Productivity Isn’t About Doing More: Do This Instead | 95

Being busy doesn’t always mean you’re productive. In this episode, I’m sharing the difference between being busy and being productive and how you can break free from the cycle of constant activity. 

You’ll learn practical productivity tips for online entrepreneurs that will help you prioritize tasks for business growth and focus on what truly moves the needle. Tune in to stop feeling stuck and start achieving more with less hustle. 

Connect with Lucy:

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

✨ Free Workshop: https://cheerstoproductivity.com/steps

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, welcome back to the cheerful. Predict the chance podcast. Are you always busy, but you feel like you're never actually making any progress. You might actually be checking things off the list, but then you're not. Getting ahead. You're not getting anywhere. So this episode, I really want to talk about why productivity isn't about doing more. It's about doing the things that matter. And let me just say that this episode is probably going to be a hot take on. The idea of what it means to be productive, because let's be honest, a lot of us, especially if you're in my world, especially if you're listening to my podcast. You are not part of this hustle culture. So you already know that it's not about doing more. It's not about working more. You kind of already know this. But do you know what comes after that? Do you know if it's not this then what is it, what do you actually have to do? What does it actually mean to be productive? So we're actually going to dive deeper into why doing less can help you achieve more and break down. Why. And how you can make that possible for you. So there's this hustle myth, right? So like I mentioned, you have likely ditch this hustle culture. You are not stuck in this cycle of trying to do, or you're at least. Let me reframe that. You know that you shouldn't be doing everything. However, a lot of us are still caught in this cycle of doing something all of the time in this cycle of constant activity. Because now, you know, you know, you're not supposed to be doing it. But you feel like time just gets in the way you feel like there's too much on your plate. You feel like there's no other choice and in order for it to get done. You have to do it. And so even though you know, that you shouldn't be hustling harder and working more and doing more, you're still doing it. And you might not realize that that's what you're doing, which means your productivity is definitely being affected. So you do have to take a close look at what it is that you're doing in your day to day and see what is just stuff. What are our activities? What are tasks versus what are the things that are actually productive? Okay. So being busy doesn't mean. That you're being productive. I have a whole episode. It was one of the very first episodes I started this podcast with where I'm talking about busy is not the same thing as being productive. Because just like, just because you're busy and just because you feel like you're doing a lot, it doesn't mean that you're achieving anything that actually contributes to the longterm growth of your business and your personal life. And if you're constantly throwing. Reasons or excuses as to why certain things are not being done. It might be time to think about, okay, is this true? Is there a solution to whatever problem I'm having? Is there a solution to the thing that I am not doing, or the thing that I want to do more of? Is there a solution that you have not tried yet? And if so, Then we got to talk. Then we got to talk because there is something that is not adding up. There is something that you can do to be more productive and either you haven't identified what that is yet. Or you just haven't done it yet for whatever reason. There's so many reasons. Right, right. But the whole point of this part is, you know, that you shouldn't be doing more, you know, that you shouldn't be working more, you know, that you shouldn't be hustling harder. But you might be doing it anyways. And we have to talk about that. We have to look at herself and see if that's what we're doing, because if it is. You're not going to be productive, even though you really, really want to be in, even though. Productivity is actually, what's going to help you. Keep your business growing without you burning out. So let's talk about being intentional with your productivity and why this is crucial. Okay. Because listen. I know you have a lot going on. I know that you have so much on your plate, and I know that there. Seems like there's no other way. If feels like time just keeps us escaping from you and you cannot possibly get it all done. And it's true. It's true. You do have a lot on your plate. You, your time does escape from you. It's true that you cannot do it all, but it doesn't mean that there aren't other solutions. So you really want to be very intentional with your tasks to ensure that you're not wasting your time. Everything on your plate might not need to be done by you. It might not need to be. Depending on what it is depending on whether this episode is triggering. life memories or business memories for you, there's going to be different solutions, right? So having a lot on your plate could mean you. You have a lot of house duties, maybe you're a parent. Maybe you struggle with some health issues. Maybe you have a day job. Maybe you have all of these challenges. And if you're listening to this podcast and that means you're also a business owner. So on top of everything in your personal life, you have the K haunts that happened. In your business, trying to keep up with the content, creating new digital products, promoting the content, creating those sales pages, and then tech glitches happening. Like all of these things. And if you let yourself get caught up with everything that is on your plate. You will get nowhere. You will burn yourself out, trying. To get all of those things done. So what I really want you to do instead is to identify those key tasks, and we're going to switch gears to focusing on business here. I want you to identify those key tasks that are directly going to impact your business growth, because those are the ones that should be a priority. This isn't about being perfect. Okay. Whatever the task is, don't worry about making a perfect. But you do want to stay focused. So in episode 91, I'm talking about how to stay focused. So definitely go listen to that one, but. Identify which task those are even in your personal life, what can slip through the cracks? I'm going to be real with you. My house is not the Mary condo house. Like yes, I am a very organized person with my business. Extremely organized. Actually, I'm going to take that back because I also don't believe. Now you have to have everything completely decluttered or organize in order to be productive. You need systems, but that's not what this episode is about. But I am still pretty organized and pretty productive with my business. And what I have had to give up. To be able to achieve. that level of productivity and focus is. My house can be a mess. I have. I have an 11 year old and a three-year-old and my living room has became, my daughter is a game room. At the time of recording this, we also have my sister, her partner, and my four month old niece living with us. So add that clutter to the chaos and. I have had two. Be okay with not having a house has completely clean. Because otherwise, you know what? I would probably go crazy. Like I would. Not have time to myself. I would stress myself out because I'm trained to do everything. So. Yes. Some things are going to have to give, and that's going to be different for you and not, I'm not saying that my house is dirty. Okay. But it is very cluttery in certain spots. Okay. And that's just how it is right now, because I choose not to pick up or have my daughter pick up her toys. Every single time should leave a mess in the living room. It's like, Nope, she's going to come back and play with it in an hour. Okay. Fine. Like it's fine. You'll pick it up at the end of the day, at the end of the night, you're going to pick it up. And even that is not like perfect. Everything is not perfect. We still have stuff and all of these. Random places. We find toys under the couches and we find toys under the coffee tables. You get the picture, right? But that's just an example. That is an example of things that have had to balance out. And then with my business. Yeah. There's. Oh, a lot of things that I want to do. Oh a lot. I have, you can ask my business coach. I have a 10 page document of ideas that I really wish I could do. I wish I could clone myself. I wish that. I could do all of this, but I can't. I have to pick and choose and prioritize it. Which tasks I want to focus on, which tasks are the one that are going to actually move the needle in my business and which ones I have to say no to, which leads me to this next point, which is the power of saying no, you have to set boundaries within yourself and with others. Okay. So productivity is as much as what you say no to as what you say yes to. Let me say that again. Your productivity depends on how much you say no. And how much you say yes. And by saying no to those nonessential tasks, you create an open up the space for the right opportunities to come your way. Now, inside of the productive entrepreneurs club, if you're not familiar with it, it is currently a$7 a month membership. And this is where I'm helping you figure out these different strategies that you can. Build into your day-to-day to help you get more productive. And, uh, one of these past months, the theme of the month was a boundary. So there is a setting boundaries of workbook available inside of the productive entrepreneurs club. And you can get it for just$7 along with. Everything else inside. So if you haven't checked that out, then definitely go check out the link in the show notes. Say no. That's the moral of this say no more often. Okay. I know that it can be hard. A lot of us are people pleasers. And it's hard. I know it's hard to say no. But it's, it's truly like a skill. I would say it just truly as Gil. To be able to say, no, you might get burned so much to where you start saying, you know, naturally, like I have. But. It is a skill for you to say no, it takes practice. So don't be afraid to say no to. Things to collaborations to, like I said, pinging of the toys or decluttering my bedroom, which I actually have started doing, which is another thing. Um, that I want to mention saying no right now doesn't mean no forever. It's no right now it's no, until I have a little bit of space. No, until I want to make it a priority. It's no right now, not no forever. So. Using my own example. My room has also been very cluttery for probably a few months, probably for a while. And it's not like in the way we know our clutter. We know where our clutter is and we chose to not deal with it up until recently. Now, Mike, I feel like I had more space. I feel like I wanted to be up. I wanted it to be a priority. And now I have been in this decluttering sprint for the past, like month where I've been buying organizers and donating and doing all of these things. So just because I said no, Before. More. Doesn't mean it was no. Forever. I Eventually got back to it and you can. Too. So you can say no. It doesn't mean no forever, but pick and choose what you actually want to say yes. To and say no to those other things. For business personally, I have had to turn down so many collaborations that I wish I could have done. I want to collaborate with these people, but right now, in this moment in time with all of the things that I. I have on my plate and all the things that I want to do, I cannot for my own mental wellbeing. I can not collaborate with these other people. They would not get the best of me. And that's another thing. They wouldn't get the best of me and I can not let my reputation be because of that. Right. Because I chose to try to push myself. When I know I'm not actually capable of, so yeah, I've had to turn down so many were only in the first a month. Of the year and I have had to turn down so many collaborations because in this moment in time, I just cannot add something else to my plate. I'm still trying to figure out my stuff. There's been too much going on. Then I'm still trying to figure out my business. Okay. I cannot add someone else's business to the mix. So say no for right now it's a certain things. To give you the opportunity to say yes to the things that are going to move the needle in your life and your business. And the final thing that I want to cover here is. You got to have a good mindset around being productive. A lot of the things that we cover, a lot of the things that I talk about. Revolves and starts with you having the right mindset. So if you already are thinking I'm just not a productive person. Then you will not be a productive person. You need to shift to having a productive mindset in order for. For you to start being productive. So what I want you to do, if this is you, or have you been feeling like you're just not as productive as you can and should be. Then I want you to start visualizing yourself as being this productive person. Yes. It might be a little bit of woo. And that's fine. That's my thing. I like incorporating those whenever possible, because I do believe in it. So, yeah. I want you to start visualizing yourself as being this productive person and inside of the club, I even have a productivity visualization worksheet that will help you with some prompts as to how you can do this. So you're kind of like, Uh, I don't know how to do this. How the heck do I even visualize myself being productive? That seems too far off. Then joined the club. Come join the clubs. You can get access to those at worksheets. So that way. I can walk you through the exact prompts to help you start imagining yourself as being this super productive person that gets so much done and little time. And you're so as stress free, you're not overwhelmed and you're not burned out. Like I can help you with that. So, Come join us inside of the club to grab that worksheet. Listen. Making this mindset shift. From just doing more. What doing what actually matters is going to be a huge, huge benefits to your productivity. Okay. So start each week. With a clear idea of some of the tasks that you want to prioritize. So first you need a visualize yourself. First. You need to believe that you can and are a productive person. And once you started doing that, once you believe that, okay, now let's start to prioritize on tasks. So start each week with knowing what are the must do's what are the absolutely things that I have to get done? And no, it is not everything. It is not everything on your list. It is not okay. There's an ABC worksheet available inside of the club as well. But let me walk you through what this ABC method is. A is a year. Must do. These are the ones that you have no choice, something. Something bad might happen. You forgot a doctor's appointment or like some thing there might be a bad consequence from that's pretty much be is your should do's. I should do these. I don't have to do these, but I. I should. And then C is where the majority of your tasks should fall under, which is nice to do's. So the ABC method for prioritization, a must do B should do C nice to do. And the majority of these should fall under. I see. Okay. Now the last thing that I want you to do. Is to do a weekly reflection, deep brief. So, especially in the beginning, when you're trying to figure out your new flow and trying to figure out. How to be more productive, then you're gonna want to reflect on the previous week, because that is how you get better. You don't get better by just thinking of. I think I did this. I think I did that. I think this work, I think that didn't work. No, actually take just a few minutes. Five to 10 minutes, tops to reflect on the week before what worked, what didn't, what can I do better? What can I do differently? Take a few minutes to reflect on the previous week. This is a temporary productivity strategy that you're not going to have to do forever, but it's super helpful when you're starting to build the habit of trying to. Do more productive things and not doing more and not trying to tackle everything on your plate again. Yes, of course. We have a worksheet inside of the product, the entrepreneurs club for this as well. There's a journal, a weekly reflection, debrief journal to help you. No exactly what questions to ask yourself about the previous week. So that way you can make changes and adjustments and the following week, again, all of this is available inside of the club for just$7 a month. So. No risk to you. Come join us, come grab all of these worksheets and I will love to help you with all of this. Okay. Productivity is not about doing more. It's not about being a busy. It's about being intentional and doing, what's going to move your business forward. Well helping you. Keep your mental sanity intact. Not leading you to burnout. Is, especially with everything that is going on. In your personal life in the world, all of this can be heavy and you really. I really, really want to make sure that you're being intentional. About what you're actually doing and how you're spending your time. Embracing this productive mindset shift is really. Truly going to lead you to better efficiency and real. Actual results. Okay. And no productivity. There's no. Singular productivity strategy that works for everybody. And that's why he in the club, I gave you a vibe parity of ways to work through different challenges that you might be facing. So that way you can stop doing the busy work and start doing what matters. So if this sounds like something that. Then the product, the entrepreneurs club is literally waiting for you to join us. So check out the link in the show notes is also cheers to predictivity.com/club. And you can get started with us today for just$7 a month. I would absolutely love to see you inside. And I'll talk to you again 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