All Business & Blogging Posts Productivity for Entrepreneurs
October 22nd, 2014
The weekly habit that’s changed how I feel about my work & life
One of the tricky things about being interested in goal setting is that it’s easy to slip into what I call productivity shaming. You don’t have to be a perfectionist for this to trip you up, though that doesn’t hurt, and it looks different for all of us.
For me, this often ends up being a day where I get a lot done but not the specific things on my to do list. For you, it might be a day when you slip into responding to email mode instead of doing the bulk of your job.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: one of the most underrated parts of working for someone else is having outside forces to attribute these problems to!
We all have threads of assumption woven through the our days that show up in the stories we tell ourselves. If you let your mood run away with them, you’re going to end up in a mess.
This is how I changed that for myself.
image by Sylwia Bartyzel
November 2014 marks the start of my fourth year of being completely self employed, and I’ve spent much of that time wishing that I’d spent it differently.
Even when my work goes beautifully, and even when I’m proud of what I put out, there’s always something I would have changed. And it’s true right now, when I wish that wasn’t the case!
What’s helped the most for me is definitely practicing self compassion (must watch video alert!) and also finding ways to punch through my mood at the end of the day or in the middle of the week when I’m more likely to let how I’m feeling at the moment colour how much I’m helping someone I work with, how I’ve made someone laugh, or how I’m learning things that I couldn’t have imagined when I started out.
As you’ve already guessed, I’m talking about drugs and alcohol.
Just kidding!
My solution is a lot more effective than numbing yourself, and it’s something I learned while working with the lovely Molly from Stratejoy.
This is a simple but effective part of our coaching calls that I fell in love with, and since then I’ve used it once a week to check in with myself, when I ask myself these three questions.
Journaling Prompt: Weekly Check In
1. What has been a challenge?
2. What can I celebrate?
3. What lessons have I learned?
download a printable version for personal use here
Taking 15 minutes in the middle of the night to brew a cup of tea, find somewhere quiet to write and taking a step back with these questions is one of the best ways I’ve found to cut through whatever I’m feeling at the moment and re-frame it. With your eye back on the big picture it’s a lot easier to remember what’s really important, how little the mistakes matter, and how much good you (Yes, YOU!) are putting out into the world.
This is such a great idea! I do journal and write down the things that were challenging versus the things that motivated me. It’s always helpful to put it down on paper and to read through it every once in a while.
That sounds really helpful, Chrissy! I do a similar check in a few times a month. That sounds like a great way to stay in touch with your intuition, especially when life gets crazy. Thanks for commenting!
I have tried ‘journaling’ a couple times but have never been able to stick with it! You’re making me think twice!
I don’t know where I would be without journaling prompts! They are such an easy and effective way to check in with yourself and take an honest look at how things are going in your life/work/whatever. Do recommend.
Hey Kyla! I’ve been doing a version of this for a while, every Monday. But it’s been helpful to answer these questions for my person life and then for my work life. It’s interesting to see how they connect or the effect of one on the other, etc.
Cheers from Managua!
I love the idea of doing this on a Monday and setting the tone for your new week. I have a bad habit of pushing my personal life into the weekends and leaving myself off my lists until then, so I’ve started doing this mid-week. I love feeling like I having another fresh start to the week when I still have days left to work. Thanks for sharing your process, Marcella!