Small Steps Don’t Always Lead to Big Results #ProductiveAF

I know I am about to ruffle a few feathers right now with this post, but it has been on my mind for quite some time and I felt like it was necessary to share this information.

Disclaimer: I know full well that what I am about to say goes against things I have said or supported in the past, but that was then and this is now, and today as I’m writing this, I have a much better perspective and history of my own trial and error to support my change in opinion. 

If you want to be a productive and successful person, small steps don’t always lead to big results

I know we hear it a lot, that if you aren’t making progress, just choose a smaller step that’s easier to take and over time it will build up to bigger and bigger results. We hear this especially in the context of setting goals, planning our objectives and managing our habits, but in reality this strategy isn’t effective most of the time.

There are three reasons why I see the idea of taking small steps fail:

#1: It is possible to take a step that is so small that there are no viable results, no matter how many times you repeat the step.

Imagine watching a person walk up a staircase. If that person can’t lift their leg to make it the full height of the step in front of them, unfortunately, their foot will not complete the step and will end up right back where it started. No matter how many times they repeat their effort, if they can’t make the connection between their foot and the next step, they are putting a lot of effort into standing still.

So, some effort doesn’t lead to results. 

I see this metaphor play out a lot with people who have set self-care related goals. If you are trying to loose 30lbs but you set the objective to drink more water or take a 30 minute walk once a week, I’m very sorry to say this but you are never going to see a result from either of those actions or even the combination of both. Even if completing each of those tasks helps build your mindset, you will still need to put in more effort to see the needle move on the scale. 

This is an error I see a lot of people make, they want change but are only willing to put in so much effort and it gets them nowhere so fast that eventually they give up on the goal entirely.

#2: Breaking a step down into tinier and tinier pieces just increases the opportunity to waste more time, get distracted and loose momentum.

I think of this issue as the checklist addiction, when we have a task to accomplish but we create a long checklist of tasks that come before taking action that actually leads to the result of your work.

A good example of this is when I sit down to film a YouTube video. If I wanted to, I could make a checklist of all the little things I need to do before I can start filming. Clean my office, paint my nails, do my hair and makeup, have an outline written, storyboard the video, etc. 

But, if I list out all these tasks, it will give me more work and opportunities to get distracted or drain my energy.

Now, it’s not that I don’t do these items before I start working on a video, but if I were to list them out, it gives them a sense of gravity as they they were the important things to do. They aren’t the important thing to do, but writing out those smaller steps could make me feel like I’ve done enough before I even get to the important work because I am getting that sense of satisfaction from a checkmark. 

This is the danger of task lists in general actually. It’s a well documented phenomenon that simply writing out a to do list gives you the feeling of accomplishment even if you don’t take any action on the items. You still feel a mental relief from having the list that tricks your brain into thinking you have been productive when you really haven’t done anything.

Once you actually start checking things off the list, you get even more of a hit of dopamine even from the little insignificant tasks. After a few hits, you will start to feel like you accomplished something big, even if you didn’t, and this can trick your brain into feeling like you’ve done so much, when really, you accomplished little.

#3: No matter how small of steps you break your work into, if fear or another limiting belief is the obstacle holding you back from taking action, your momentum will eventually hit a wall no matter what you do.

Here is the hard truth, if you are breaking your goals into very small steps, it is likely a strategy you have learned in order to procrastinate on your work, support your sense of perfectionism or help alleviate your anxiety around doing the work. All of those situations indicate you have significant fear or limiting beliefs around achieving your goal. As long as you have those fears and limiting beliefs, you will never actually achieve your goal no matter how many steps you take towards it. So, any productivity tip or strategy to help you get more done or manage your list of tiny bite size tasks is useless to you.

The only way to remedy situations like these is to tackle the fear and limiting beliefs head on. This means getting crystal clear on your goal, identifying the fear and limiting beliefs holding you back, figuring out the story that you are telling yourself that is allowing that fear to take up space in your mind, and then overcoming that limiting belief by rewriting the story and affirming it repeatedly until the new belief is programmed into your mind.

You Still Need Steps to Achieve a Goal

Now, I want to be clear here, I am not suggesting that you shouldn’t break your goals down into steps. Obviously, you can’t achieve a goal in one go so steps are necessary. But these steps must be reasonable in size that they provide some form of visible advancement. 

Think about the Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule. It states that 20% of our actions lead to 80% of our results. In the example of me filming a video, I could list out a bunch of tasks to get ready before filming, but it’s the filming/editing that is the 20% of the work that leads to the major result of having a video to post. All the prep work is just there to make us feel ready to do the thing. But if I wanted to, I could skip all those actions and just hit record on the camera and wing the video. Now, the video might not be as good, but the majority of the end result is there. So, I don’t want you to let the 80% of low impact tasks waste your time, cause you to procrastinate, or loose momentum due to the decision fatigue that happens each time you look at an item on your task list. 

Living your dreams and achieving your goals isn’t easy

It’s not easy being an ambitious woman in today’s society. Women have more responsibilities on their shoulders now then they ever have, which is why goal getters like you and I need to stick together!

This is what I created the Productivity + Planning Mastermind for.

To be a safe space for women like you and I who see beyond the surface of our societal expectations, challenge the accepted norms, and know there is a better way to live.

It’s a place for support, encouragement, accountability and ongoing personal development for us to continue challenging accepted norms and choosing our own unique path to success.

→ The Mastermind includes so many resources to help you on your journey, from multiple live calls each month, to on-demand strategies, tools, and even a complete course on productivity!

→ We have our own private chat forum where we connect and discuss topics ranging from planning, metaphysics, mindset, and wellness.

→ We have a monthly book club to help nurture a growth mindset and continue to learn.

→ We even have a dedicated group for small business CEOs to learn and connect as well!

→ The best part is, when you join the Mastermind, you get immediate access to the entire library of resources, masterclasses and bonus materials that I have been creating since it’s launch.

→ There is no waiting, content isn’t dripped to you, it’s all there for you to explore and access on-demand as you please.

→ And of course I am there as well for guidance and to answer your questions along the way.

When you know better, you do better.

Are you ready to do better for yourself, your family and your future by committing to your personal development to become the best woman, mother, spouse, sister, daughter, aunt and friend that you can be?

Click here to learn more about the Productivity + Planning Mastermind and enroll now for just $22/month and a valuable bonus when you choose the annual payment option.

This could be the best investment you make in yourself in 2021!

Hope to see you inside!

xoxo,

I know what you’ve been thinking…

You have a planner, you write things down and check things off, but you’re not seeing much of an improvement on your productivity.

You aren’t getting more done as far as you can tell.

You aren’t achieving more goals.

You still have the same struggles, distractions and obstacles.

Because as hundreds of planner babes in my community learned on Saturday in my Free Productivity Assessment Workshop, GOOD PLANNING DOES NOT EQUAL GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT!

There is more to productivity than having and using a planner.

In fact, there are 7 Core Productivity Competencies that actually affect various areas that we commonly measure our productivity by and skills to develop that will help you improve your planning, time management, boundaries, confidence and energy.

If you think you know what productivity issues you struggle with, or think you have good time management skills, prepare yourself for an eye opening experience.

Over a thousand women in my community have already taken the assessment and many of them reported their surprise at the results.

→ If you haven’t checked out the replay of the Productivity Assessment Workshop, you can register for the Free Productivity Assessment by clicking here!

→ And DON’T FORGET, if you want to get in my inner circle via the Productivity + Planning Mastermind, the Annual Membership Price is Discounted through the end of May!

→ The Mastermind Membership is where you can work with me to get ongoing support, resources and tools to overcome your productivity obstacles and live your most successful life!

I’m excited for you to take the Productivity Assessment, learn what’s really holding you back from getting things done, and can’t wait to see you inside the Mastermind!!

Feel free to leave me a comment or shoot me an email if you have any questions!

xoxo,

STOP REACTING TO INTERRUPTIONS IF YOU WANT TO BE #PRODUCTIVEAF

If you struggle to remain focused on your work and have a hard time completing tasks because you are constantly inundated with interruptions, I have a mindfulness practice to use to keep interruptions at bay.

First, you need to understand that like most things in life, interruptions only have the power to disrupt our flow if we react to them.

You hear some alert, you stop what you are doing to check it, then you end up responding and sidetracked from your important task. But it wasn’t the interruption itself that sidetracked you, it was that you reacted to it.

Of course, some interruptions do warrant our attention, but I never want you to take action from a reactive place, you will always have far better results if you take action from a responsive place.

Reactive means you jump in to take action. Responsive means you pause, observe the situation and choose a measured action in proportion to the situation.

But, with a mindfulness practice, you can shift from Reactive to Responsive.

Try this:

Pause + Observe the stimulus: Is the phone ringing? Is someone knocking on your office door? Is that an email that just came through? Let it happen without reacting.

I want you to get comfortable not reacting.

It’s okay for an email to sit for 30 mins, for a call to go to voicemail, or for someone looking for your help to come back later.

And this works outside the office as well.

Your partner or kid needs something. Don’t just stop your important work to react to them. Tell them you will be glad to help in 30 minutes.

Start putting those boundaries and expectations up all over your life where interruptions really throw you off.

And use that mindfulness practice to start getting comfortable being uncomfortable because you aren’t reacting anymore!

If you’d like some help, I’m here for you too!

If this message today resonated with you and you want to start taking actions to shift into a reality of alignment with your goals, I would love to invite you to join me inside the Productivity and Planning Mastermind Membership.

This is what I created the Mastermind for.

To be a safe space for women like you and I who see beyond the surface of our societal expectations and know there is a better way to live.

It’s a place for support, encouragement, accountability and ongoing personal development for us to continue challenging accepted norms and choosing our own unique path to success.

→ The Mastermind includes so many resources to help you on your journey, from multiple live calls each month, to on-demand strategies, tools, and even a complete course on productivity!

→ We have our own private chat forum where we connect and discuss topics ranging from planning, metaphysics, mindset, and wellness.

→ We even have a monthly book club!

→ And the best part is, when you join the Mastermind, you get immediate access to the entire library of resources, masterclasses and bonus materials that I have been creating since it’s launch.

→ There is no waiting, content isn’t dripped to you, it’s all there for you to explore and access on-demand as you please.

→ And of course I am there as well for guidance and to answer your questions along the way.

When you know better, you do better.

Are you ready to do better for yourself, your family and your future by committing to your personal development to become the best woman, mother, spouse, sister, daughter, aunt and friend that you can be?

Click here to learn more about the Productivity + Planning Mastermind and enroll now for just $22/month and a valuable bonus when you choose the annual payment option.

This could be the best investment you make in yourself in 2021!

Hope to see you inside!

xoxo,

Today I want to set the record straight on an often controversial and misunderstood aspect of productivity; multi-tasking!

As a society, we get a lot of mixed messages on multi-tasking. The American #hustle culture projects a narrative that your productivity is measured by the number of tasks you can check off your to do list in a day, and that busy is the ultimate sign of success. 

Everyday I see images on television and social media that glorify doing multiple tasks at one time, apparently a sign that you are using your time efficiently? 

I see posts on Instagram about how you can sleep when you’re dead and how humorous it is that career professionals in their 20s and 30s have no time for their social lives.

Blowing off your friends and family to sleep because you’re burnt out from work is a right of passage.

Having to drink a bottle of wine or take prescription sleep aids in order to get rest at night is the accepted norm.

But despite all the social signals that working non stop and doubling or tripling up on tasks is the way to go if you want to look like a successful human, productivity research is very clear that when you try to do more than one thing at a time, you are going to do both of those things poorly. In fact, studies show multi-tasking decreases productivity up to 40%. 

Now, if the tasks you are working on are not very important and don’t require any skill or level of precision, then by all means, multi-task away.

I’m all for listening to your favorite podcast episodes while you fold the laundry or do the dishes. 

I very often listen to a book on tape or catch up on YouTube videos when I’m in the bath.

There are some things you can do adequately at the same time.

For instance, I use essential oils and listen to a guided meditation when I’m trying to fall asleep at night. It’s a wonderful way to stack healthy sleep habits to ensure a restful night’s slumber.

But when it comes to tasks that do matter. Tasks for work or business, attending meetings or calls, and even relaxing or spending time with loved ones, you really should focus on the task at hand if you want to see and feel results.

I’ve learned from much trial and error that I can’t listen to a non-fiction book while I’m working or else I won’t do much work or I won’t remember what I’ve learned from the book. I can’t have it both ways, I can only focus on one important thing at a time if I want to do it right.

I can’t attend a Zoom meeting and try to do anything more than take notes if I actually want to absorb the information from the call. And even in this case, while I’m taking notes I often miss new information that is being mentioned.

Multi-tasking just doesn’t work on the important things because humans need to focus in order to learn or create. 

Sure, you can work on multiple tasks a day, but you can’t work on multiple tasks at one time.

So, I advocate for focus. For doing one thing at a time, giving it your full attention, and doing the thing very well.

When you do this, focus on one thing at a time, at first you might experience a bit of fear because all your attention and pressure are on one task. 

Some of you I’d bet have been multi-tasking not simply to get more done in a day, but to actually keep you from going all in on certain work. 

Multi-tasking relieves the pressure of perfectionism for some people because you know deep down inside that you just want to rush through certain tasks and get them over with. Multi-tasking can be a type of distraction for us, and a boundary that keeps us from doing our best work at the same time.

Done is better than perfect, right?

Well, it depends on the context.

You can do two things at once, check the box on them and move on to the next thing without even stopping to evaluate if the work was necessary or impactful.

So many of us check the box on tasks with the expectation that it is going to move the needle on an objective or goal, but we give up because we don’t see the fruits of our labor. Perhaps, if we had focused on one thing at a time and did our best with each, we would have seen the impact we were expecting.

This brings to mind the example of working out alone versus working out with a trainer. Working out alone of course benefits our health, but it’s been shown that working out with a trainer gives greater results because the trainer is there to ensure you are holding proper form and putting in a full effort for your time. When we work out alone, sure, some of us may be disciplined enough to remain in proper form or push ourselves to the limit each workout, but truthfully, most of us are just trying to get thru the experience rather than doing it right. We have a belief that just finishing is enough, and when we don’t see the results we expected after weeks of effort, we give up. 

What if we just put in the full effort and gave the task our full focus to begin with? 

Well, then we would start seeing results that would likely blow us away.

Wouldn’t that be a nice feeling for once?

So, from now on, let’s hold ourselves accountable for doing one thing at a time when it comes to tasks that are important or are tied to our goals and objectives. 

It’s fine to multi-task in small ways on mindless tasks that don’t have a significant effect on our lives, but when you do, take note of whether you got all you expected from your experience, and if you feel unfulfilled you know not to multi-task on that item again in the future. 

If you enjoyed this post and are looking for your own productivity personal trainer of sorts to ensure you are remaining accountable to your tasks and goals, I invite you to join me in the Productivity and Planning Mastermind Membership Group. Consider it your on demand productivity and planning Netflix subscription! As a member of the mastermind, you’ll get access to live monthly master classes and Q+A calls, weekly accountability check-ins, extra daily content from me on a variety of personal development topics and some great digital tools intended to help you learn to live your best life. Click here to learn more about the membership and enroll today for instant access to thousands of dollars in productivity tools and resources!

xoxo,