Respectful Focus
Productivity is about finding ways to do the things you want to do and love to do in your life.
It is about prioritising what feels good, eliminating what does not and scheduling everything else in a way that ensures you feel fulfilled.
One of the biggest challenges with achieving what you want to do in life is managing those around you and their expectations. These being, you should always be on, available and responding whenever they want you.
Manage expectations with positive language
It is possible to be respectful with others while you seek to focus and achieve the things you want to do.
These statements can be positively incorporated into your everyday language to help others understand your intentions for focus.
I choose to be present in the moment, so I can serve you better
When I am available, you can be assured you will have my full attention with no distractions.
I am human. I stay safe by being easily distracted which is why choose to limit this as best I can
I value our health, I seek to do as much as we can within reason without seeking to cause stress, burn out or anxiety
I wish to get the most out of our time together I will be practical and proactive
My intention is high quality work. Only always.
I will seek to be curious and creative as best I can by fully immersing myself into the process
Digging a little deeper
Who is in charge of your life? You or others?
Is your phone on? Can you hear your notifications and how many apps on your phone can notify you of updates at any given time?
It may seem harmless but our mobile phones are a very good reflection of how much of our lives, we allow ourselves to be led by others.
As human beings biologically designed to stay safe. To fight, flight or freeze according to the latest updates in our experiences. It is only natural that sounds like the dinging of our mobile phones get our full attention even if we don’t mean them to. If it was true danger, we want to know about it. Although most of the time it is not.
Our digital lives pose a real threat to our ability to focus and our productivity. It is a challenge because in many ways it makes us more productive but there is now an expectation of others that we are available 24/7 should they need us. An expectation that can leave us feeling pulled in multiple directions, seeking to please everyone and feeling as through we can never do enough.
Productivity comes with focus
As we reflect. Multitasking today is a false promise. Trying to make everyone happy, has the potential to make no one happy.
The more we can prioritise, reflect and iterate. the better we will get at managing what we want in our lives, while navigating the demands of others in ways that genuinely fulfill us.