Productivity is bullshit.

The secret is to do less.

You want a productivity hack? Stop trying to be productive.

In our efforts to be more productive, we aren’t getting the results we want. What’s gone wrong?

As a procrastination coach, most of my prospective or existing clients come to me with one wish.

“I want to be more productive”

What they are really saying is “I’m doing all these things, but obviously it’s not enough, because I’m not getting any closer to reaching my goals. Tell me what’s wrong with me and how I can do even more, so I feel accomplished.”

But what I hear is “I want to see results in my life and the only way I think I can get these results is if I do more.”

This is what my job is. I am not listening to the story. I am listening for the assumptions, beliefs and perspectives they have around productivity that is preventing them from actually PRODUCING results.

The truth is that as long as you believe the reason you aren’t getting results is because you aren’t productive enough — you will always try harder and feel you have come up short.

We blindly believe that productivity is about how much we can possibly do, when in reality it’s about the RESULTS in our lives instead.

Here are some things to consider if you feel you want to be more productive:

1.) What would being more productive look like?

Make it clear. How would it feel? What would you be doing more of? What would you be doing less of? Who would you have to be? Who do you care about being?

Often, we are chasing an idea or fantasy of something, but if we don’t clearly define who and where we want to be, we will never get there.

Decide once and for all what you want to define being productive as. If your definition of productivity is “finish 10 tasks a day” or “wake up at 5am every single day” you are probably going to NEVER feel productive. Don’t make it impossible.

Focus on a definition that you can achieve over and over again. This will create a positive feedback loop, which will lead to more results.

2.) Erase the belief that you need to do as much as possible to be productive

We have mistakenly believed that being more productive is doing more things in the day.

It suddenly becomes a race of “how much can I possibly get done in one day” so I can prove to myself and the world that I’m not a useless, lazy and worthless human being.

Damn. With that narrative, it’s no wonder that none of us are getting shit done.

When we try to cram too many things in the calendar and in our day, we end up spending more time trying to figure out how to do it or trying to manage doing so many different things, instead of actually doing the most important task. So much of our time is wasted switching tasks and optimizing what tasks you should be working on.

“When should I work on this?” “When am I going to work on that?” “What is the best time for this?”

These questions waste time, energy and focus.

3.) Focus on the RESULTS you want in your life and work backwards

I want you to pick two areas of your life that are most important to you and where you feel you aren’t making progress. Get incredibly clear on what result you want in both of those areas. What is the end result? Is it to gain 1,000 new followers in one month? Is it to lose 5 pounds in two months? Whatever it maybe, get CLEAR on it.

Now I want you to build your life around them. Any task that isn’t related to these comes second.

Focus on what is the most important and forget everything else.

Whatever result it is you want, you need to focus on the following:

• In order to get this result, what would I need to be thinking about it and myself?
• In order to get this result, how would I have to feel?
• In order to get this result, what action do I need to take?

If your thoughts, emotions and actions are aligned — and you cut out all the other noise, you will get results, and you will be productive.

If you allow yourself to adopt the updated belief that you measure PRODUCTIVITY through results rather than time spent working — you will be more motivated to be productive and it won’t feel exhausting.

4.) Stop associating your productivity with your self worth.

It seems that most of us have equated productivity with self worth. This not only a mistake, but it’s also completely untrue. This is a lie that has been fed to us by corporate America and the screwed up societal conditioning that the harder we grind the better human we are. Bullshit. Throw it out of the window.

This belief system doesn’t help us feel motivated, confident or excited to get work done. If you are only as happy, confident or worthy as your achievements, then you are only going to feel good when things are going well, and that won’t last long. The truth is, you need to be able to work no matter how you feel, so start believing you are worthy regardless of the current results, and I guarantee this will get you much further.

Key Takeaways:

• Paying attention to the reality that sometimes we fill the day with errands, tasks and responsibilities that actually distract us from our real purpose.
• Overwhelming ourselves with things to do, and believing we need to put in x amount of hours to be deemed productive isn’t PRODUCTIVE.
• Is your definition of productive preventing you from actually being productive? Redefine productivity in a way that actually allows you to get results in your life.
• Free yourself from the chains of productivity, and start focusing on RESULTS, instead of input.

Instead of: What is the most important task this week that will get you closer to your goal?

Try this: What is the most important RESULT I want to get today? Work backwards from there.

When we think in RESULTS, we have more clarity, and clarity allows us to start.

We don’t get results by doing more. We get results by doing less, focusing on what is important and up leveling our mindset.

• We don’t get results by exhausting ourselves
• We don’t get results by multitasking.
• We don’t get results by comparing.
• We don’t get results by complaining.
• We can’t do everything.

The great news is that we don’t have to.

Old perspective: PRODUCTIVITY = Time spent doing things

Updated perspective: PRODUCTIVITY = Desired Results

The number one reason most of us aren’t taking action is because we aren’t CLEAR. Give your brain clarity and structure, throw out any extras, and work on keeping your mindset elevated.

You don’t need to be more productive, you just need to focus your energy on results. That alone will make you productive.

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If you are looking for more support, this is exactly the kind of thing I work with my clients on. Together, we get clear on what is most important in your life, what is getting in the way of achieving results and how to remove those inner and external obstacles, so you can be and achieve the things you’ve always wanted.

Book your free consultation with me here.