What does being productive mean to you?
Many people who come to me for time management coaching say they want to be more productive.
One of the first questions I ask is this:
“What does the word productive mean to you?”
And here’s where the fun starts.
Because I get so many different answers.
- my emails cleared daily
- my house cleaned more regularly
- to do my work fast
- to get my chores out of the way quickly so I can play with my kids
- and on and on
All very different answers.
For me it means “getting through my daily, weekly and monthly goals effectively so that I reach my big, life purpose”
So I want to hear from you – what does productive mean to you?
Tags: goals, time management
Oh, good question! To me, being productive means being efficient at enjoying my life… Okay, I know it might sound weird, but let me explain!
To me it’s as important to get done with the tasks that I don’t like than to take the time and truly enjoy the tasks I like, like seeing my friends and having a hobby. Since I’m too perfectionist to enjoy free time when the chores remains undone (and I sometimes feel guilty even if the chores are done… perfectionism, I tell ya!!), being efficient is a must in order to enjoy life, that’s why productivity is a mix of those two ideas for me: efficiency and enjoyement (which are equally difficult to achieve sometimes!)
Being productive to me means keeping up with the housework while still having time for my family and maybe a few extra projects thrown in. I don’t need a spotless house, just a livable one. And if I am productive, I am not hurried and stressed. I am efficient.
Being productive means that I can stand back and look at what I’ve done with a sense of pride. It could be small…somedays it means all the dishes are done, or I’ve made a really great dinner, or I’ve done a small project. Even the daily grind stuff I can still look at and feel a sense of peace over a clean bathroom, or vacuumed floors.
I had no idea I would be feeling that way over a clean house LOL!
patti, absolutely – it’s the small things some days. In the days when the babies were still very small just getting showered and dressed before 12 made me feel productive!
To me, being productive means being able to know where everything is, to have all the important stuff done, and be able to have a little bit of time left over to do something I want to do, for me that would be baking, gardening or crafting. All things which get put on the back burner because I currently dont have time, but I am nearly there!
Being productive means that I can get the required tasks done quickly and easily so that I have more time for me.