Episode 070: 2 Tips to be More Productive (without your Monger)
These two tips are easy ways to bypass your Monger, bring in your Biggest Fan AND get more done. Win-win!
+ Read the Transcript
Today I want to talk about two tips I have to increase productivity. One thing I've noticed with my journey is when I first started; I had all these rules for myself and my clients. Such as you need to be speaking your needs, you needed to be showing up for your life, you need to be setting boundaries. And there were all these different "lessons" quote-unquote that I would teach people and talk about in practice.
And then, over time, I realized that all those lessons are great and all that stuff is necessary. But all that stuff is completely useless if you don't accept yourself where you are, if you don't have the belief that I'm doing the best I can with what I have. And if you don't have that belief, then it doesn't matter how much you speak your needs or doesn't matter how much how many boundaries you set. And in actuality, setting those boundaries and speaking those needs is even more challenging when you don't accept yourself where you are. So I figured out for me, everything starts with accepting myself where I am. And once I started doing that, things shifted in my life, and it became less about following the rules quote unquote and more just about living my life to the best of my ability, and sometimes that means I have crappy days, and sometimes that means I have awesome days. But I'm not questing all the time. I'm just living my life.
So back to the conversation I was having with this client, and we were talking about when did I come to that realization, you know, was there a moment in time where I was like, yes, you know this is the key. And you know it never goes down like oh how I wish they would just be an inspiration that would hit us. But I did share it with the client, and I want to share it with you that in my life, I found two things that started shifting. They made a big difference in my productivity and my general, like just giving myself a break and not having my Mongar speak quite so loudly.
And the first tip on that is just to do the next thing, and that sounds simple, but it is very challenging when you have a big project. Whether it's something as simple as baking a cake or something as large as writing a book, our Monger tends to get us hopped up ten steps down the road. And so we say, oh my god, I can't do this. It's going to be too hard.
We get all hopped up and all these different steps way down the road. And my biggest fan will step in and say what's the next step. Just do the next thing, and that even if it's just put the eggs into the batter. It helps me realize OK it's just the next step that will get me to where I want to go if I just keep doing one step after the other. So it's a form of talking about the baby steps cause it's having your brain come up with what's the next best step. So it's a little bit of a different take on the baby steps thing because it's just what's the next step here. What do I do next?
You know this came up this week for me, and my husband lovingly pointed out the what's your next step mantra. I have the last round of edits on the book, and I'm getting ready to do a big marketing push, and I'm very excited about that. And nervous marketing is not my strong suit to toot my own horn is hard for me. But I'm laying out a really specific marketing plan, and my Monger is all fired up about that. And this week, I had planned to wrap up the edits, and then next week, it was going to start on this marketing plan. And so, of course, my Monger was ten steps ahead, already working on the marketing plan and beating myself up because I hadn't gotten the marketing plan that I shouldn't be wasting my time doing these edits I should be able to do both and blah blah blah.
You know how it goes. And so, finally, I was downstairs lamenting the marketing plan to my husband. And he said to me, what's your next step. I thought we were doing edits this week, and it was so like yeah, that is what I'm doing this week, I am doing edits. That's my next step. And then I can get into the marketing plan, and I could take that one step at a time rather than constantly being like, oh my God. So you need to see the big picture but then also be able to break it down into little baby steps. So that's my tip one, just to ask yourself what's the next step here. And then tip two is one that was hard for me to implement and that is celebrate the wins, and you know for those of us who are perfectionists and control freaks and all that stuff which I'm one of them it's really hard to celebrate. Celebrate the wins, and I'm talking the little wins like I'm talking you put the cake in the oven when. Baby wins, and the more you can celebrate those wins. I think the more the biggest fan comes into your life. Because the biggest fan is all about celebrating those wins and all about you owning the victories, and so the more we can celebrate and own I did something cool today and the happier we're going to be, and the more productive are going to be because the more likely we're going to want to keep doing it.
So every day, at the end of the day, I try to celebrate the win. So literally, I will say, ok, what went well today. And not just in a grateful way but in a what did I do today that was challenging for me. Did I make a phone call that was hard?. Did I send an e-mail that felt uncomfortable? It doesn't have to be a huge victory. And that's where our Monger steps in to say, oh, we have to be worthy of celebrating.
Well, getting out of bed every day making coffee can be worthy of celebrating if you're having a really bad day. So to be honest with yourself, to be like I am up and moving, and I have my coffee, and the kids are out the door. And you know the days starting I want to celebrate and by celebrate I mean to do a little dance or wiggle. Do something physical in your body that that's acknowledging the celebration. Not just write it down, check it off the list but celebrate it a full-body celebration. That's why I like the weekly ritual challenges because they give us a way to celebrate that. Some of them with the wiggling and the dancing, and you know this week's ritual, it's going to be some jazz hands. I'll talk about that in a little bit.
You know, a fun way of getting in your body and celebrating. So not just a mental celebration but a full-on physical celebration of the little things, the little victories in your life. Those two things have greatly increased my productivity. One is just asking myself What's the next logical step and just doing that. And two is celebrating every little tiny thing even when I go to the grocery store, which we all know I hate doing when I'm done a do a little celebration because that was something I didn't want to do and did it. And that is I need to honor the celebration of that. OK, now it's time for the favorite part of the show, the weekly ritual challenge. And I have found that getting in your body and this will be helpful with the celebration piece is very important to living happier and bringing in that biggest fan.
+ Weekly Ritual Challenge
One thing that has really helped me reduce anxiety is adding regular ritual practices to my daily life, so each week, I am going to be sharing a ritual with you and challenge you to complete it.
This week's ritual: Jazz Hands
I love the rituals that are a little silly because they help me not only get in my body but to laugh while doing it. You can do your Jazz hands up high near your face, or you can do them down low by your legs if you don't want to draw attention to yourself.
The point of these challenges is to get you out of your everyday thoughts (the thoughts of your Monger) and into your body so you can more easily tune into yourself. (the wisdom of your Biggest Fan.)