An organized, efficient and happier life is well within your reach. Imagine a world where you leave work on time, satisfied that you have done your best, ticked some key things off your to-do list and impressed everyone around you. What about at home? What would it be like if you had an organized household – no more unfinished DIY tasks or cluttered kitchens. Could you be the person who stays serene in the face of chaos, getting the job done and feeling great, throughout? Yes, you can!
Getting productive will change your life. There is a completely new approach that flies in the face of burnout and redefines ‘having it all’. This is holistic productivity. Learning to work with your mind will help you to feel energized, think more clearly and feel better equipped to handle work and life tasks. Live your life on healthy, happy terms. It will make you brilliant in every respect.
Get energised
This is less about gulping down a morning coffee and more about assessing every part of your life. It’s about performing at your peak ability. You can only do that if your energy tanks are topped up. There are four types of energy that need looking after.
Physical: Can I run another mile?
Mental: Is my brain at the best state to think about this?
Spiritual: Am I in alignment with my values and what’s important to me?
Emotional: Am I experiencing emotions that are draining my overall state or nurturing it?
Consider how you can replenish your energy in each area. Ignoring anyone is not sustainable to work at a consistently high level. Notice how you really feel. The trick is to listen and it takes few seconds. Your mind monitors your energy levels without your conscious awareness and will always send you signals so that you know what to do. It may be as simple as getting some fresh air or you might consider counseling but your body will only signal louder the more you ignore it.
Holistic Tip: Think about a task you have ahead of you and how you can adjust your energy levels to match that task.
Be Fulfilled
We have an inner fulfillment sensor which constantly takes a reading of our activities and lets us know if we are honoring our values. Our feelings are our indicator, so when we know that we are aligned with our values, we feel energized and happy no matter how hard we are working. When we are out of sync with what is right for us then we feel resistance, low energy, and internal conflict. Feeling drained is a prompt to help ourselves restore our happiness and feeling energized is a signal that we are on the right track.
Holistic Top Tip: Look at an area in your life where you want more energy and note down what drains you and what can dispose of your energy drainers. If you can’t get rid of them entirely, can you define better boundaries?
Revitalise Relationships
Being able to relate well to others is key to productivity. Are your relationships full of trust and mutual respect? Are they fun and fruitful? Can you say the same across all of your friends, family, and workmates? Having great relationships is a sign that you have got productivity sorted. Notice how you behave in various interactions. What is different about you, in each case? We can’t change others; we can only change ourselves but when we do, it has a most magical effect! We often create stories about people in our mind or we are anxious in our approach. These unhelpful thoughts erode positive outcomes. Try making better assumptions and see the difference!
Holistic Top Tip: Notice where in your life you have a fantastic relationship. How do you behave with this person? What do you say or do when you are with them? Now examine a less smooth relationship, one that you find difficult, and ask what’s different about your behavior that tips them off to act towards you. Resolve to bring more trust and respect to this relationship.
Go Minimalist
Decluttering your life is the perfect start to getting a clear-thinking mind and an organized life. Note the basics you need across the different areas of your life – food, shelter, safety, income, accommodation, love – then purge the rest. Anything that is not actively serving you is taking up valuable space or time. Think of ways to optimize your day. Shop online? Work from home? Use Skype for meetings instead of traveling? Could you establish routines for tackling your finances or even creating a quick, nutritious breakfast?
Holistic Top Tip: Follow nature’s example. Simplify your life so you can be present in it. Create systems or cycles to organize and manage work and life flow. Now allow the parts of your life that no longer serve you to pass away.
Decide what’s important
We often accumulate activities without thinking about what’s genuinely important to us. When what we do is out of sync with our values, or when our vision is unclear, it’s hard to muster up energy and enthusiasm. This might mean a particular task at work, your whole career or a specific relationship. you might be playing safe but this won’t help you stay stimulated, nor will it aid learning. You may have taken on too much and it’s left you frazzled and dissatisfied. Continuing the status quo will lead to stress and have an impact on your health, well-being, and sense of fulfillment.
Holistic Top Tip: Think about the key activities that you engage with. Note down which ones really add to your life, support your ambitions and help you develop and grow. Look at ones that you have outgrown or which take up lots of time for little reward. Adjust what you do accordingly.
Beat Procrastination
Procrastination is the thief of self-worth. Every time we delay, we add imaginary weight on our shoulders and our to-do list gets longer. Perpetual procrastination around tasks that need organizing, such as bills, work tasks, booking a holiday or tackling outstanding household jobs, simply flattens productivity! Take ownership now and it will have a fantastic knock-on effect on your life. Taking purposeful action sends a positive signal to your brain. It builds confidence and self-trust. Others will trust you more as you get things done. In everything you do, be accountable, professional and trustworthy. Kick your mind procrastinator out and you will be able to accomplish whatever you need to do with ease and energy.
Holistic Top Tip: Manage your mental clarity. Write down a list of things you have been putting off and the ‘real’ reason for positioning them by facing your thoughts about each task. Do you lack skill, will, know how? Is it simply not that important? The truth will point you to the best action.
Feel Good… Forever
We tend to do out most creative work and achieve the best results when we are feeling good. A positive, confident mindset has a real impact on our productivity and approach to life. Positive thinking engages more neural pathways which create more ideas and can do attitude. This, merged with focus and practice, produces brilliance. And what’s best is we can access this state any time we want!
Holistic Top Tip: Think of a time when you felt fantastic. Relive this moment in full color and detail. Tune in to those sounds, where you were and who you were with. Notice how your body feels, how you are standing and how that excitement and energy feel within you. Let that body energy ascent into your mind as well until you feel ‘on fire’ and you will summon a motivational mindset!