Looking For More Productivity in 2019? Focus On What You Can Eliminate From Your Life
By: Aaron Barrette
There’s an industry around productivity for a reason. We all strive to be more productive, so we read books and articles and buy gadgets and software designed to increase efficiency. For many, the focus on productivity is often tied into the resolutions and goals we set for ourselves as we head into the New Year. Who doesn’t want to be more productive?
But rather than add things to our lives, what about eliminating things?
What can we choose not to do?
The idea of what you can and cannot control is a subject I’ve touched on in multiple posts recently. More importantly, what can you say no to so you can say yes to what matters?
A lack of productivity has plagued me over the years. It’s been a real struggle at times. I can candidly say that I’ve been productive over the years despite sometimes constant distraction. These struggles are common to many of us in the digital age. Since I’m constantly on my laptop when not in front of clients, the perpetual draw of the Internet and twenty-four-hour news cycle is always there. Combine incoming texts from friends and family as well as social media apps like Instagram and Facebook and it’s no wonder that productivity is a constant battle. My distraction points have traditionally around sports and politics, a pretty lethal combination.
Over the past few years, and especially over the past several months, I’ve been working on taking this battle head-on and my objective for 2019 is to completely double-down on eliminating negative distractions in my life. It’s something that I strongly encourage everyone to focus on.
Here is what I’m working on removing:
Needless Sports Media and Games: I’ve long been a huge sports fan but over time the obsession on following every single season, storyline and game really became a negative pull on my family and the relationship with my wife. It’s one thing to have a favorite NFL football team and catch the games on Sunday, but it’s something completely different to consume every single article, podcast and NFL Network story on that team. During the work day, I was distracted by the endless Twitter feed of news stories and incoming IM and text messages from friends who follow the same stories and teams. In the evening, there was always a game on, often a meaningless matchup between two teams I shouldn’t be remotely interested in. Let’s put it this way, if it’s a Tuesday in February and you’re watching the Carolina Hurricanes play the Florida Panthers you have issues. Over the past year I’ve dramatically reduced my sports intake, largely just following a couple teams in a couple sports but with much less fervor. My visitation of sports websites such as ESPN.com has been reduced by an order of magnitude, although I still find myself brainlessly going to the site and clicking on articles that shouldn’t be of interest until I catch myself. What I’ve found in the reduction in sports consumption alone is more of an ability to focus for longer periods on projects and other things I’m working on.
Politics: Like most of America I was riveted during the last Presidential election and that focus on keeping up with every scandal and story persisted into last year. Finally, after the mid-term election, I came to the realization that being informed of every single political story really was pointless. I had just voted in a mid-term election. There isn’t another major election for two more years. I had done my part and voted, but what happens now is really beyond my control. What good does getting riled up about every story and controversy do for my current mood and mindset today? For that reason, I made the conscious effort to completely detach from politics. I found out a couple of things. First, it’s really not easy to do. Second, I found a sense of joy in this purposeful state of detachment. The point is a focus on what is directly in front of me and not something happening two thousand miles away and beyond my control. I understand this isn’t for everyone and there are probably people that get offended by someone neglecting their duty to be informed about politics. My answer to them is focus on what you can control and don’t waste your precious thoughts on things you cannot control.
News: This isn’t recent. A few years back I stopped watching the local and national news completely. Since I live in Southern California the local news is an endless cycle of violence, offended people and car chases. The national news isn’t much different, whether it’s CNN, MSNBC or Fox. Much like checking out of politics I chose to eliminate the distraction and negativity from my life. You can’t get offended by things you are unaware of. For those that feel they need to be informed I can tell you that if something major happens you will hear about it and get the opportunity to tune in. This is more about choosing what not to tune in to.
Negative People: I choose a live of positivity. Sure, there are challenges at times and I often struggle like the rest of us. I’m at the point in my life where I’m just not going to make any room for negative people in my world. This includes friends, colleagues, family members and co-workers. Over the past several years I’ve had the luxury of an enterprise sales role that allows me to work remotely. During this period of my life where I’m not working out of the office it’s dawned on me how powerful it is to be detached and not part of the endless inter-office gossip wheel. When you step back you realize the sheer number of negative people you encounter that do nothing but drag you down. This often extends to friends and family members. You’ll be amazed at how eliminating negative conversations not only greatly enhances your mindset but can accelerate productivity. Being productive and efficient is all about positive energy and positive headspace. Don’t let others infect your mind with negative thoughts.
Social Media: I’ve been off of Instagram and Facebook for nearly three months and I don’t miss it at all. Sure, it would be nice to see the pictures of friends I’m really not in contact with, but those positive moments come with the need to sort through the endless meaninglessness of social media. I realized I had a problem with Facebook when I would sit there and constantly refresh the feed only to get post after post of national news stories and mindless articles on subjects that don’t really interest me. This and a lot of drama.
Podcasts: Everything is good in moderation. I think podcasts are incredibly valuable and I love the the incredible free content that is out there on a daily basis. . I’ve received tremendous value from podcasts over the years and that will continue, but in moderation. I have a bit of an addictive personality when it comes to consuming information. My constant striving to learn more and develop myself further turned into the need to listen to podcasts constantly, while working out, while walking, biking, hiking, folding laundry, cooking, etc. What started as a tool to become a better and more engaged human turned into another tool of distraction. In 2019 I’m listen to podcasts but also do many of the same activities without the noise stimulation. It’s about becoming more present but also about freeing my mind to wander and be creative with my own ideas, not just listening to the ideas of others.
I strongly encourage others to follow suit and make a conscious list of things you want to eliminate from your lives in 2019. You’ll be amazed at how powerful it is and how productivity is not found in some new gadget or technology, but in the elimination of things. It’s all about focusing on what you can control. What can you start to say no to?