How to Be Productive
How To Be Productive #
Excerpt #
A commitment to continuous improvement, not perfection, is the enabler of action.
Productivity
Photo by Andreas Klassen on Unsplash
No matter where you are on your purpose journey, you can be sure that you’ll be confronted with inaction at some point. I want to highlight four approaches to overcome it: start somewhere, start with why, find opportunity in crisis, and reward yourself.
Start Somewhere #
We blamed inaction on Newton’s First Law of Motion, but it also states that “an object in motion stays in motion.” So the first critical antidote to inaction is to start some- where and make that law work for you by staying in motion once you begin.
Okay, but where to start? How do I know if I’m starting in the right place? I’m so glad you asked, because it brings us to my corollary to Newton’s law: perfect is the enemy of good.
A commitment to continuous improvement, not perfection, is the enabler of action. Pick an area you want to focus on and start there with one small but tangible action. It could be learning, interacting, doing, or changing something that will better align your impact with your desired outcomes. And if you haven’t totally wrapped your head around the spheres yet (don’t worry, we’ll get there), I’m sure there’s some action or habit you’ve been wanting to start. Pick that!
Your one action doesn’t have to be brilliant, huge, or the thing you’re now going to do daily for the next decade. Just try doing something and then see how it feels. Modern Western culture has devalued emotion and intuition as soft or touchy-feely, but ultimately our feelings are data. How ironic that in today’s data-worshipping culture we’re choosing to throw out these freely available forms of data! Give yourself the advantage of having access to a richer data set: pay attention to your gut reaction when you try a new workout, a new meeting format designed to build more trust with your team, or any action you choose.
Start with Your Why #
Still stymied as you try to gain traction on inaction? In the bestselling words of author and speaker on pur- pose Simon Sinek, “Start with why.” Connect to what you care about. Remember Jeff and how his new granddaughter got him to the gym after 60 years? Or Lisa’s commitment to providing cli- ents with solutions that are both good for them and their employees, suppliers, and communities? They were motivated to act by staying in touch with their values.
Raj Thakkar, CEO of social ventures Charter School Business Management and Foresight, connects to his values to overcome apathy and loss aversion. He explains the tactic that helps him step out of his comfort zone across all the spheres: “Curiosity is a core value for me! I’ve always enjoyed exploring new ideas and experiences. Part of that exploration is reading. I borrow library books not only to minimize my purchases, but also so I have a deadline to read them by. Reflection is important to me, which I get at by meditating regularly and peer learning through groups like Entrepreneurs’ Organization and Young Presidents’ Organization.”
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What value or purpose is driving you now? Maybe you’re motivated by growth, equity, joy, watching your granddaughter thrive, or creating win-win-wins for your team, your clients, and the environment.
Find Opportunity in Crisis #
Another approach is offered by Purpose cofounder and CEO Jeremy Heimans: “How to overcome inertia? Take advantage of crisis! In the multiple crises of the 2020s, we’re seeing a mix of old-power and new-power surges. Turn those surges into new-power structures, which are open, participatory, and peer driven.”
Indeed, COVID-19 and simultaneous human and environmental crises drove many leaders to embrace purpose more publicly and/or translate it into action more boldly than they had before. Activist and public policy expert Dia Bryant agrees that we have a great opportunity to transmute these crises “from a moment into a movement, with sustainable changes in why, when, and how we take action.”
What crises are you facing in your life, whether personal, in your team, or more macro situations that weigh on your reality? They need not be catastrophic to provide the opportunity to change; sometimes they’re simply big transitions, such as being pro- moted, having a grandchild, or being ill. They’re often catalyzing because they provide a higher-level reason for change. Gayle Jennings-O’Byrne described these opportunities as a “moment where we stop being afraid.”
Reward Yourself #
There’s one more way to make science work for us in overcoming inaction: operant conditioning. Just like Skinner’s rats in the lab, we respond to rewards. And we respond best to rewards that are internal (feeling good about ourselves) rather than external (a gold star, extra dessert, or praise). The outcomes of purpose are exactly the internal drivers that motiv- ate us in a sustainable way.
So as you try these new, small, imperfect actions to live and lead more purposefully, make sure you observe the upsides, whether it’s a simple warm fuzzy feeling, longer periods of concentration, or smoother collaboration with a colleague. Then tie that out- come to what you did and write it down in a simple affirmation or quick journal entry like this one: “When I open the team meeting with a quick personal check-in, I feel more connected to the team, and we have more productive problem-solving conversations.”
If you value these insights, stories, and tools about activating purpose to avoid burning out, stagnating, and missing the opportunities that matter to you, follow me on Forbes. (It’s free! Just click the blue button to the right of my name!)
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