Many have mistaken productivity for diary entry. They have reduced being productive as being able to find space in their diaries to seeing to something. Not entirely true. There is getting things done, and getting things done.
You can do something and barely extract full potential of your activity. There is a way of working I’ve discovered helps me get the most of out of my activity. It is not how I carve time in my diary to get to some things. It does start there though.
I have to create a space during my day otherwise I just won’t get to many things. I generally start my week with a to-do list for the week. I then work through the list as the week goes. There are some things I block out to do on specific days and try not to compromise on.
There’s also a day in the week I have most of my meetings for the week. It draws a lot of mental energy. My mind and body feel it.
This brings me to the dynamic that transcends a diary entry: Mental Space. It is never enough to get to something on my list when I’m not in the right frame of mind for it. Different tasks require me to think a particular way.
The more strategic an issue is the clearer I need my mind to be. I’m not saying that I it is OK to work with a ‘cloudy’ mental space. The more complex something is, the more I need to be intentional to not only guard my time but my thinking.
The more complex something is, the less I need to think about other things. Not that they aren’t important; just that they aren’t important for that moment.
We all have limitations. We all have limitations when it comes to what we can focus on at any given time. The challenge is managing diary and mental space. I need to make sure I get in the right frame of mind for particular things.
As a way of resetting and refocusing as per the demands of my day and work, I take walks. I listen to music. I scream. I act silly. I go for a run. I take a scenic drive when possible…
The lesson: don’t be flippant about diary entries. Whatever you work on demands more than just time but a particular mental state and focus. You don’t have the frame of mind for every task every time.
For greater productivity don’t just schedule based on a diary entry. Remember the dynamic of your mental state and capacity. The Productivity Dynamic That Transcends A Diary Entry
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