Time management is bullsh*t
I love the flexibility of working from home but really miss building strong in-person connections. Some days working from home really zaps my motivation, especially on those low-energy cloudy days. How can I stay motivated and productive when it often feels like ground-hog day? There are countless productivity hacks and tricks but they will not work until you understand how you spend your time.
We all have the same 24 hours in a day, so why does it seem that some people accomplish so much more in the same 24 hours. When faced with a to-do list that continues to grow we are constantly seeking ways to manage and maximize our time. Time management is bullsh*t. Time management dictates that checking boxes on your to-do list influences productivity. Productivity isn’t measured by how you spend your time, it is measured by how impactful the time you spend is. The trick is to manage your attention and energy, not your time. Where attention goes energy flows. Pay attention to what tasks get you most excited and how impactful they are. Your motivation will be tied to your level of excitement and the intrinsic value of any given task.
When you are involved in energizing activities you generate more energy than you use. My energizers are exercise, building/creating, and human connection. I feel more energized after participating in these activities. When I am energized everything flows. This is why I love coaching. I am in the zone when I am fully engaged with a client, this fulfills my love of connection while creating impact. When I am writing/creating from the heart it is effortless and time has no bounds.
The tasks that zap my energy are the ones where my energy output is greater than the resulting input. In this time of quarantine those tend to be home-schooling and cleaning, which I’m doing a substantial amount of. It is no wonder I am unmotivated and less productive. When I am able to participate in more of my energizers my productivity and sense of accomplishment has no bounds. The opposite is true when I focus solely on the activities that are have-to not want-to. The key is to find a balance.
Productivity Isn’t About Time Management. It’s About Attention Management
There are a limited number of hours in the day, and focusing on time management just makes us more aware of how many of those hours we waste. A better option is attention management: Prioritize the people and projects that matter, and it won’t matter how long anything takes. Attention management is the art of focusing on getting things done for the right reasons, in the right places and at the right moments.
Is It Even Possible to Focus on Anything Right Now?
Practicing attention management is about maintaining control of where your attention goes, and recognizing when it’s being stolen, either by external distractions or internal errant thoughts, rumination, or anxiety. The more you become aware of your distractions, the easier it becomes to manage them.
Thank you for reading.
With gratitude,
Polina
