Result Is The Name Of The Game
Mastering the art of productivity.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. — The Bible (Genesis 1:28)
You do not need to be religious to understand that you cannot survive without results, because result is the name of the game. How else can you mine your self-esteem and confidence if you lack productivity in your life. Productivity simply means (in my own def), having results to show you aren’t stupid nor a failure. If an organisation wants to hire you, they gotta check your resume — why? To see if there is the potential for productivity.
The guy who has no result, (or failed to fake it), will have bad luck with the girls. Haven't you wondered why many men delay getting into marriage? Productivity means you’re doing well, and that is the fuel that drives our social world today.
So let's take a crash course on Productivity and let's see how we can become productive individuals. We will be considering the following:
- What it means,
- Hindrances to productivity,
- Its implications, and finally
- How to improve productivity.
What does it mean to be productive?
If you are living a life of productivity, whether in the home, as a parent, in the office as a boss or in a career of your liking as an individual with talent, it means that:
You get more done in less time — you are able to free up your time to do the things that truly matter to you.
You feel Effective — you feel fulfilled and happy because you hit your goals.
You prioritise— you know what's more important and what ought to be done first.
You manage your time properly — you do not waste time.
What hinders productivity?
If you feel you lack sufficient results in your life, look at the following. All or some of them may be the reason why.
Social media obsession — are you easily distracted by your devices, especially when you got internet on your phone? Does one little notification get your spending hours surfing the net and binge scrolling through Facebook? If it’s yes, then it is time to tune it down a bit.
Multitasking — the human brain is designed to be focus oriented. Because wherever our attention goes, energy goes. The only way we are able to act and execute at 100%, is if we zero our mind on a particular thing. Do not mistake movement for achievement.
Unable to say no — do you find it hard to say no to people. Say a friend asked you to help babysit at a time you already planned to get some work done, do you find it hard to say no? If the answer yes, then I’ll leave you with these words by Jim Rohn; “Do not let your mouth overload your back.”
Lack of rest — there is only so much you can do in any given day. There is a reason why we got night and day. Research* has even shown that productivity starts to go down around 50 hours or more of working time.
Unable to delegate — delegation is allocating task to others and it increases productivity. If you find it difficult to allocate tasks to individuals, whether in the workplace or at home, you will find yourself, constantly exhausted and irritable.
Lack of prioritisation — to be unable to decide what is more important, is a recipe for unproductivity. Keep this phrase in mind; “do not major in minor things.” Learn what is major and what is minor, then wisely dispense your energy rightly.
Waking up to an unplanned day — this is the pit that most people fall in. Most people go to bed with their fingers crossed, as if waking up to a new day will suddenly erase their problems and responsibility for that day. Do not be most people.
What are the implications of lack of productivity?
It is very easy to see the effect of the lack of productivity in the life of an individual. But let's take a look at a few of them
- Confidence is tossed out of the window — Let's face it, humans are achievement-oriented. We draw our sense of value and worth, either from the things we have done or the things we possess. When we lack productivity in our lives, it is easy to lose our self-esteem, especially around people who have results to show. It brings us in contention with our own failures — our own insufficiencies.
- Unhappiness is another factor in the mix — let's take womanhood as an example here. Naturally, the expectation for women is to be biologically productive — to be able to conceive and have little humans. Say a woman who is unable to carry out such natural function, it takes a toll on her emotion. Even worse, when she has to visit friends and family members having babies — happiness evades her.
- Life quality is sure to go down — when there is no productivity. If you lack the financial means, how else can you provide for yourself and family? If you are unhappy and lack confidence, then life quality reduces drastically. Productivity essentially is the pillar that holds our self-esteem, which in turn sponsors the quality of our lives.
How can you improve your productivity?
The good news is, productivity can be learned. It is not easy, but it's simple. It is not rocket science — you can do it. So let us take a look at some few ways we can become productive.
Process of elimination — Get rid of what does not serve the main goal. As you focus on what it is you want, automatically, what you do not want, begin to fall into the background.
Eat That Frog principle — if you've read the book * by Brian Tracy, then you already understand this. There will always be varying sizes of goals, you want to make sure you tackle the bigger goals first to create momentum to crush the smaller ones.
Allocate time cap — dedicate time frame for each task. Do not be vague in setting your goals, be deliberate and intentional about how and when they are to be crushed.
Invent a routine — Failure is bad habits in practice, just as success is good habits in practice — both carried on overtime. Failure is successful because it has been motorised by habits. If you desire to up your productivity, then you must routinise a given set of positive and self constructive habits.
Avoid comparison — there is no need to compare yourself to others. It does no good but steals your joy. The only person you should compare yourself to is who you can be tomorrow.
Set reward — you are not a slave to yourself, so, therefore, do not tyrannise yourself. Jordan Peterson advised we deal with ourselves like someone worthy of love and respect. Instead of screaming at yourself to be more disciplined, negotiate with yourself instead. Some few hours of work, and then some few hours of reward. And that can be to do anything you desire to do thereafter.
Take a break — learn to take a break for the sake of your health. There is an adage that goes; only those alive, can enjoy life. Take a break every now and then to have some fun and cool off.
In summary
we all need a little bit of result to help our self-esteem stay afloat.
If we must feel good about ourselves and have a quality life, then we must be surrounded by the fruits of our labour. Frustration kicks in when these results are wanting to us.
We talked about some of the things that can hinder our productivity; obsession with social media, trying to do too much at one time, our inability to say no and many others.
We also looked at the implications of when we lack results — the quality of our lives goes down, as well as our happiness.
Lastly, we made mention of some of the things that can help us cultivate a life of productivity. We touched issues like eliminating those things that are not relevant to achieving our goals, allocating time caps, setting rewards, taking breaks, and we also introduced the Brian Tracy principle of attacking the bigger task first.
I have no doubt that this year will be the best year for you, once you begin to adhere and practice the ideas shared above. For more ideas on getting the most out of this year, check the articles below.
