Productivity Tips to Stay Focused When the World Feels Like Chaos | 91

Feeling overwhelmed and struggling to stay focused with everything going on? You’re not alone.

In this deeply personal episode, I’m sharing the emotional reality behind my week, the chaos we’re all feeling, and how I’m staying grounded using simple productivity tips that are keeping my head above water. 

What you’ll learn:

• Focus strategies for entrepreneurs facing tough emotional weeks
• How to find clarity through prioritization (even when you’re overwhelmed)
• Ways to protect your energy while still getting work done
• How to create systems that support your mental health and business productivity
• Why routines and structure are your best defense during unpredictable times

If you’ve been wondering how to stay focused or keep up with your business when you’re mentally and emotionally drained, these strategies are for you.

Whether you're dealing with personal stress, global issues, or both, this episode offers grounded support for staying productive when overwhelmed with grace, flexibility, and self-compassion.

Connect with Lucy:

✨ Join My Free Community: https://cheerstoproductivity.com/community-invite

Show Notes: https://cheerstoproductivity.com/podcast/ 

Transcript

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Hey, I'm Lucy Reyes, your host of the Cheerful Productive Chats Podcast, where I'm on a mission to help online entrepreneurs that like you focus on all the right things and kiss overwhelmed goodbye. Here, you're going to learn strategies that will boost your productivity so that you can scale your online biz and impact lives sooner. It's your time to shine. So let's get started Hey, Hey. Welcome back to the cheerful product discounts podcast. I'm going to be completely honest. This is going to be a very different episode. It might be a little bit sensitive. It might turn some of you away. Um, but truthfully at the time of recording this, it is a Friday at January 31st. You'll get this in a few days. I'll probably really sit a little bit early because it is, I feel timely. Um, But it's been a tough, tough week for myself. Um, there has been so much happening here in the us where I live. There feels like a lot of weights. And with a lot of changes, a lot of uncertainties. and it's just, you know, it's been a super, super heavy week. And I know that a lot of people in my audience specifically are experiencing it the same. So we're going to tackle what this episode with how to stay focused when everything around us feels. Chaotic. If that's you then definitely listen in. If you're someone who doesn't feel this way and who doesn't feel like your world is chaotic, or you have no stressors. Nothing then this episode might not be for you, but this one is really not even just talking about the world, the politics, the news, like this is not just for that. This could be any chaos in your life. but I will be speaking in the sense of. There's some things that feel very personal for myself and my family. And it is very challenging to have to maneuver through business. When I still have my own personal life, right. Like I still have my personal life. My life is still lifeing, they're still curve balls, like there's normal chaos. And then on top of that, there's like these extra weights. So. That is how I'm going to go through this. But the tips are still very relevant, no matter what type of chaos you are dealing with. So. Just want to throw out that disclaimer. Because it typically am not one to really deep dive into all of the things that are happening in the world. I, you know, I. Typically record a story, Alison, an email, just to kind of share what my stance is, but I am not someone who really likes to deep dive into all of this. Um, but yeah, it's been heading home a lot more lately and I recorded a story. Yeah. That has got into way more views than my typical stories. And even it is because I shared something very personal. So I will start this episode of by sharing what I shared in that Instagram story. And it was the fact that I dropped my daughter off at school. This week yesterday, Thursday, and this is a paid school, by the way, it is not a free public school. but she goes to a school that is a very. Latino dominant. like that is specifically the school. It's a monastery style school. And it is very Latino dominant, and I got very emotional because. I went to drop her off and we're usually one of the last ones to show up to her class. And there was significantly like at least very noticeably, less students. And less staff available. They did, you know, sent out the email to all the parents to let them know. How they're going to be protecting our kids and the staff, if a situation where officers were to try to come to the school. that was the day before. And then the next day, you know, um, it would, there were significantly less people. So this whole week has been. That. It's been a very emotional. If you don't know this, I am a first generation Mexican American. My parents both were here in this country. They were immigrants in this country. There, I'm not going to go into all of the specifics of. Legal immigrants versus non-legal immigrants. But my parents they're both legal in this country. They been legal for several silver, silver, uh, years now. But when they first came in here, they were not, and they came here to give. Me a better life in a future. And, you know, I would say that it worked. You know, I got some really good jobs. I went to college. I was the first one within my family to go to college. And that was a huge. Big milestone coming from. You know, parents who didn't get nearly as good of an education. And, you know, I'm married to my husband. Who he owns his own construction business, but he is. Out there doing the construction work himself and he's brown. So I had to, I felt myself having to tell him like, Hey know your rights. We've been talking about what to do if he gets profiled, because he absolutely would be. I mean he's out in the field and he looks like he was born in Mexico, even though he was born here. And so it's a situation where like, know your rights and I just, it really hit me differently because I never thought I would even. Be in a situation like that. you know, because we're both born here and then also. A lot. You know, I'm not, I'm going to stop myself right there. Cause I'm about to go on a whole different rant anyways. The point of me sharing that was just to share how this has been impacting my mental health. And how this is really hitting home for me. I actually did my, I participated in my very first peaceful. Protest when I was like 11 or 12 around the very similar situations. So this is, this is really one of those things that. Is very close to my heart and gets me super raw. My mental health is definitely taking a hit, especially because there, like I said, there's other things happening in my personal life too. Like, this is not it. So it's a lot, and I know that I'm not the only one feeling this way. And especially as entreprenuers like, we are so vulnerable to these changes. We're so vulnerable to the market. Changing changes to the evolving consumer behaviors and. All of the media distractions, like all of that can impact our businesses. And yet we have to continue. To run our business. Like we don't have the, actually it's not even a luxury, but we have to run our business because if we don't. Then we're not going to make sales and we don't have a business. So as entrepreneurs, we have this extra weight of, we have to push through and continue to Excel and continue to talk to our audience, this spite of everything going on, this spite of how you may be impacted despite how you may feel, be feeling. You still have to move on. And run your business and make sales. That is how you can actually make an impact is by. Being the business owner and donating to the cause. Does that you want to, or speaking up or using your platform or whatever? But you're still a business owner and you can't just sit back. You can't take a day off of work, a paid PTO time. You cannot use PTO time or call in sick and still get paid for the day. That's not how it works. At least not for many entrepreneurs. Yes. There's many entrepreneurs that once you get to a certain. Level, you can expect some sort of recurring revenue, which is why systems are so, so important, but we'll get to that. But for a lot of us, You still have to do some active work and it's not passive income. Even the passive in quotes income that you're making. It's because you had to do some work beforehand. So. Yeah, as entrepreneurs, like it's a lot. It's a lot. So I wanted to come on and record this episode about how to truly maintain your focus and actually stay a productive. Okay, because all of this external chaos can often really lead to internal stress. Which makes it challenging to maintain or focus. But it doesn't mean that it's actually impossible to stay productive. Whenever things around you do feel a little bit too chaotic. So I'm actually going to share with you four strategies that you can begin implementing right away. To keep your focus and honestly, Your sanity too, because boy, do I know that I need this as well. So the first thing is to prioritize your tasks effectively. You really, really need to. Be effective with prioritizing what you're going to be working on for the day and really truly distinguishing what is it, different or not different? What is urgent? And what's important. Okay. This is going to help you because when you know what you're working on and what you need to get done, and you have already. I made the decision that this is actually a priority. It's not just a task on my to-do list, but it's a priority task on my to-do list. It triggers something in you. That's like, oh, I need to be more focused because this is a priority, like compared to the 10 tasks on my list. I have identified this one. As being a priority. And so you naturally just zone in on that task to get it done. So in episode four, I actually cover more. I go more in depth into this topic specifically on prioritizing tasks. So definitely go and listen to that episode, if you haven't yet. There is a link to an Eisenhower matrix, a freebie that you can access to. Help you prioritize your tasks, but this is really, really going to be important in helping you. Zone in and work on those priority tasks. And then once you're done with the tasks that you identified as priority. You can check and decide like, okay. Do I feel, do I want to keep going? Do I have the energy to keep going? Is my mental state in a position where I can keep working productively? Or is it time to call it a day early? I already got done the most important things. Should I just take the rest of the day off. I know, I definitely have been doing that. Um, because yeah, that's sometimes what we need. So prioritize do your tasks effectively is the first tip that I have for you. The second one is to establish consistent daily routines because these provides structure and predictability, which are super essential, especially during chaotic times because. Just like kids. Kids thrive on routines and the reasons why they thrive, or one of the reasons why they thrive on routines. Is because it helps them feel safe. They already know what's coming next. And that's also why. If something goes out of the routine, if the routine changes, for whatever reason, they have a meltdown because in their minds of like that, That's not what comes next. That's not what comes next. And now they don't feel safe. And honestly, I feel like this is a case with us adults too. Knowing what's going to happen next. Kind of gives you that predictability that you need of like, okay, I already know what's coming. So the more you can really get yourself into a consistent. Routine. Is going to be easier and helping you not. I guess go into like these little wavy curves of maybe I'll do this, or maybe I'll do that. And that gives you more, that leaves it open for more opportunities for you to. Doom scroll into the media. And end up in a corner of your bed crying because of what you're seeing, like yeah. Speaking from experience. So to create eight, these daily routines, you have to start with habits. You have to implement a new habit. To help you build the routine. So that way the routine eventually becomes a part of who you are inside of the product entrepreneurs club. That is actually what we're talking about all month. Every single. Resource and pep-talk, that is dropping inside of this$7 a month. Membership is around the theme of habits. So if you haven't joined us yet, or even if you are a member. Definitely go and listen to the pep talks that are coming out every Monday. Because every single one of those is truly like a mini lesson on habit building or habit maintaining, or even eliminating habits along with the two new resources that are going to drop inside of the club at this month. So. Go and check it out. If you're not in there@cheerstoproductivity.com slash com. So that way you can learn yourself how to. Implement and build up these habits to create those consistent daily routines that are really going to help you thrive during these chaotic times. The next strategy here. Is to use productivity tools and systems. No surprise there. I know. But it's truly, truly incredibly helpful. And enhances your ability to stay organized and focus because you know exactly what to do. You will never whine or find yourself trying to figure, like, what, what am I supposed to do next? Where was I in the process? Did I get this done or even doing the task again? Because you thought you didn't do it and then you go back and you're like, oh, dang it. I had already done that. Using these productivity tools and systems really, really help us eliminate. All of that. And again, similarly to before, when you're having to make these decisions, It's opening up the door for you to do something that you don't want to do, like doom scroll or turn on the news or whatever. It is for you. These tools really, really are super helpful in managing your tasks. Uh, helping you set and identify and recognize goals. Track your progress and so forth and so forth. You. Well, you can go through this podcast and listen to. All of the episodes about. Why systems are so important. So I'm not going to deep dive too much into this one there, but they are super, super crucial for helping you maintain focus and productivity. And inside of the system savvy society, this is all over covering. We're covering all about systems. So definitely go and join cheers to productivity.com/sss. If you haven't yet to see how I can help you. Improve your own system so that we can stay focused and be more productive. And the last strategy that I have here for you is to minimize your distractions. Yes. You will have to have a little bit of. What is it? The willpower. To not get. I get distracted. By all the different forms that may come up such as social media. Emails interruptions from others. What. However, the distractions are the ones that are taking you down. You know what they are. But you have to actually identify them. And work to minimize them. So that way you can maintain your focus. And episodes nine and 55. I deep dive into how to minimize the. Distractions at home. Home. And how systems can actually help you minimize your distractions as well. You will rarely hear me talk about eliminating distractions because let's be real. That is probably not going to happen. It is impossible to eliminate every single distraction. So we just want to really focus on minimizing them the best that we can, and ultimately is going to be up to you to decide how. You minimize your distractions. If social media is consuming you and taking over you and you don't want that anymore. Consider deleting the app or removing that app or setting up. Some other apps that block of that app after you've scrolled for like an hour or whatever. Right. Same thing with your emails, maybe it take off your emails from your phone for awhile. Interruptions from others. Like maybe it mean that's going to be different. Definitely. Listen to episode nine for that one. For tips on that one, but these distractions do come in many different forms. So minimizing them is truly going to be one of the best ways to help you maintain your focus on the things that actually need your focus right now. Okay. So. As I wrap up. This episode, Just remember that. You cannot control. The external chaos. We can control how we respond. And how we manage our own thoughts, feelings, focus, and productivity. Around all of the things that are happening, there's so much that we cannot control. There is a lot that you can control. And some of these tips that I shared with you here are that there are tips on how you can. Put some more control in your life, even though you're going through some hard times. But you cannot let yourself go down the path of trying to wish and, and try to control some of these things that are happening externally. Yes, you can do some research to see how you can help and support and what you can do about some of these things that are impacting you that you don't agree with. Definitely do that if your mental health allows, because again, Some of the things that are happening are very sensitive. And this is not the first nor the last time. And it is not just this year. There has been many incidents, many things that have happened. In the past few years, you know, every year there's always something. Sometimes it feels stronger because it's a. Topic, that's close to your heart. Sometimes it's because the media is throwing it at you sometimes, because it's what everyone's talking about. Sometimes it's just fricking sad. Like it's just so sad. And you just feel so much empathy. Like there's so many things and this is not the last time. It's not the first time. It's not the last time. So we have to help. Ourselves get through it. All of these tips to help you maintain some. Focus, especially because you are an entrepreneur. You have to keep going. You have to keep going. Yes, you can take some time off. If that is what you need. Then that's fine. And don't feel bad for having to take some time off, but you also know how much time your business allows you to take off. So before it starts to sink. So. Keep that in mind, you don't have to go full force. You can do a little bit, a little bit, a little bit here and there. It's up to you how much you want to work, but definitely, definitely protect your mental health. Protect your peace. Okay. if you found today's episode helpful, then I really do encourage you to at least join the productive entrepreneurs club. It's only$7 a month, and it is such a supportive community where like-minded entrepreneurs are. We are, are talking about these different topics. Every month. There is a new theme where I share resources and strategies and encouragement. Around this specific theme to help you stay focused and productive. So come join us. The link is in the show notes. Cheers to productivity.com/club. And remember, stay focused, stay productive, and most importantly, take care of yourself. Mentally emotionally, spiritually. And physically, all right, friend. Sending you all the best wishes. We will get through this and I will talk to you soon. Thank you so much for listening to the Cheerful Productive Chats Podcast with me, Lucy Reyes.To view the full transcript and all the links mentioned in today's episode, visit cheerstoproductivity.com/podcast. And before you go up, make sure you follow or subscribe wherever you're listening so that you know once the next productive chat is released. Talk soon and cheers to your productivity and success