This post provides a framework on how to be productive, and stay focused on your goals. Whether your goals are mental, physical, financial, etc., this guide outlines how to stay on track.
Disclosure: I am not a licensed medical professional. Reach out to a licensed provider if you have any questions or concerns about your mental or physical health.
Most people have specific goals, but find it difficult to stay motivated towards them. This is very common, and this skill is learned through trial and error. You cannot always be taught things, especially when you venture off of the beaten path. If you are interested in learning skills and tools on how to be productive toward a goal, continue reading.
Initial Phase: Change
In order to change your habits, you must also change your mindset. Things will not change for you if you do not take action. The first step in being productive toward your goals is to accept the change that is to come. Change is uncomfortable, change is difficult, and change takes work. To accept change, you must accept that you are going to struggle, and you are going to go through a difficult process to become a higher version of yourself.
Focus Starts With You
After accepting the change that you will experience, focusing inward is an essential step toward becoming productive. You cannot pour from an empty cup. In order to challenge yourself, you prepare mentally and physically by filling your own cup first. Taking care of yourself and your body allows you to grow as an individual.
Habits
Start by adjusting your habits to create a foundation for your progress. Focus on the things you are putting into your body and how they affect your productivity. Eating a balanced diet and drinking enough water provides you with energy, and a clear state of mind. Exercise is a beneficial mechanism to improve your overall health. Consuming healthy media keeps you focused on positive outcomes, instead of clouding your mind with negative thoughts.
What is “healthy media”?
Evaluate the things you watch and listen to on a daily basis. Is the media you consume providing motivating content? Negative media has an effect on your mindset, and can be detrimental to productivity. Constantly listening to true crime or listening to sad music puts your mind in a negative state. Change the media you consume by watching success documentaries or listen to a health and wellness podcast.
Mindfulness
After you evaluate the media you are consuming, focus on the amount of media you surround yourself with daily. Are you distracting yourself with media? In this era, there are so many outlets taking our attention away from our lives. Media can be a great tool in moderation, but when it starts to take up most of your time, you are no longer focused on yourself. Practice mindfulness by putting the screen down and spending time with yourself. All of the sudden you’ll start to realize things that make you happy and things you want to accomplish.
Routine
Routine is not for everyone. As humans, we need structure of some sort, whether it be a simple ritual or a daily schedule. Creating a routine does not mean you have to plan out every hour of your day. Some people respond well to scheduling their entire day, while some people just need a rough outline. Everyone is different, so find a routine that works best for you.
Environment
The next step in becoming productive is to evaluate your environment. This includes the people you surround yourself with, and your physical surroundings. Does your space motivate you? Clutter and messiness can act as a distraction to productivity. Look around you, and decide if your space is distracting you from what you want to work on. Notice your energy when you are around people. Are the people you spend most time with motivating you to be better? It is important to protect your energy, and take action to remove negative influence. When you analyze your environment and its effect on you, you’ll notice things that need to change in order to become your higher self.
Moving On
One of the most detrimental obstacles to being productive is holding on to the past. Everyone has some type of trauma. Life is about overcoming obstacles and getting through things. Accept the things that have happened, and accept that you cannot change the past. Moving forward, you must learn to heal from what happened so you can focus on your goals for the future. Letting go of the past is not easy, but the truth is that you simply cannot go back. So instead of ruminating on what has happened, focus that energy into what you can do differently in the future. Click here to view a list of mental health resources that can assist in your healing process.
Discipline
Discipline is the most important step in how to be productive. Motivation is not enough to get you to your desired outcome. Motivation is an emotion, while discipline is an action. You are not always going to feel motivated. In these times, discipline is what gets you through. Through the process of developing discipline, you will be able to trust yourself more. How many empty promises have you told yourself about becoming a better person, quitting that bad habit or starting a healthy one? If you do not follow through on your own promises, you will never be able to trust yourself. Build disciplinary action to complete tasks even when you don’t want to.
Discard Old Mindsets
If you are reading this post, you are already one step in the right direction toward productivity. You have proven to yourself that you want it. You wouldn’t have clicked this post if you didn’t believe you can change. The old mindset of “I can’t” does not exist anymore. Focus on the things you can do. Your mind is the most powerful thing about you. If you provide your mind with positive affirmations and possibilities, things will start falling into place right before your eyes.
What Does Productivity Mean to You?
Productivity looks different for everyone. You do not have to be productive in the eyes of your peers. You do not have to copy someone else’s guidelines. Each person has their own definition of being productive, so what that is to you, is all you have to follow. Don’t let someone else define your idea of success, because everyone has a different idea of what they want their life to look like. That is the beauty of being human! You are an individual with your own goals and aspirations, and there is no one like you in the universe! You are one of one, so be you.
How to be Productive
This guide is a great start to your journey of productivity and progress. Once you give yourself direction and a goal to work toward, you are capable of more than you think. Staying disciplined and focusing inward will change your life. Click any of the links below to return to a specific section of the text.
Table of Contents
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