We’ve all heard the advice for being more productive:

  • Only check your emails twice a day
  • Limit time with social media
  • Don’t multi-task
  • Clear the clutter
  • Clear distractions
  • Watch less TV
  • Get up an hour earlier

We really want to be more productive and get more done and this is awesome advice.  So why can’t we seem to actually follow this advice?

The answer to this question and every other question of why we can’t change our habits:  The payoff of staying the same is bigger than the perceived payoff of the change.  And change = scary = fear = a bad thing, according to our monkey mind, even if our mindful mind knows this change will be good.

The Ruts We Create

Over time we have developed our current habits.  By following the same habits day in and day out, we create some pretty deep ruts that are hard to escape.  Whenever we try to change them, it’s like we’re sucked back in.  “Something” just won’t let us change. (Note: This is major victim thinking.)

That “something” is the payoff we get from staying the same.  This may sound completely absurd.  What could the payoff of being frustrated and unproductive be?  And why would I choose that over happy and productive? (Yes, you are choosing this.)

Let’s look at one of the productivity ideas from the list above.

The Email Demon

The advice says to stay out of your inbox, especially first thing in the morning.  Handle all your emails in batches at around 11am and 4pm and close your email program the rest of the day so you’re not tempted.  Great advice!

This is the one I, personally, have the hardest time with.  On days where I actually followed it, I was indeed incredibly productive.  I got more done, wasn’t distracted by incoming mail all day, happily processed my email in a batch and went back to things I really wanted to do.  But the couple days I did that were the exception.

So what’s up?  My monkey mind loves crap like this and I let it control my day sometimes.  My payoff for keeping my email alive all day?  Being able to reduce a long list of new emails to a short list provides me with some warped sense of accomplishment, like checking things off a to-do list.  I check in to make sure I’m not missing anything.  Someone might need me!  And we all want to feel needed.  My emotions are running the show.

I also have some ingrained thinking that tells me that, before I can sit down to do something big/important/requiring focus, I have to get all the little things out of the way so they won’t linger in my head, distracting my focus.  Email, laundry, dishes, minor cleaning – these are all those little things.  I tell myself that it will only take a minute to get these things out of the way, then I can sit down and focus.

But you know how that goes.  I spend half the day, or sometimes the whole day, on these little things.  And why do I do this?  Again, it’s to feed my internal need to feel a sense of accomplishment – to cross things off my list.  That never-ending list.  Big projects take longer to cross off my list.  The little stuff is quick and easy.

Those Damn Puritans!

Unfortunately, this leaves me feeling like I’m not really accomplishing my goals – the things I really want to do.  I allow the Puritanical thinking that’s so prevalent in our society to run my day: You have to get your work out of the way first before you can do something fun.  What if my work is fun?  Then it goes into the fun category.  This is why I continue to struggle with meeting my goal of writing one blog posts a month.  I LOVE to write!  I feel great when I write.

For me, “work” is something I have to do for a job or for someone else.  I tend to prioritize tasks performed for others over everything else.  I check email frequently in case someone wants something from me.  In doing this, I’m putting myself last which is never a good idea for a variety of reasons I won’t get into here (topic for another post).

How I Started My Day

There’s all the advice out there that says to get up a little earlier, write for at least 30 minutes every day and check emails later.  That’s actually what I thought I would do this morning.  I did get up earlier.  That’s usually not a problem for me.  And my 2 year old daughter got up right behind me.  We co-sleep and she senses when I’m not there.  It took me a while to get her focused on something else so I could sit in front of the computer.

I opened my laptop and what did I see?  My email program staring at me with twenty new emails to be checked off.  I keep forgetting to close the program the night before.  Of course, I was sucked in.  Another half hour later when I had reduced my inbox to the items that would take some time to address, I opened my document to write this post.

I continue to work on this one.  I see how absurd my payoff’s are.  I know how much better my days go when I follow the productivity advice.  I’ve also read Leo’s advice on changing habits at ZenHabits.net.  He’s the master in that arena.  I haven’t followed his advice in this area because I think I can do it myself.  Obviously, I’m wrong.  Starting today I’m following his program.

Here’s My Plan

In my next post, I’ll outline the steps I’m taking to change my unwanted habit of checking email first thing and all during the day to my wanted habit of writing first and only checking email twice a day.

Have you had issues with following all the great productivity advice out there?  What habits do you want to change and why do you think you haven’t been able to change them yet?

And for you super achievers, what steps have you taken to change your habits and follow the productivity advice?  The more you share, the more you can help others in our community and beyond.

I can’t wait to hear from you!

 

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