Productivity Isn't Just About Being Busy and Getting More Stuff Done

Kitty Boitnott, Ph.D., NBCT, RScP

Career Transition & Job Search Coach

I am not sure how it has happened, but we are busier than ever and more productive than any generation in history--yet many of us are miserable instead of feeling happy and satisfied. Is it possible that we are busy being busy working on the wrong things?

I recently wrote an article that was entitled, "If You Hate Your Job, You Are Not Alone." If that resonates with you, I invite you to take a look at it:  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-hate-your-job-alone-kitty-boitnott-ph-d-nbct/.

Not only do many people hate their jobs, but they feel disconnected from their friends and families as well. Many of us--and I include myself in this--feel information overload in a major way.

I watch a lot of news. I occasionally force myself to steer away from it, but in recent weeks, I haven't been able to help myself. Starting with the tragedy in Houston and Hurricane Harvey, I became transfixed as I watched rescue after rescue in real time.

On the heels of Harvey came Irma and with barely a break came Maria. Then, while Puerto Rico is still reeling from its unimaginable tragedy, an earthquake hits Mexico.

And I haven't (and won't) even go into the politics of the nation, but it is all very nerve-wracking, and it has a way of interfering with my ability to concentrate and feel that I am staying focused on things that relate to my work.

What to do?

You know that I have been promoting Michael Hyatt's Free to Focus program, and I highly recommend that you take advantage of his free webinar training that is being offered this week. This first one of four live presentations is today. He has scheduled them for times that should suit just about anyone's schedule.

I am familiar with Michael's work in this area. In fact, I enrolled in his Free to Focus program when it was presented before. I have his beautifully bound Free to Focus Planner. It is sitting right here next to me on my desk as I write this article.

Even with that training, I plan to listen in to his webinar this week, and I highly recommend that you do the same. Especially now with so many distractions going on all around us, we need to learn how to put first things first as Stephen Covey used to say. And that is what Michael helps people hone in on with his training.

Michael points out that we all have various domains in our lives. We are not one-dimensional beings, after all. We are spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and physical. We also play different roles in our lives that encompass relationships whether they are marital or parental or both. We have social needs that our friends and family help us meet. We have vocational and avocational aspirations, and we certainly can't overlook the financial domain in our lives if we want to live well.

When any of these domains suffer from a lack of attention and focus, we suffer in general. We feel out of balance and out of sorts. We begin to feel that things are "off." Sometimes we know what to do to fix it. Sometimes we let it go and if we let it go too long, the wheels can start to fly off the cart all too quickly. 

Michael encourages people to set goals for themselves, but perhaps more importantly, he helps them figure out why they have set those particular goals in the first place. Are they truly important in the grand scheme of things? And if they are, how committed are you to making them happen? Do you know what you must do to make them goals and not just aspirations or wishes?

All of these things are covered in Michael's webinar, "The 7 Deadly Sins of Productivity:  the Hidden Habits Undermining Your Performance (and How to Change Them)."

This isn't just about how to get more stuff done. It isn't just about work. It's about how you approach your life and how you set your main priorities in your life. If you want to learn how to make the most of the time you have, you really don't want to miss this opportunity to hear what Michael has to say.

You don't have to buy anything--unless you want to, of course. But you will learn some valuable lessons, I believe. I plan to be on at least one of the webinars, and I invite you to join me and thousands of others who have already started signing up.

To register for one of the four times this program is being offered, click here:  http://teachersintransition.com/webinar

Until next time.

P.S.

I really can't recommend this program enough. Michale and his team have spent months on updating this presentation. Even if you have heard it before, it will warrant paying attention to again. Don't be like the hamster on the hamster wheel...just moving faster and faster but getting nowhere. Live your life with intention and purpose. That's what this program is about.