My Attempts at Productivity and Other Shortcomings

I would like to start out this blog with a concise list of all the

things I did before actually starting this blog. Here goes nothing:

Read some Marketing Management
Drove to IGA to buy Baking Powder so I could make muffins, failed to make muffins
Decided to rearrange my living room
Decided I hated the new arrangement and put everything back
Read more Marketing Management
Started making dinner
Continued to read for class
Typed up notes
Made graphics
Watched the Presidential Debate
Ate ice cream
Started writing my blog around 11:00pm

In case that list wasn’t enough of a statement on its own, let me be the first to say that I struggle with being productive…when it comes to school work. I’m really REALLY good about being productive when I want to do almost anything that doesn’t involve reading 40+ pages from my Marketing Management textbook (as long as it’s not washing dishes). I loathe the idea of sitting down for an extended period of time in order to read something for class.

I love making lists and oh am I a good list maker. I have a calendar hanging up in my kitchen that I write down all the days I work on and days bills are due. My fridge that has a dry erase board that I use to build a menu for the week. I use my planner to keep track of homework and upcoming events. I put my work and school schedule, and various others appointments on Google Calendar. I even transfer all the homework I need to accomplish over to Google Keep so that I can check off each item I finish.

I make all these lists and write things over and over again in hopes that I will make time to finish all my homework before nightfalls, but I rarely ever do. A lot of the time I get so overwhelmed with everything I need to do that I don’t end up doing anything. I’m good at being organized but not so great at following through and being productive.

So what’s a girl to do? I took to the interwebs to see what truly productive people do when they want to achieve a particular goal. One article I found listed out 5 steps that can help people reach goals, no matter what they might be.

1. Determine what you want to achieve.

2. Break down how you will get there.

3. Write it down.

4. Make it stick.

5. Do one thing every day that brings you closer to your goals.

While reading this at one point the author pegs the question, “How do you make sure that you will reach your goals? Work on your them every single day. Yes, every single day. No matter if it is only ten minutes or two hours. Work on your goals every single day so it is inevitable you will get what you want.” Often times I find myself wanting to reach a goal, like working out a few times a week, I start off strong but then I waiver and eventually quit. I think the reason I do this is because I expect results just like that. The important thing to remember is that goals, big or small, take time to reach and that’s okay.

To go back to what I was saying before about my anxiety getting the best of me, I found an article from Headspace about meditation and the actual benefits it can bring about in your life. While a lot of people probably view meditation as something that only hippies and truly odd individuals practice I can personally say that it truly does work. I started doing yoga this summer and a huge part of that is simply sitting, or laying, still and focusing on each breath you take and the way your body feels. It really truly does help to calm me down when I get anxious and it’s even known to enhance productivity. It’s certainly worth trying if you’re like me and have exhausted all other efforts.