When do you feel most productive?
So I will jump right in, I am a morning person so I naturally work better in the morning.
It really depends if someone is a morning or evening person.
So I use this knowledge to my advantage. Tackling challenging tasks first thing when I am at my best.
That alone of course doesn’t fuel me, I need to be hydrated to combat sluggishness.
Some days I need a very quiet environment and others I need music or a podcast.
Being in tune with where I am that particular day is key, as no two days are the same.
I’ve learnt I need a light breakfast each day any thing heavy makes me sluggish. Yogurt or pancake is enough fuel for me. It might be opposite for you maybe having larger breakfast helps you concentrate, avoiding the hunger pangs.
A weird one is since I was younger I’ve always requested a seat near the window. Even now as I work from home I still have my desk near a window. Believe, I’ve tried alternative seats and desks it really affected my mood and productivity. I really feel for people who work in dark or enclosed environments.
Equally if I worked outdoors with a desk I would find that too distracting. I like to see the outdoors through a window whilst working. I know it’s a little weird huh. As my son says ‘mum I think that’s a you problem’. Me and my strange quirks but that’s me and I’m sure we all have something that makes us different or extra cool.
Productive is unique to each individual and as a coach it’s what I do, working out what works best for each individual, I am given the opportunity to work with.
The best thing is, there is so many options out there. We can also take and adapt things others have used to assist us with our productivity.
Just as important is to eliminate what doesn’t work. For me it’s allowing enough time to meet deadlines, yes there has been time when I rushed it and scraped through. Just imagine if we didn’t rush how much better it would have been. That’s when we don’t live up to our full potential. I decide it’s not about scraping through as that’s often stressful. Taking time and at a pace that’s steady produces more peace around the things we do and enable better outcomes.
Also I realised certain foods made me sluggish so if I am needing lots of energy especially during the week I focus more on fuel food. The weekends I can have the odd snack.
As you may have noted effective productivity is intertwined with our environment, being a morning or evening person, knowing our bodies and what we put into it to fuel us, quiet or noise, what didn’t work in the past, food and hydration.
Find the productivity shoe that fit’s you.
Chanel x
Chanel McLeary (The Coaching Blogs) 