104: Four common productivity worries (and helpful reframes)
Worries are products of a brain that's trying to protect you. The tricky thing is they can lead you to not take the actions that would help you make progress in your business.
(Note: Your brain produces these thoughts; it's not "self-sabotage")
If you have worries about productivity or taking action in your business, I hope this episode
1) gives you tools that you can use to move past those worries, or
2) helps those worries become less intense.
Episode 032: four types of pauses you can leverage as a business owner
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Four common worries and what might help as you experience them:
1. “This is how it’s always gonna be”
Our brain tends to extrapolate present circumstances into the future, causing us to believe that the current situation is permanent. While some changes may permanently change our circumstances, they are often the exception amongst fluctuating everyday things.
What can help: Reframing or regrouping.
Reflecting on past experiences where similar worries proved to be temporary glitches
Additionally, considering how to adapt to the situation can provide a sense of control and alleviate anxiety. While some changes may permanently alter our circumstances, they are often the exception rather than the norm.
This worry tends to be more prevalent the more stressed, worried, or anxious we are. When we are in a better mental and emotional state, our thinking doesn’t get as narrow as easily.
One of my clients got a puppy during our coaching period, and suddenly she had A LOT less time and capacity for her business, and worried that this is how it’s going to be now cause she’s a dog owner. Luckily I have a very active dog, too, and was able to share that while the initial period of training a working breed puppy can be quite a lot, it also won’t be forever.
2. “I don’t know if I can commit to this forever”
When debating changes or additions to our businesses, it is common to worry about making long-term commitments.
What if I don’t like it or it’s too much work? I don’t wanna be stuck with it!
Having this worry is a sign that you are a committed person, that you want to do things well – and that maybe somewhere along the way you’ve learned from someone that something isn’t worth doing unless you “follow through” aka stick with it forever.
I had a consult call with someone worried that if she created a weekly schedule for herself, she wouldn’t be able to stick to it year-round. But the seasons change and it affects us too. But if something works for 3 months, and then it needs some tweaking to work well for the next 3 months, isn’t that still quite helpful versus the alternative?
What might help: Reframing what it means to be committed and to do things well.
You don’t have to stick with anything indefinitely
You can choose to test things out; following through on a short-term experiment doesn’t take away from you being a committed, hard-working person
3. “If I don’t X now, I’ll never do it”
This line of thinking can lead to overworking and neglecting other important aspects of life, in a race against a hypothetical time in the future when you think you’ll no longer be interested in putting the work in.
What can help: Identify why you’re putting the task off, and address that issue.
Am I out of energy? Maybe you need to take a break to regroup and tackle the task or project later.
Do I have too much on my plate to feel like I can dive into this? Feeling mentally overloaded by a list of tasks affects our ability to focus on important tasks, even if the list is doable in terms of how much time it would take to finish. Audit the items on your to-do list, and potentially take some off to make space.
Am I getting distracted by other less important tasks? It can help to create some urgency and accountability for yourself, like announcing what you’re working on to your audience.
Is this task really worth doing? Will it impact my business, or is it just a “would be nice to have done” – or even a “should”? Maybe you can let it go completely, or write it down on a “potential someday” to-do list so you don’t need to look at it daily when getting things done.
4. “If I allow myself to do X, I’ll never stop”
This thought often arises when considering activities we might view as “indulgent” or “lazy”, like taking breaks.
When you feel concerned about getting trapped in unproductive habits, remember that your drive to pursue cool creative work will most likely come back.
What might speed things along: See temptations towards an indulgence as a sign that you have a need to take care of.
For example, craving snacks throughout your workday may imply that you need energy.
Or wanting to plop down on the couch to watch Netflix might signal that you need a break.
(Taking breaks from business on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis helps us get some perspective.)
The tricky part is that our bodies and brains don’t often draw us toward the activities that would be truly nourishing; they go for instant gratification. So analyze the indulgence you’re gravitating towards, and see if you could occasionally make a more nourishing decision.
Ultimately I believe, that as long as you have cool interesting things to work on in your business, you’ll gravitate back toward it when your needs have been met. Or you might have to sort out what might make your work more interesting to you 👍
If you aren’t interested in things you care about for a prolonged period of time, it might be time to speak to a doctor or psychologist.
You can learn to live with these worries
You will probably never be able to shut these worries out completely. But as long as you remember that many circumstances are temporary, that you are adaptable, that it’s ok to experiment, and that balance between work and “indulgences” is helpful, you can learn to make progress and do what’s best for you despite these worries.
And I’m happy to support you if you want help putting these things into practice in your life and business.