How to Be Productive Without Being Perfect: Learning to Be a ‘Some’ Kind of Gal
Have you ever known someone that is all or nothing? They may only see black and white with no shades of gray? This person may use the words either-or in their conversation such as being either a dog or a cat person, a Republican or a Democrat, or either a Coke or Pepsi fan. While everyone likes to support a team or a cause, this can cause problems when we adopt an all or nothing view of ourselves. We may view our productivity or our performance as either a success or a failure. We could do 100 things well, but that one thing that we messed up on means everything went wrong. In an article on PsychCentral, Margarita Tartakovsy notes:
“All-or-nothing thinking is problematic in many ways. It’s limiting and ‘creates extreme and impossible expectations.’ It requires achieving the positive part of each thought (e.g., being successful, smart, leading a great life) with absolute perfection. Because that’s unattainable, people settle on the other option: the negative. As a result, people view themselves and their experiences negatively, which often leads to depression, anxiety, low motivation and a sinking self-esteem.”
I’ll admit I am an all or nothing kind of gal, and I’m also a perfectionist. So I have a problem when I try to be productive. I mean why not be perfect doing it all or perfect doing nothing! This usually means I work harder and more hours in an attempt to cross the productivity finish-line.
But then there is the adage the we should instead ‘work smarter, not harder.” This phrase was coined in the 1930s by Allan H. Morgansen, who spent his career promoting work simplification skills. Knowing this is a better mantra, I’ve used it in the battle to temper my all or nothing approach to being productive. In fact, there are four habits I’ve tried to adopt to help me avoid distraction, simplify work, stay on track, and refocus, all in the quest work smarter without working harder.
1. Remove distractions: To work smarter, I’ve learned I have to avoid distractions. If I know something is a potential distraction, I try to remove myself from it. This may mean removing myself from my campus office in order to have the solitude I need to get things done. But even then, I still have to remove temptations. At home, I don’t have a dedicated office right now, so I choose to work at my dining room table instead of my recliner. While my recliner is nice and comfy, it makes me nice and tired and too accessible for my dogs (who think my lap and my chair exist for their comfort). While the table is not ideal, it lets me spread out and have a more structured workspace.
I also try to remove background distractions when I’m trying to be productive. I love listening to music while I work, but if the music has lyrics I usually sing along in my head and focus on the words instead of my project.* TV is another distraction that derails my productivity. I love spending time with my family, but when they watch TV while I try to work, I can’t focus. And this leads me to my next point.
2. Stop multitasking: Removing the distractions also means I have to stop thinking I’m the multitasking champion of the world. Although I feel like I can get things done better and more quickly when I multitask, research in the area has shown otherwise. Instead of taking care of several projects in the time it would normally take to do one, multi-tasking slows us down. Studies have shown when we multitask it can actually reduce our productivity time by 40%, and it can lower our cognitive capacity to that of an 8-year-old. So sending a quick email to a coworker while texting with my daughter in the middle of grading means I might as well let an 8-year-old do it for me.
In an attempt to remove the temptation to multitask, I turn off the notifications for my texts and emails. I have a theory that these notifications have made us like Pavlov’s dog who was conditioned to salivate every time he heard a bell. So the ding of an email notification or text, or even the vibration of a phone on mute means we automatically turn our focus to the notification and are distracted by something that may not immediately need our attention. Plus, it means my electronics are controlling me instead of the other way around.
3. Set a reminder: While I may seem a bit negative about Pavlov and his dog, I do use technology to help me stay on track to be productive. My iWatch alerts me when I need to stand up, or take a moment to breathe. I can set a timer to remind myself to spend time on other projects (even when the current one isn’t finished yet). I can also set up alerts when I need to get ready to leave the house. This is important for me because I always feel too optimistic that I have plenty of time to finish that one other thing that will help me feel productive . This usually means I end up being stressed because I’m running late to my next responsibility. Of course, I’m still trying to figure out how to remind myself to set a reminder!
4. Know when it is enough: Being an all or nothing kind of gal means I usually have trouble being content with ‘some.’ But I’ve learned that in certain situations being a ‘some’ kind of gal is enough. Stopping work even when I’m not quite finished doesn’t mean I won’t ever finish, it just means I need to stop for now and take care of something else. But stopping mid-project means I sometimes need to give myself permission to do something relaxing. It is hard to not feel guilty when I don’t have a task 100% completed, but I keep reminding myself that I can always schedule time to come back to work on my unfinished project.
These are four things I’ve tried to incorporate into my life to work smarter, but I’d love to hear your secrets to being productive. I’ll admit I still dream of being able to complete my to-do list in one sitting, but I know that isn’t practical (or possible). I also still catch myself thinking about what I haven’t done instead of feeling accomplished for the things I have done. I guess for an all or nothing gal this will always be a struggle, but at least I’m aware of it, and I’m working on being OK with ‘some!’
*On a side note, I find it strange I remember every word to random songs from the past, but can’t remember what I meant to do when I walked into the kitchen. What’s up with that?