June 18th, 2022

 

Hello from this side! 

Welcome to this space 🌚

Today is Saturday, the eighteenth of June, Twenty twenty-two…

Over here, the weather is cool. It's raining and as is typical of me on most Saturdays, I'm home alone. And so I decided to write to you today, 'cos it's been what? It's been so long. Phew! 

I particularly like Saturdays because it's the day between the end of a work week and the beginning of another. Great time to review the previous week and plan for the next. 

So take out time to review the week and plan for the next, even if you're in an owanbe right now. Side eyes 👁️ 

In reviewing the past week, let's talk about productivity, shall we? This is one topic that affects every living soul, so grab a seat and your book and pen.

Productivity is the Grand Master of activity. Oh, yes! Busyness must birth results before it can be awarded the term; productive. 

By dictionary definition, productivity is the state of being productive, fertile, or efficient. And to be productive is to yield good or useful results. 

It can be deduced that results are the goal of productivity.

Now, don't get me wrong, and don't be under pressure. These results do not have to be visible to everyone. They can be private and sometimes should be.

In fitness, there's something called non-scale victory. So sometimes you would exercise so much but the scale remains constant. It doesn't look like you're losing weight. Some people get frustrated and quit.

But the truth is your efforts are yielding results, just that they are not yet visible, hence the term: 'non-scale victories'. 

Things like you breathing better, running longer and faster, bending easily. For some people, their skin glows more, they are less tired, and can last longer in activities. These results are usually private but they always do exist.

Back to productivity...

Regardless of how private your results might be, progress, no matter how small should be visible. And by progress, I mean results that can be vetted by measurements and standards unique to you and you alone. 

Not in comparison to someone else's result, but unique to you, your season of life, your present reality, and your unique configuration.

And in the end, you should be able to look back at all you've done and like God, say that; 'it was good' or better still; it was productive.

One way to ensure you're heading towards productivity is to master time management. Time management is life management, 'cos the unit for measuring life is time.

Sixty seconds, one minute, ten hours, five days,...twelve years…

Time! Time! Time!

What you do with every second and minute eventually adds up at the end of the day. You're either happy about the result or not. 

What do you do with your time? Do you end each day satisfied? This does not mean you'd do everything you need to do, sometimes you won't be able to. But at least, are you moving toward your goals?

You must set up structures in place to help you maximize your time. Time will forever be constant and whether or not you do a thing, it'd tick. But will it tick in your favor or against you?

It'd be in your favor if it is drawing you closer to your goal and it is in your place to set structures to see that happen.

You can set timers, alarms, or stopwatches to help you keep track of the time you spend doing stuff. 

So for example, say you plan on reading for an hour or a couple of minutes, you can ensure you don't exceed that time and encroach on the time for another activity by setting timers. When it goes off, you'd get the message.

We've all got 24 hours, it's never gonna increase or decrease, it can only be maximized and used wisely. Wisely as in cutting down on even good activities to give room for great ones. 

That's how you create time. Sleep is good, so also is perusing through news feed and replying to chats, but in the grand scheme of things, where does it rank in your priorities? Cut down on the time you spend on low-ranking activities and convert that time to high-ranking activities.

Also, to not forget important dates and events, your calendar is your friend. Thankfully, Google calendar even makes it more interesting. So you don't have to miss out on important events or activities, thereby missing out on value-adding time.

Another way to ensure you're productive is to know yourself and be true to yourself. I like how William Shakespeare puts it; "this above all, to thyself, be true". Know your energy levels and schedule your activities around them. 

Some people can work so well in the daytime, others would do better at night. Both parties would be most effective if they work when they are most active.

If you're not a morning person, there's no need to struggle to work in the morning. Know the peak moments of your energy cycle and leverage it. That's when you're most mentally alert and active.

You'd produce a poorer quality of work if you work when you're fatigued. And you wouldn't like that, trust me.

Still, on being true to yourself, adopt the habit of measuring your success through the lens of your unique configuration. A fish wouldn't be scored on its ability to run or fly, a bird wouldn't be tested based on swimming either. Know what success means to you and aim at it.

Having done all these, create the time to rest, recharge and retreat. Learn to rest. Take out time to rest and do so intentionally. 

The best machines eventually wear out with time, even when they are properly serviced. How much more your body? 

Your body is the best vehicle you'll ever have. Take care of it well. Fuel it with the right food, detoxify regularly, and exercise often too. 

There's no joy in treating what could have been prevented. If you have to take trips to the hospital for illnesses that could have been prevented, you'd be eating out of the time you should spend doing other stuff.

Don't let that happen to you.

Then, prioritize the activities you engage in. Scrutinize them to know what should be done when it should be done and how much time should be spent doing it. 

As mentioned before, some activities are low ranking, others high ranking. Wisdom is identifying which is which, placing it in the appropriate category and according the appropriate attention.

Low-ranking activities are usually not targeted at a specific goal. They do not necessarily yield the results you desire and can be insignificant, in some cases.

Also, learn to get help when you need it.

Delegate stuffs to trusted people, and outsource when you can afford to, not everything should be done by you.

 

Most importantly, just delete some things, please. Less is more sometimes.

Finally, leverage technology. Technology, even though we sometimes tilt towards the distracting side of it is still here to make our lives easier. Make use of devices to simplify your work.

There are several gadgets and equipment that can save us time and even energy.

Recently, I discovered a tool that makes me write way faster. I'm embracing it, as well as tightening my belt in other areas.  You see? So we're all learning this together.

Cheers to your productive self, from my productive self. 

Love and Light,

Nancita ✨

Ps:There's no big deal with today's date, I just decided to use it as the title for this post.