5 Productivity Experiments for 2014

It always makes me laugh when people tell me that I seem to have it all together (whatever that even means!), because my life can look pretty darn messy and chaotic at times from my perspective.

One of the things that I am eternally trying to get a handle on is that awful ‘p word’:

Productivity.

There are a million articles, blog posts, books, and tip sheets out there promising to make you faster, more effective, and more focused in your work. And there are certainly no shortage of stories about super productive people whose routines seem so insanely efficient that you can’t help but wonder if they’re even human (I’m lookin’ at you, Ryan Holiday).

I’ve personally found the deluge of advice to be a little bit overwhelming — not to mention the fact that many of these popular rituals and routines stress me out just thinking about them!

If I feel myself tense while I’m reading about a new method or system, that is my body giving me the sign that it’s time to step away slowly and try something else. No matter how many outrageously efficient founders swear by it, it won’t do you any good if it doesn’t feel right.

That said, I’m always on the hunt for new elements that I can incorporate into my daily routine to help me get more done and live with greater ease.

So this year, I’m running five productivity experiments to see if I can’t make some improvements to my work flow and my overall wellbeing:

How do you describe yourself?

Words are mighty things, indeed.

We use words to give ourselves names and titles that become identities that we wear as we move through the world: daughter, bookworm, boyfriend, athlete, home-owner, grandparent.

While each of these words carry a significance on their own, when we weave them together into identity statements, they become tools that we use to help us understand ourselves, and help others interpret our being.

Sometimes those are words that we have assigned to ourselves, but often these words, names, and titles are given to us by others. Over time, we let others name us and we begin to wear their interpretation of us as our own.

So if you’re looking to reclaim your power in 2014, let’s start with how you talk about yourself.

My Wish For You This Year

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe, and exciting new year’s eve! See you on the other side in 2014! xo

Beautiful photo courtesy of Danka Peter on Unsplash

How to Find Your Resolution Groove

The last few days of the year are a magical time.

It’s an occasion for us to reflect on the year behind us and look ahead to another 365 days full of possibility.

While we know logically that rolling into a new calendar year doesn’t actually change anything except the four digits that we’ll be writing for the next 52 weeks, the act of cracking open a new planner or calendar can make us feel truly limitless — as if we are being given a clean slate.

It’s only natural, then, that we would want to capitalize on the spirit of the season and set the tone for a fresh start.

For many of us, our first instinct is to set new year’s resolutions — a well-intentioned list of plans and goals that we hope will lay the foundation for a productive and happy year.

And that’s where I lose interest.  Because I can’t stand new years resolutions.