrelated to our productivity and overall performance in our professional and personal life. And nice, if you have the time.

My starting line

But that beautiful brain you drive all day lives in the body. 

As you get stronger physically, you tap into strength, stamina, and steadiness, which bolster other areas of life. You build confidence. You build mental strength. It’s all one ecosystem that works together. 

So, move! It doesn’t matter what it looks like – a walk around the block or training for a marathon. Commit to moving your body every day.. The physical body is so responsive. It shows you your progress quickly - no matter where you start. And that will get the motivational juices flowing into the rest of your life. You’ll stand a little taller. You’ll step out more. And you’ll have a little more swagger in your walk.

And your efforts on the field, the track, the roads, the mat will give you lessons on how to be productive, how to perform well in work and life.

Are you game?

Running is teaching me to push the edge and acknowledge my effort. It’s showing me the value of productive pride. 

So, I run. 

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Want to level up your productivity game? Consider the self-paced, online course Workflow Mastery: The Disciplines of Accomplishment. It will show you how to set up the game board of work and life - and play to win.

Goals and the Rise of the Resistance

January 1

It's the happy new year day and, I'm not gonna lie, I LOVE THE VIBE. The first day of the year has a distinct, awesome feel. It's rolling in possibilities. It's soaked in optimism. It's unencumbered by past failures. It's forward facing and promising. And people are wishing each other happiness. I mean, WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE about the first day of the year? 

And yet, I know some of you smart people may want to object to this kind of new year's naiveté. I mean, after all, it's just another day. Still has those 24 hours. The sun still rises and sets like all the other days. There's nothing to see here. Move along. 

While this may be a compelling argument, there is a difference. This difference is, in a word: perspective. Somehow, we've conspired to organize time into these (perhaps arbitrary) units of 365 (or 366) days. And when you're at the start of a unit (perspective), it feels good, expansive, hopeful. Yes, it's a mind game. But mind games matter. 

And as I've been partying with the possibility vibe, I've been thinking about goals. Today, my Instagram feed reflects basically two sides of the goal coin.

There is pretty post after post after post about resolutions and goals. People are posting their word for the year. Or their theme. Everyone and their cousin are offering courses on goal-setting. There are more planners than you could shake a stick at. And some planners have stickers. (Again, what's not to love?)

Then, there are those few posts that disparage the futility of resolutions and declare goals are dead (or something akin). 

Perhaps trying to distinguish themselves amongst the crowd of new year's goal-getters, there are those who strike a maverick, rebellious tone. One person posted that they are not a Resolution Person. They are more of a Choices Person. Whatever it takes . . . 🥳🤗Some posts use sad statistics about the likelihood you will not fulfill your new year's resolutions and goals as scare tactics - perhaps so more people join the ranks of the jaded. 

This is why I love Instagram. Especially at the beginning of the year when we're all basically taking about the same thing (which again, tells me the beginning of the new year has some power. Just sayin')

So here are my two cents. Goals have become so commonplace in the modern lexicon that they almost seem passé. But the truth is, when you really think about it: goals are radical. Goals are the language of the hero, of the creator, of the maker. I would even say, of the maverick.

Goals are imagining - conjuring up - a new reality and then deliberately taking actions to make it happen. Goals are a sneaky, little way to disrupt the status quo. Goals = Change. You cannot pursue goals while clutching your current reality. 

“Goals are a sneaky, little way to disrupt the status quo. Goals = Change. You cannot pursue goals while clutching your current reality. 
”

And here's where the story of goals gets super tricky. Goals are, by nature, a commitment to change. And so, they are inevitably met with resistance. 

We are wired to secure our safety at every turn. Change is unknown, risky. There could be mistakes or failure involved. And so the prospect of change - however positively it is spun (such as a goal you want to achieve) - still makes some secret part of your psyche a little, well, uncomfortable, triggering a whole stealth army of defenses. 

You get bored. Or sidetracked. Or doubtful. Or confused. Or distracted. Competing rationales arise out of nowhere. Business as usual takes over and you forget. Or you decide that goals are so 2018. This is the resistance at work. Goals are revolutionary. Goals change life (or work) as you know it - in ways small or large. And there are no guarantees. 

So when thinking about goals, it's important to get smart to the resistance it will inevitably stir - either from others or, more insidiously, from yourself. 

And this is why goals are the language of the hero. The hero must anticipate and meet the challenges of the journey. The hero is not daunted by resistance but fueled by it. Challenged by it. 

Goals = Change. And this change is not only in creating a new measurable reality. The change is in you. To create something new - to achieve a goal - however material it may be - inevitably requires trading the security of autopilot with the demands of presence and responsbility.

And this may be the greatest feature of goals. While creating the change, the creator changes. 

As you cook up your goals for 2019, consider how you will meet the resistance. What might the resistance look like? And what will you do when you come face to face with it? What will you change and how will you change?

Oh, and
Happy New Year! 

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PS If you would like to test out ways to make progress on your goals (and disarm the resistance), consider joining me and some other goal-getters in the online Power Start program that beings the week of January 14. You can get information here: https://productivity-power.teachable.com/p/power-start

Why Hedge Your Bets?

I'm part of a small group of women entrepreneurs participating in a program (led by business mentor and expert Michelle Pippin) aimed at growing our respective businesses. 

Today, I recounted an experience to this group, which led to a double "aha" (something like a double rainbow) that I'm sharing here because it has everything to do with productivity and all that stuff. 

Here's the story:

I'm working on a project in my business. I've written down the results related to the project, and included some aspirational outcomes (wouldn't-it-be-great-if... stuff). 

The other day, I took the aspirational outcomes off my list, because, as I put it, "It was bothering me to include them because it made the reality a little inflated."

In other words, it wasn't depicting the actual facts on the ground.

Well, here's what happened: One of the so-called aspirational outcomes... actually happened. After I took it off my list.

I was reminded again of the power of intention. And I expressed my lesson to the group today like this: "I see that I 'hedge my bets' and often miss on the intentional power to create through envisioning." Simple. Aha! Cool. 

It was interesting that I used the phrase "hedge my bets," and awesome that Michelle didn't miss a beat to zero in on that. She commented that we hedge our bets, so we aren't let down, to protect ourselves from being disappointed. And by hedging our bets, we take away some of the power of intention setting - what these aspirations compel and inspire us to do. 

Holy cow. And BOOM!

You see, I've been feeling for some time (like a really long time) that I've installed a beautiful glass ceiling over me. I mean, as ceilings go, it's a really nice one. It provides for me well. 

However, for all its protection, it still feels like a barrier that I can't break through (even though I built it). 

 

And then, there are those words. Hedge. My. Bets.

I saw that my lovely, homey glass ceiling (which lets in lots of light) has been constructed by Hedging My Bets. I created a ceiling to protect me from the risk of:

Disappointment

Vulnerability

The Unknown

Exposure

And so on ...

Holy. (Freaking). Cow.

Of course, I had to look a bit more into this phrase that came tripping off the tongue (actually the keyboard). Here's what I found out there in the Interwebs:

"The word hedge means to avoid making a definitive commitment, to avoid committing oneself; to leave a means of retreat open. It comes from the noun hedge, which means a fence made of shrubbery. The hedge that forms a fence offers protection and security, much like hedging a bet. 'Hedge your bets' first appeared in the late-1600s. The first use was by George Villiers, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham, in his play The Rehearsal (1672): 'Now, Criticks, do your worst, that here are met; For, like a Rook, I have hedg’d in my Bet.'" (www.english.stackexchange.org)

"The verb 'to hedge' derives from the noun hedge, that is, a fence made from a row of bushes or trees. These hedges were normally made from the spiny Hawthorn, which makes an impenetrable hedge when laid. To hedge a piece of land was to limit it in terms of size and that this gave rise to the 'secure, limited risk' meaning." (www.phrases.org.uk)

"The figure of speech 'to hedge one’s bets,' whether it be in relation to a market investment, or a wagering game bet investment, derives—albeit sometimes loosely speaking—as an allusion to 'fencing in,' so as to prevent loss by escape (a form of guarding or protection), as if with hedgerows or similar planting arrangements.

The chief characteristic of a 'hedged' bet/investment is that it requires a (generally profit-reducing) counter-endeavor—a likely-to-be countervailing bet, investment, operation—so that the net gain expectation, if any, is knowingly lowered in order to avoid or minimize net loss." (www.english.stackexchange.org) 

Soooo....

I saw that my own M.O. has woven into it this idea of hedging my bets.

And for all the imagined protection this way of operating has provided, it has required "a generally PROFIT-REDUCING COUNTER-ENDEAVOR - so that the net gain expectation, IF ANY, is KNOWINGLY LOWERED in order to avoid or minimize net loss." (emphasis mine)

Now, for some, maybe hedging a bet here or there would be a good idea! But I see for myself, that it's no way to live, or work. 

So now, being aware of this hedge-betting business, I want to play my cards more fully. You know, play full out.

I'm going to dream and declare and do (even if it bothers me because it seems "inflated" or not "realistic"). And that beautiful glass ceiling may just shatter (in an awesome, sparkling way) with my own exuberance and energy and effort. And who knows what I'll discover just beyond it? Pretty much only way to find out. Right?

I tell you this story to spread the "aha" magic.

What kind of "hedges" have you cultivated and manicured to hedge your "bets"? What dreams do you not write down because you are being realistic?

And how might you play your game beyond those elegant hedges?

Want to join me in dreaming and doing, imagining and intending, aspiring and aiming - free of all that hedging? (You know you do. It will be fun.)
 

A view of hedges from my run today. #lindsayontherun

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PS. If you’re a woman who is creating, running, growing a business - and would like to surround yourself with go-for-it women and straight-talk expertise from Michelle, check out the Women Who WOW The Online Alliance for Seriously Driven Women Entrepreneurs. 

PPS. If you’re into getting productivity findings, tips, etc. that work in the real world, I'll send them to you. Sign up here. Easy Peasy.  OR join the Facebook Group, Productivity Powers. Or both. 

PPPS. (Because, why not?) Want "a method in the madness"? A way to systematically manage all the details of work and life in order to avoid the crazy-busy trap and have the impact you most want? Then check out the self-paced, online course Workflow Mastery: The Disciplines of Accomplishment.

Do You Have a Spine? 15 Ways to Exercise the Posture of Productivity

Ever think about your spine?

Well, whether you think about it or not, the spine sure is a nifty feat of engineering we rely on. For starters, it allows us to stand upright despite the forces of gravity. It supports the head (with that big brain inside) and that alone may be worth its weight in gold. With the head perched on top of the spine, we can see into the distance, which does come in handy, even though we’re mostly looking at our phones these days.

The spine makes it possible for us to move, navigate space, change direction, and reach for that low-hanging fruit or for the stars. And that’s just what meets the eye. 

Under the hood, the spine protects the spinal column, a kind of switching station for the nervous system – sending important (often life-saving) messages where needed.

In short, the spine supports agency, the capacity to act.

When people euphemistically refer to having a spine or backbone, they're speaking of this posture of self-agency, of impact.

It's easy to surrender to the sometimes crushing weight of demands, expectations, emails, meetings, commitments, obligations, interruptions, and distractions. We can end up ricocheting our way through another busy day, only to end up unsatisfied, or defeated, or wondering what we actually accomplished.

To be productive in today's world, there's no way around it: you must stand up to these daily forces. You have to have a strong spine to navigate the day. 

Here are 15 ways to keep your spine strong, and maintain the ready posture of productivity. 

 1| Know What You Want and Why 

Purpose is the clarifying engine of productivity. I'm not talking about life purpose or the big goals - those are important, though sometimes they stay too conceptual or pie-in-the-sky. 

I'm talking about purpose translated on the ground in your day-to-day work and life. Where purpose meets the road. Where purpose shows up in your actions and tells the truth.

Understanding your intent gives you a new center of gravity, so that you don't get pulled in a million directions, or confused or coerced by outside forces.

When you plan your day, get clear about what you want to achieve out of each task - and why that is important. I know this sounds basic, or understood - but it's so easy to leave this out of the daily equation.

For example, look at your meetings. Why are you attending? Seriously, why? What is something you want to gain or achieve from the meeting? Do you want to contribute an idea you've had? Do you want to clear up confusion?  Do you want to learn about a topic? Do you want to demonstrate your support? Specifying in advance exactly what you want to get out of the meeting - and why that is important to you - will amplify your attention and results.

Make it a habit to pause periodically for a split second to confirm "the why" behind what you're doing. This simple technique alone will help you move through your day productively, intentionally, upright. 

And if there are activities in your day that the reason you come up with is "because I have to," dig a little deeper. If you truly do "have to," how can you find something that would restore its value for you? What's a reason that would enable you to give your full consent to it? You may be surprised how this simple "head game" can re-up your motivation and impact.

Note: "Because I have to" is not the language of agency and is a red flag that you're headed into spineless territory.

 2| Believe something

What is your perspective? What matters to you? What do you care about? What do you stand for? What do you stand against? What do you believe? What is your opinion?

Understanding your values, point of view, and what is important to you will give you clarity to navigate the day. 

Here's a super-simple way to access greater conviction and clarity: Brainstorm a list of what matters to you in your professional and personal life. Revisit and revise. Keep it alive. It will help you make the small and large decisions.

People often assume they, of course, know what they believe, or their opinion. However, it's a noisy, loud world out there. It's easy to lose touch with your own voice when everyone else is speaking.

Do you have a strong belief about the direction of a project? Stand up for it and see what happens. Your stand may draw new information or creative solutions from others. And maybe, you'll change your stand (remember, the spine is not rigid. It is incredibly flexible.) But the important thing is: you will be standing, moving, progressing.

Wishy washy is not the posture of productivity. 

 3| Follow a Method

Look to the highly accomplished in any field - whether athletes, artists, authors, academics, or entrepreneurs  - and you'll likely find they follow a method of some kind. They have a systematic way to approach their craft, their work. They don't wait on inspiration, perfect conditions, or feeling like it. They don't leave their efforts to chance.

Instead, they use the architecture of regular disciplines to construct and propel their day. Their method is their spine. It allows them to move forward, shift directions, bend, reach, and not succumb to the fickle fury of mood or that constant stream of email.

What disciplines do you have (or can you adopt) that will protect your focus, time, and efforts? Do you have an exercise routine? Do you go to sleep by a certain time? Do you have a method for defining and prioritizing your work? Do you have rules you follow related to email or to meetings? How do you determine what to do, when - for your best performance? How do you organize your week? 

With a clear method, you can move your way through the madness, and make daily progress.

You likely have a method - perhaps without realizing. Strengthen it by making it a deliberate way that you work. And then, test and tweak your method. Find the habits that make the most of your day and energy - and make them your method.

 

4| Make Decisions

Decisions are the meter of progress. Want to move forward? Then, make a decision. Every day, you're confronted with so many decisions. Yet, it's easy to put them off for another day.

I've found that people often avoid making decisions for two main reasons: 1) They don't want to limit their options; or 2) They don't want to make a mistake.  

Here's the interesting thing about decisions. They almost always help you move forward, even if the decision is "wrong." It is far easier to redirect when you're moving than when you're standing still, paralyzed. 

Making decisions magnifies your sense of impact, which turns the biochemical dial of motivation. When you're stuck or apathetic, the hormonal chemistry of motivation drains - only compounding your inertia. 

How to get better at being decisive? Start small. Really small. Start in your inbox.

Don't read an email and then move on to the next. Decide your next move. Will you respond? Will you decline? Will you delete? Will you accept? Or agree? What do you need to do? If you aren't in a frame of mind or setting to make decisions, don't look at your email. Email should be about making a decisions and moving on.

If you do this with you inbox, you'll build your decisive muscle, which will give you the spine and support you need for those big decisions. You will be moving forward, pivoting when necessary, redirecting if needed - progressing all the while. 

5| Work with Your Mindset

Do you know where your mind is set?

Action follows thought. And so thoughts are powerful levers of action and performance. 

Thoughts direct how you see the world and, therefore, the options for action. Think differently and you can see new options.

Think something is impossible? Or that you'll never change? Or they'll never change? Or this is the only way to do something? Or this is the problem? Well, it might as well be true, because other realities will be hidden from you. You're confined to the field of your thinking. 

Understanding your own thinking and refining your mindset is a linchpin of productive performance. Being creative with the story you tell yourself about a situation, problem, or person, will help you move in the direction you desire.

I love the art of reframing - taking a situation that has all the indicators of being stuck one way - and considering how to frame it so that it features something else that opens up another perspective, another reality.

Let's be clear: reframing is not lying, nor is it glossing over or magical thinking. Reframing is rigorously questioning assumptions and considering what else may be true. As a result, It can set a new course, uncover new solutions, and prompt effective action. 

Here are some questions to uncover and adjust your mindset related to a situation or challenge:

What is the story I'm telling myself about this situation?

What is another story I could tell myself about this situation that would be more productive? 

How might someone else look at this situation productively? 

How might this situation be beneficial? 

What assumptions do I have related to this situation? What if they are not true?

How might I see this situation as an opportunity?

What might I be missing in this situation?

6| Say No

If you only say yes, I'm going to take a wild guess that you may be overcommitted, overstretched, and possibly suffering from a weak spine. 

Confronted with so many daily decisions combined with the desire to participate, help, be seen as a team player or good friend, it's easy for the go-to response to get stuck on "Yes."

But here's the irony: "No" gives your "Yes" power. If you don't have a "No," you really don't have a "Yes." 

If you are yes-person, if the only response you're comfortable with is "Yes,"  eventually you will end up disappointing other people or yourself. When everything is a "Yes," at some point, you will not be able to keep up with all those yeses, all those commitments. Even if you show up and are counted - the toll may be felt in other corners - in your relationships, your health, your mood, your energy. 

If the thought of saying "No" makes you sick, nervous, or break out in hives, try this: Identify what your "No" is a "Yes" to. Every "No" is a "Yes" to something else. For example, maybe saying "No" to helping a colleague this time is a "Yes" to giving your full focus to a priority project.

When you have the capacity to say "No," and use it, you are able to stand confident in your "Yes." Your "Yes" actually means something.

7| Establish Boundaries

To stand tall in work and life requires boundaries. Boundaries direct and protect your attention, time, and energy. Without boundaries, you're vulnerable to a thousand whims and fancies.

What do you care about or need to protect?

Your attention? Shut down social media.

Your energy? Instate an end time to your work day.

Your relationships? Put the phone away during meals.

The quality of your work? Keep the distractions away.

Your positive outlook? Limit the time you spend with negative people. 

Do you know Parkinson's Principle? The shorthand is: Work fills available time. With this in mind, if you install an end time to your work day, you are likely to get more done than if you leave it open-ended. You may think it's a sign of productivity that you work around the clock. But instead, you lack the limits (the boundaries) that intensify focus, efficiency, creativity, and innovation. 

8| Do hard things

The posture of the courageous is depicted as upright, strong, bold. The stance of the coward is, well, cowering - bent over, hiding, hovering, scampering, spineless. 

When you venture out of your comfort zone, courage ignites and you find yourself standing up a little taller. Courage takes vulnerability, but builds confidence. 

What have you been avoiding because it feels too hard? A conversation? A project? A fledgling skill? A creative expression? A declaration? Just do it. Do the hard thing and watch your energy and self-respect rise. Stand up to the hard stuff and things become easy.

9| Determine Your day

Determine your day or someone else will. Gird yourself with a plan. Know what is most essential to achieve and keep your eyes on that target through the day. Without this compass, this focal point, you're lost in the chaotic, alluring headwinds of email and meetings and interruptions. A plan keeps you on the ground, moving toward your destination. 

And sure, you can choose to change your plan. But that is different than simply showing up and being tossed around aimlessly. When you make conscious choices about each thing you do, you build the stature to navigate the day responsibly. 

10|ADmit Mistakes

Mistakes are not the worst thing that ever happened. In fact, they often are part of getting to the best thing that ever happened.

Mistakes happen. Don't make them worse by avoiding responsibility or, worse, blaming your mistakes on others, your dog, or the weather. Don't indulge in blaming yourself (which is different than taking responsibility). 

Use your beautiful mistakes to rise higher, become better. Own your mistakes. Otherwise, they'll own you.

Get curious about your mistakes. They may hold the secret to your future success. But if you are running away from them or so cautious that you never make them, you'll never know.

11|Communicate with Candor

Candor is defined as "the state or quality of being frank, open, honest, and sincere in speech or expression; freedom from bias; fairness; impartiality." It comes from the Latin word for "to shine."

Candor is refreshing, straightforward, clear, kind, true. Candor lacks pretense and hidden agendas. It promotes connection and responsibility. 

Sometimes it's easier to avoid that elephant in the room, but that usually only compounds the problem. Candor helps you name the elephant and forge a productive path. It keeps you honest and invested. 

12|Exercise

For me, the early twenties was just plain awkward. I was starting to work and figure stuff out. I was tentative and unsure. But something changed that: I joined a gym and started lifting weights. Strength in the body somehow translated into greater steadiness and confidence.

Take a walk, do yoga, run, stretch. The body, mind, and emotions are a package deal. When you build lung capacity, physical strength and flexibility, you experience your own sense of agency and confidence. You literally - and figuratively -  improve your posture.

13|Cultivate Competence 

Many people tell me that they want more confidence. There's one way to get that: cultivate competence. Learn, explore, refine, and practice, practice, practice. 

If you want to stay in the game, then work on your skills. Identify the weak parts, and work those. Often people rely on their strength, which, in turn, they overdevelop, while ignoring their weaknesses, which may sabotage their strength.

A masterful musician doesn't just practice the part she has down. She practices the hard part, the place she struggles or stumbles. The frustrating passage. Over and over and over again. She diligently earns her way to the performance she seeks. 

What skill do you want to cultivate? What do you want to learn?

14|Abstain from People pleasing

The cold hard truth is: not everyone will like you or what you do all the time. Darn. People-pleasing is a trap that has ensnared many, but never turns out well in the end. It weakens your spine, abdicates responsibility (your power), undermines confidence, and is just plain exhausting. 

What to do instead? Any of the other 14 tactics in this article. 

15|Give and Get Help 

The posture of generosity and receptivity creates the equilibrium needed for a productive posture. 

Give too much and you may lose your own footing. Give too little and you may shrink into self-absorption.

Get help all the time and you may become dependent. Never ask for help and you may limit your capacity. 

When giving and getting help - ebb and flow in dynamic balance, you are buoyant. You rise to the occasion and accomplish your goals. 

15 ways to exercise the posture of productivity. Experiment with one and see what happens. You may find yourself standing a bit taller, with a strong center of gravity, and a clear vision for how you want to navigate the day and what you want to reach for.