(English) Finding the Link Between Peace and Productivity

Disculpa, pero esta entrada está disponible sólo en Inglés Estadounidense. For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language.

Can you remember the day your mind was clogged with worry, anxiety, self-doubt, regret, mixed emotions and a hive of thoughts? If you can be honest, you hardly accomplished anything, right? I will tell you why. When your mind is cluttered with negative emotions, it can be very hard to get any constructive thing done. You will be picking a task only to abandon it before it is complete. Surprisingly, even top performers have these kinds of days. The difference between you and them is that they have mastered the art of maintaining inner peace and portraying it outwardly. They will have the most chaotic day but still remain productive amidst the chaos. So, how do you achieve inner peace to drive productivity regardless of the stress surrounding you? Here are a few tips.

1. Focus on the right things

It is typical for most people to measure productivity with how much work they are getting done. You could be ticking numerous things out of your to-do list every day, but still feel unaccomplished at the end of the day. Why? Well, because you focused on tackling too many tasks simultaneously rather than on doing a few right things in the right way.

You need to prioritize your tasks. Know the ones that add value to your day and work on them first. Rather than jumbling between tasks, ensure that you plan your day well. This means having clarity on how tasks should follow in the line. When you have tackled the right tasks, you will feel accomplished at the end of the day even if you still have a lot of stuff not yet done. 

2. Slow down

In this era that lives are always busy, it is easy to be impatient with what you haven’t accomplished. You want a project done so you can hop into another one, especially where compensation is based on projects completed. Instead of focusing on what you are doing, you are busy analyzing what you haven’t done. What you achieve is wasting time that you could have used to get ahead with the project.

You need to realize that you can’t do everything in a flash. Take time to take note of what you have achieved and be proud of yourself. However, you need to be honest with yourself. If you are focusing on other things apart from work, do whatever it takes to stay focused. If you have to change the scenery, so be it. A good bet would be a co-working space. Find joy in the process rather than being anxious to get to the end. 

3. Don’t compare yourself to others

We are living in the era of social media, where the lives of most people are in the open for all of us to see. That is why it is so easy for you to compare yourself with your peers and colleagues. You eventually find yourself doing some things just because everybody else is doing them. The end result is frustration because you chose to chase things that don’t have a meaning to you as an individual. The same happens in the workplace; comparing yourself with others can have you copying what they are doing, rather than following your strategies and inspirations.

You need to let go of the idea of how life should be or how it should turn out. Just because everyone is doing it, it doesn’t mean that that is how it should be. For all you know, you might follow that route only to get different results that might frustrate you more. Go back to the basics and define the things that matter to you. Find what inspires you and let it lead the way. 

4. Believe in yourself

Again, this comes with comparing yourself to others. Just because they are accomplishing more than you are, you start doubting your capabilities. You think of yourself as not smart enough, not competent or intellectually fit, even when you have been a performer in the past. The feelings rob you the day’s joy and replace it with stress and frustrations.

For all you know, you are probably doing better than most people. Quit being hard on yourself and believe in your capabilities. Instead of doubting your knowledge, have a positive mindset that it can be improved to achieve even more.

Conclusion

In life, you will always be in a war with internal and external forces. The secret is to accept where you are, stop trying to be in control of everything and be a lot kinder to yourself. Regardless of the chaos within or without, you can remain productive if you find your peace.