Have you ever tried a productivity tool or hack and failed to get the results you wanted? Although there is a lot of information that can help us increase productivity, most people still live in chaos. It is still a mystery why so many people struggle with managing their time and not getting the results they seek. Is there something missing?
In the last ten years, I have seen the answers to my questions. It doesn’t matter what you are trying to do, everyone has the same challenge at the end of the day.
Why productivity hacks don’t work
Let’s say you want to increase your productivity and you want to get more done in the day, you feel disorganized, and you are not on top of everything you must do. After reading a couple of articles and watching some video tutorials on tools and tips, you realize that you want to hack your calendar first. You know that you are very reactive in the day, and you don’t plan your time well, so this is a good start.
Your calendar is pulled out and you start to organize tasks. For example, scheduling time to make phone calls and email 3x per day. The most difficult tasks are then scheduled for the morning, when you’re most productive. It is exciting to do it and it makes you feel much more in control.
Your next day arrives, so you get up from your computer to pull out your planner and start your day. Your plan was to begin with a focused task. You would check your email only after you had completed the long-awaited report that you’ve been putting off for so many days. However, you have this huge urge to check your email, browse social media and see what’s happening. It is difficult to begin writing this report.
It’s almost like you are disappointed and yet, it is all in your mind that this could happen. Your mind wanders back and forth, trying to justify why it is not possible for you to start the report later. Then you decide to schedule another meeting. Tell yourself that tomorrow will be better.
You wake up in the afternoon and are reminded that you need to get on with another project. You feel tired, distracted and you just don’t have the focus or energy. Also, you may feel annoyed that you need a new calendar and aren’t following it. Is this why is it so frustrating?
You resolve to starting tomorrow again and jump to a task that you ‘feel’ is important to do now. Every other task seems urgently important, even more so than those on your agenda. You find yourself back in the exact same situation after a couple of days. You are not sticking with the calendar you have planned, and you feel frustrated again, you decide that you are not a planner, and this isn’t for you.
You find yourself saying things like, ‘I’ll never be organized’, or maybe, ‘I actually work better with this pressure and stress’. You begin to hold limiting beliefs about your abilities and what it takes to accomplish things.
Perhaps you try out other hacks, or you quit. Either way you’re not seeing the results that you desire and are incapable of achieving them.
“If you don’t pay appropriate attention to what has your attention, it will take more of your attention than it deserves.” – David Allen
Which is the missing piece?
You are likely trying to alter behavior by using only strategy to achieve productivity tools or hacks. This is why you may struggle to see results. This doesn’t work, you will end up frustrated, and irritated.
You can have all the strategies in the world, but if you are in the wrong mindset and emotion, you will not get the results you want because you won’t take the aligned action.
But what does this mean in relation to mindset and emotions? Strategie is the ability to set up your schedule to make it easier to plan and organize your time. Next, ask yourself: What are my beliefs and values? One example is that you would value planning more than not planning. To increase your belief in the importance of planning, which is vital to success, you need to change how you think so that action becomes easier.
Be aware that your emotions can be a part of your mind.
It is up to you to change your emotions if you feel overwhelmed or frustrated. Low energy is not conducive to action. How to get out of low emotions. Low moods can be caused by your focus on the past, stories, and meaning that you attach to current events.
You can shift your mindset to increase energy and productivity. To increase productivity and get more done, master your emotions.
You can’t manage your emotions if your time isn’t being managed!
The post Here’s Why Productivity Hacks Don’t Work first appeared on Addicted 2 Success.
The post Here’s Why Productivity Hacks Don’t Work appeared first on Addicted 2 Success.