Forget Being Productive

There's so much to be said about productivity, almost too much. There are so many ways to be productive, so many tools to help you, that it can get to the point where it actually has the opposite effect.

Sometimes it just makes sense to throw caution to the wind, embrace chaos and forget keeping everything we’re trying to fit in a logical flow.

Life is not logical. It is spontaneous and unpredictable. Yes we've mastered (to a measure) our abilities to harness and direct this energy but it will never be tamed.

I am someone who appreciates a system to follow, but I also see how sly a trap it can be to play it safe and only access a small portion of my creative power. Like shackles seeking to restrain a wild beast, it is at best, a solution to relocate and redirect our power towards a different focus, so we can once again unleash it back out in the wild open space where it flourishes.

WHEN TO DO WHAT AND HOW?

Although the benefits of resting aren't always obvious, it's important to embrace chaos and forget productivity when necessary for our well-being. Society often leads us to believe that the end justifies the means, and many of us closely identify our self-worth to our work.

We must train ourselves to listen and notice when we need to take a break, and when we don't. Deep down, we often know when something is missing, or when we're feeling too much pressure and need room to breathe.

YOUR VALUE IS NOT TIED TO YOUR OUTPUT

Make time for the other things that are full and filling to you. Stop denying the pursuits of passion under the guise of being responsible and productive.

Give yourself space to do nothing, do not make progress, do not check off any boxes, do not  and feel good about your day. Give yourself permission to ride out a whim, pursue something unexpected or just sit idly and observe the world.

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THROW THE SYSTEMS, TOOLS AND WORKFLOWS OUT THE WINDOW
(temporarily)

They will only serve to restrict and constrain you here.

• Make space for the unexpected
• Lean into intuition and your gut
• Schedule internal and external recovery periods (relax and take breaks)
• Know this is normal (and necessary) to include in your life
• Remove the militaristic approach to resilience

You need time and space to recover and you can start by strategically stopping (ok I lied, don't throw all systems out the window. Keep this one).

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