Do This 1 Thing To Master Productivity!
This time-saving life hack will unlock 2 EXTRA hours of your day!
How long is your to-do list? Long, right. Chores, a side hustle, hobbies, self-improvement, exercise… But what if you could shorten the list, squeeze it down, free up space to fill with more tasks?
I’m sorry, but you’re not going to find the answer here.
As time passes I’m increasingly anti-grind-mindset. Of course, productivity is important at work. I’m actually incredibly productive at work; you know why? Because my down time is just that - down time.
I’m a massive advocate for taking it slow. Nights in, sleeping a few extra hours, doing morning admin in comfy clothes. You will NEVER find me waking up at 5am to start an extra business - it’s just not my style. Energy should be protected, not abused.
If 6 months in Spain has taught me one thing, it’s that people should work to live, not live to work. Life here orbits around community, socialisation, family. Work gives you the funds to spend more time doing what counts: fostering relationships, enjoying the natural world, spending time outside. The result? Less exhaustion, less loneliness, higher quality of life.
Since you got this far, I’ll give you a few little tips for staying sane enough to be highly productive in your work life but happy in your time off.
Implement movement into your day so you don’t have to work out so much.
I love working out. I’m an active person. I only go swimming 3 times a week, and it’s enough. The rest of my days, I walk around 10,000 steps, I don’t take the lift (my 4th floor flat doesn’t even have one), I carry my shopping home even if it’s so heavy it makes me upset. Moving from the UK to A Coruña was like moving to an alternate reality - every day people are out walking the 15km seafront promenade no matter the weather; on a Saturday and Sunday it’s absolutely packed. Movement and socialisation go hand in hand here, and community is the centre of everything.
Don’t monetise everything you do
Been guilty of this in the past. Probably still guilty of this (see: Etsy store). For some reason in our generation there is this overlying pressure to monetise every hobby or interest or artistic output. I recently stopped posting on my art Instagram account because I realised I don’t need to monetise a hobby that helps me switch off. This decision has helped me protect art as a passion project instead, maintaining its integrity.
Sleep early, wake up late
Functioning is borderline impossible unless I’ve had at least 8 hours sleep. Sometimes this isn’t realistic, but trying my best to get a good sleep solves so many problems: stress, bloating, tension, low energy. I’ve currently been listening to Headspace’s binaural beats tracks to drift into a deep sleep while my Spanish neighbours continue to eat/drink/dance/shout past midnight.
You don’t need to do every self-improvement practice every day
A walk outside is self-help. Listening to a sleep wind-down is self-help. Meeting friends for a coffee to decompress is self-help. A nightly 10-step self-improvement routine isn’t necessary to level up your life. Choosing one practice per day that feels in tune with your day’s needs is plenty. One night you might feel more like journalling, the next you might want to scrapbook or work on a knitting project or read a book. All of these things will help you to improve your quality of life/maintain a gentle mental state, even done one at a time. Don’t overwhelm yourself!
‘Don’t overwhelm yourself’ is probably the overarching message of this blog. If you want to stay functioning you can’t do everything. Selectivity is essential. Your existence does not need to be productive to be worthwhile.
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