Doing Nothing Is Not The Secret To Productivity

In a world filled with major stressors and never-ending to-do lists, it can be truly difficult to find time to just do, well, absolutely nothing. While it’s all fine and dandy to take a “time out” once in awhile to do nothing — as it’s one of the best things you can do for yourself. The flipside of this in the business world can be treacherous to your goals and end game. Sometimes we need to push past the ache and urge of nothingness to make real headway.

To some, myself included, getting things done is a like a drug. We’re addicted to the feeling of striking those to-do’s right off our list. And when it becomes habitual, it’s something hard to break. And becomes harder and harder to create mental breaks as the lines get blurred. And quite honestly, I’ve gotten to the point where if I’m not doing something I actually feel the guilt set in and scold myself for being “lazy” when there’s things to do. But that’s not really a great mindset or habit either. And one I’m working harder each day to release a bit more.

The title of today’s post / episode is about how doing nothing is not the secret to productivity.

But keep in mind, I’m speaking moderation here … It’s important to do absolutely nothing. But it’s also important to not make a habit of it.

Being productive gives me a rush of exhilaration. It energizes me, inspires me, motivates me, keeps #AllTheThings in perspective — and in order — and helps me reach my goals — and those of my tangled clients. So, while living in the realm of nothingness once and awhile is good, it’s not a good habit to create, nor is it the secret to success.

If you think about it technology has taken over our lives. It’s enabled us to do more with less effort and as a business owner, that’s great! Yet most of us still find ourselves working just as much as ever. Keeping busy helps us feel productive and accomplished even. We idly occupy our time (which sometimes has healthy costs if we over do it). This is where we need to find balance … between the hustle of productivity and mindfully idling in nothingness.

I hate to admit this out loud — but there are a lot of “time wasters” in our daily lives which can sometimes have a negative impact on what we’re trying to accomplish. That’s why it’s so important to understand the low-down on time management as well — which in reality can also be viewed in partnership with project management therefore making productivity well rounded. Which in the end will result in more free time to truly enjoy some “do nothing” time.

So, in order to reach your mile-high productivity goals to get to the place of guilt-free “relax time”, here’s what we at Team VU suggest …

• Create a solid morning routine. And don’t overlook the simple things.
• Create a weekly priority plan. We’ve talked about planning a heck of a lot in the past few years, so I won’t rehash any of the deets here. Just check back to some of our previous Digital Glue podcast episodes and VU blog posts to learn more about planning and time blocking.
• Declutter by getting yourself organized.
• Block out mind clutter. And by this we mean all interruptions and distractions … social media, email, text messages, phone calls … the works!
• Create consistency in your work life and routines. Think of this as creating habits — and ones you will stick too. The more regular your schedule is the more productive your business life will be.
• Stay motivated by doing what you love. Because loving what you do is just damn good business! If you think about it, when you set yourself goals — and don’t include things you feel you ‘should’ be doing or ‘should’ achieve — it makes things much more exciting. It’s all about creating work you’re proud of and being productive is way easier when you enjoy what you’re doing. And not only that, but these “things” will fulfill a real sense of purpose for you. You’ll be adding value to what you do, and that value will refuel your productivity levels greatly.

And last but not least …

• Learn the art of delegation. Once you can identify the low priority activities weighing your day-to-day down, delegate as many as possible to virtual team member. If necessary (and available in your budget) you can hire a small team of individuals with special skillsets to take care of certain areas. Because remember, not everyone is skilled in all the same areas, so don’t expect them to be. If you’re anything like me, there may be quite a few low priority activities you are tempted to keep. But don’t. Unless they are absolutely unavoidable — if you do, you’re going to keep spinning your wheels and your productivity will fall.

In the end, it’s all about doing less, not more. And being productive — in a smart way, not doing nothing.

So many people I’ve been talking too lately, tell me that their vision of success requires them to do much more than they’re already doing. And they feel frantic trying to do all and be all, all the time. They tell me they need to see more clients, they need to produce a range of audio products and run multiple webinars for marketing, they need to be speaking at events and getting better with their social strategy — and email campaigns. They’re feeling overwhelmed by #AllTheThings and yet keep feeling “the need” to start adding more and more things that they ‘need’ to do.

This often spreads people far too thin. That’s not how one’s day-to-day should pan out. That’s also why you shouldn’t work by yourself and delegate to some amazing virtual contractors if you can. And if you can’t, learn to prioritize what really matters. I know some days it feels as though everything on your to-do list matters of equal importance, but that’s really not true. You need to figure out what’s going to get you out there the most (and most efficiently) in order to grow your bottom line. This way you can achieve it with greatness, and not in a rushed fashion just to “get it done” and strike it off your list.

I struggled with that a lot in the beginning stages of moving VU to full-time. Honestly, I still struggle with this “need” sometimes … everything feels important, my goals are HUGE and endless, and I want to tackle everything, all the time, in the moment. But I have learnt over the years that things will get done in their time. And yes, all my ideas are great and going to have a huge impact on the world, my business, my team, and those who partake — but I can’t do everything, and I can’t do it all RIGHT NOW!

Warren Buffet, one of the world’s richest men once said that the most important key to his business was learning to say “no” to more things. My coach guru friend also advises that the best way to start being productive and creating more business success is to subtract — not add. That is, to take more things out of your daily routine. Just work on the things that are most important, most rewarding, and decide upon what is going to be most valuable to you in terms of your goals that you have for yourself.

So, stop overwhelm in its tracks, work on key projects and tasks only, and even then, limit the projects to a very manageable number. Then ask yourself what your number one project is … and work on that! Just FOCUS on one thing at a time, be exceptionally great at it and everything else will fall into place later. One foot in front of the other.

If you’d like to learn more about the secrets to productivity beyond the realms of Virtually Untangled, then we highly suggest looking into a fellow named Chris Bailey, creator of “A Life of Productivity” (now known as ChrisBailey.com). His teachings will serve as a practical guide to managing your attention — the most powerful resource you have to get stuff done, become more creative, and live a meaningful life — in all the right ways (and places). So, check out his site, podcast, newsletter, and books. We promise, you won’t regret a single second of it. And … you can do it while “doing nothing” 😊