3 Productivity Tips That Have Nothing To Do With How You Work
Boost Your Productivity with 3 Effective Tips | The516Collaborative
Finally, three productivity tips all about you–because you can’t pour from an empty cup. Read on to discover how to feel your best, to give your best.
For many women who are self-employed or business owners, burnout is only a few scheduled meetings away on a regular basis. It’s like a grownup version of the Boogieman: It’s almost always vaguely in the back of our mind and, as much as we avoid talking about it, the fear is there.
So when things get intense, work starts piling up, and overwhelming feelings start arising, many of us end up feeling “unproductive” and start frantically googling productivity tips, wishing the day had more hours.
What if, instead of finding ways to do more, you took the time to recover and prioritized your own care over all your obligations? How would that feel?
Take Care Of Yourself Before You Take Care Of Your Business
Especially in hustle culture, when everyone around you has it all “figured out,” it seems wrong for you to struggle balancing it all. Everyone is doing all the things, so you should, too. Or should you?
The key in truly improving your performance is to invest your limited resources (your energy and time) on the aspects of your life that nourish you and leave you feeling well with yourself, energized and replenished.
Prioritizing your well being is far from selfish. It’s the single most important way to navigate the constant juggling act that’s being an entrepreneur.
Three Aspects You Need To Prioritize To Improve Your Productivity
Your Physical Wellness
As a mom, business owner, friend, daughter and a thousand other roles, it’s easy to find yourself prioritizing everyone’s needs before your own. This often means eating leftovers, not working out, neglecting medical appointments and more in favor of keeping everything else afloat.
The truth is you can’t afford to neglect yourself to nurture others. That exhaustion you are feeling, the negative habits you’re struggling to break, they will all come with a price sooner or later.
It’s not selfish to take the time you need to feel good in your skin. Prioritizing your health, you’ll feel confident and strong, your head will be clear, and your body will thank you. After all, it’s the only one you have. If there’s one thing we’ve collectively learned this year, it’s how important health is.
A read you’ll enjoy (I hope ;)): 4 Scientific Reasons Exercising Is an Entrepreneur's Biggest Competitive Advantage
Your Emotional Wellness
Working 24/7, constantly overextending yourself and never shutting off are all often encouraged and celebrated as “real” entrepreneurship. Startups and their owners use busyness (NOT business) as a badge of honor.
In reality, your well being is the first key in your overall performance. The all-elusive “balance” everyone seems to be talking about is really meant to be tailored to you and your unique circumstances.
The first step in caring for your well being is opening time in your agenda to just be and not do. Whether this means your exercise routine, time with your family, spending time with friends, taking naps, practicing a hobby or just sitting in silence for a while, the time you devote to yourself will not only boost your self confidence and efficiency, but it will also help you flex another muscle: Your mind. Intentionally opening time for everything that truly matters often means taking time away from all other “obligations” filling up your calendar.
While it may be hard at first, you’ll soon feel relieved and empowered to make choices that align with your true priorities.
Your Mental Wellness
When you spend every day splitting your attention on the myriad things on your list, it’s hard to devote a moment to take stock of what truly needs to get done and the things that will keep your business moving forward.
Clarity breaks are an excellent way to tune into your business’s unique needs and ensure that you’re regularly setting time aside to get everything tidy.
A clarity break means booking a meeting with yourself, and respecting it as if it were with a stranger! Treating your business as your client also helps remind you of how important it is to prioritize internal structure, even though it isn’t “billable.” Investing into your business creates a solid foundation for expansion and durability.
