Why improve productivity?
Improving productivity allows us to achieve more with less. We often think of this as achieving more financial benefit with less of the organization’s financial resources. There is also great opportunity to achieve more with less of our personal resources.
Think for a moment of the time and/or energy that goes in to building our personal resources: exercise; healthy eating; sleep and others. We work hard to have energy available to spend on work. In turn, this affords us the money to build our personal resources and hopefully, with some to spare for enjoyment. There are other ways to shift our energy so that we don’t require as much work to build our personal resources.
What is stuck in the word ‘should’.
As we go through our day, notice the thought patterns that occur. I ‘should’ leave the office now so that I can get to the gym. I ‘should’ make time to pick up groceries so I can have a healthy lunch. My boss ‘should’ know that the demands are too high so that I can get proper rest. In many cases, we don’t make it to the gym or the grocery store and we fail to effectively communicate that the demands are too high.
The ‘shoulds’ continually operate as background noise, to which our body continually responds with thoughts, emotions and sensations that consume our energy and drains our personal resources. These thoughts, emotions and sensations are the reactions that we associate with mental and physical health issues. We feel worry, frustration, burnout, tension headaches and many other symptoms – all in reaction to the way things ‘should’ be but are not.
How to improve productivity.
Think of getting stuck with your car. The common reaction is to step on the gas. And what happens? We spend significant energy and we dig a bigger hole. When we pause to notice what is going on, we can create space to think about the issue and identify a solution.
The same thing happens in everyday life. We get stuck in a thought about how things ‘should be’ and the greater the dissonance between reality and our beliefs, the more energy we consume in trying to change things. We can learn to notice the reactions associated with the ‘shoulds’ in our everyday life and use these reactions as information.
Logosynthesis® is a preferred coaching model to support this work. The guided change process uses your reactions as information to identify, isolate and neutralize the underlying mental imagery. Using the power of words, you can shift this energy that is frozen in beliefs, attitudes and memories. As you learn to neutralize your reactions, you can create space to think about the reality of the situation. Rather than getting stuck in the habitual patterns, you can more effectively think about the situation for a broader perspective to lead change.
Get started to shift your energy:
Check out these resources to get you started. You can also watch the guided video below to experience what can shift. Firstly, grab a glass of water and find a quiet, uninterrupted place. Allow at least 30 minutes so that you are not rushed. And then, simply follow my guidance on the video. Energy shifts can feel subtle or intense, so take some time to notice what shifts over the next few days and weeks. Enjoy!