Productivity versus Kindness to self

After several months of high productivity with my writing, April was a complete write-off. I just couldn’t find my motivation. I neither wrote creatively nor did I write anything for Medium.

I decided to take some time off rather than keep pushing myself.

The last 14 months have been tough on everybody. Like everyone, I have swung between being highly productive and completely unable to get out of bed. For months I have been delivering wellness webinars. I remind people to be kind to themselves. I realised I need to do the same for myself.

I base my self-worth on how productive I am. As a consultant, I get paid for my webinars. Writing is an activity I do to grow as a writer. As such, if I don’t write anything, nobody but me actually cares. Staying motivated to do an activity that takes time, effort and is not rewarded can be challenging.

Therefore, when I struggled to write every day, I decided to not even bother. I read books, watched videos and just gave myself permission to rest.

I maintained my journaling exercise. This allowed me to check in with myself every day. My values are health, connection, content (written and delivered). When I am not getting balance in these areas, I can review and edit my schedule to endure what will make me most energised.

What has helped me to restart my writing?

Exercise in the morning.

When I exercise in the morning, I am more productive as a whole. I find it easier to sit down and concentrate, and this leads to a more productive afternoon. My afternoons tend to be my least productive times. I have tried many different activities to help myself to overcome this. Some have been more effective than others.

HOWEVER, if I am tired, I have started to either have a nap or lie down and read. Then when the day has cooled, I write in the evening instead.
This is helping me to at least get some words on the paper.

Avoid electronic distractions

This is one of my biggest productivity killers. I pick up my phone to do something legitimate then get distracted by any number of apps on my phone. I need to do more work on managing this, and it’s something I am…

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