Vanya Wryter Consulting Services
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“All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems… But all these stars are silent. You alone will have stars as no one else has them.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Reposting this blog from a couple years back. What star guides you today, and where does it lead you?
If I could do any job I wanted for just one day, I would be a professional daydreamer, but with one twist. My daydreams come true. You’re probably wondering how that could be useful to the world, so let me explain.
For my actual job, I spend a lot of time learning about people’s jobs. I’ve interviewed people, visited where they work, searched the web, and had everyday experiences with workers when I go shopping or call customer service.
For a bit of variation in my job, I would be a professional daydreamer for a day. I would daydream of ways to improve people’s jobs. For lazy people and job haters, I’d devise tech to help them get tasks done. Poof! All they have to do is report for duty and work is accomplished. Customers and bosses are happy and there is an excellent safety record.
On the other hand, I’d daydream of ways to help overachievers and job lovers. They would accomplish tasks in their sleep and double their productivity with the help of tech and elves.
And of course, for people who like their job but don’t want it to take more than a certain number of hours per day, I would find similar ways to make their day go faster and easier.
For everyone on my daydreaming day, work gets done. In the end, it’s not about job satisfaction and getting finishing tasks. We want more than just to exist. So my dream job for a day would be to make everyone’s day go much more smoothly.
It’s challenging to be productive at all hours of the day. This is especially true if you are a night person and need to be productive during your office day job, or if you’re a morning person and have to work a night shift. Sometimes, you just have to defy the odds and find a way to be productive to get a task done.
If you want to double your productivity, set reachable goals that turn you into an achiever. Entrepreneur Bill Gates said, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”
Bite-sized goals that you can achieve quickly reward you with the satisfaction of success. Small successes lead to bigger ones. Realistic, measurable goals help you accomplish what you need in a year or ten years.
In the meantime, tackling your daily and weekly goals is just as effective. Over time, you can increase your productivity and achieve more by following a three-step plan.
Let’s begin with where you are now. Whether you already had goals or not, reflect on what brought you here. What did you accomplish?
Whether big or small, your achievements are important, so celebrate them. For example, you ate a healthy lunch today. You rocked your assignment today. Or you finally bought your dream home. Goals are goals, and they’re all worth recognition.
Assess what you’ve accomplished. What did you do well? What could you have done better? Some people find it difficult to feel proud about what they’ve done. They don’t want to share their achievements because they are humble or feel uncomfortable bragging when they should. A win is a win.
Also, reflect on what you’ve done and think about what you could have done better. Could you have reached your goal more efficiently? Could you raise the bar for your next goal a little higher?
If you fail to reach a goal, set aside time to deal with negative feelings of disappointment and provide time for self-care. Then, decide if you should set a different goal or change it. Maybe your goal was unrealistic and needed a stepping stone.
Instead of opening an e-commerce business, first, take a business course. Instead of running long distances, start with shorter ones. The most successful people in the world had to overcome failures.
Evaluating and assessing will improve your productivity and what you can achieve in a week or a year.
Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, community and family support are important for your productivity. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people is vital for self-care and inspiration.
If you’re an introvert, having a virtual community or “family” can help you recharge. You can join online communities and seek advice or read posts for ideas on improving your health, tips on being more productive, and inspiration from other people’s successes. It may take a while to find the right community, but investing time is worth it. Another advantage of virtual groups is getting in touch with like-minded people worldwide.
If you like being around people, join in-person groups to be with people who have similar interests as you. Being around people in person has a different energy level than viewing posts on social media or reading about people’s brag moments. Spending time with like-minded people can recharge your energy.
Spending time with close friends and family is another way to recharge and improve productivity. These people are your cheer squad. They celebrate your successes and motivate you to be your best self. They are also there to pick you up when you’re down and set you on your way again.
The third way to improve your productivity for the coming week is to decide what you want to accomplish before the new week begins.
Start with the big picture first. What are your big goals for the week? Decide on one to three things you want to achieve before the next seven days are over. These could be personal goals – such as a fitness goal – or professional goals – such as finishing a major project.
Next, break down your major goals into smaller ones. These are your daily goals. Again, they can be personal or professional daily goals. For example, you plan to run for X minutes every day. Another example is to break down work projects into daily milestones.
When you set daily, manageable goals, you will have a daily feeling of accomplishment. By the end of the week, you will have a series of accomplishments to look back on.
Prepare yourself for the week ahead. Some people choose their work outfits the night before to save time. Preparing meals for the week is also efficient.
Also, set a time each day to reflect. Some people meditate. It is a time that you set aside each day to check in with yourself. Too often we focus on getting things done for work or family and forget to check in with ourselves. Are we feeling mentally or physically exhausted? Do we need time for self care?
Finally, set daily goals for continuous learning, even if all you have is five minutes a day. Learn a new word in your native language or another language. Google a faster way to use a computer program that you use at work. Try out a new recipe. They say constant learning keeps the mind young.
To double your productivity, assess where you are now and where you would like to be. Set goals to help you achieve your personal or professional accomplishments. Connect with like-minded people who will motivate you.
Finally, always reflect on your accomplishments. Could you improve, or have you done the best you ever can?
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Can you achieve work-life balance? How do you define it? Whether you have work-life balance and whether you view clear boundaries between the two depends on how much you love your job and how much time you devote to it. Some days, your job eats up so much of your day that you just want to unwind and forget about life’s demands. How do you clear your mind and unwind?
Remote work has made it easier to blend home and work life into one room. Emails and various apps have made it easier to blur the lines between work and personal time. You can even answer work messages on weekends and when you’re on vacation.
The constant plug-in to workplace communication and work tasks can be exhausting. People need a break from work to recharge and return to their tasks with fresh eyes. But is it bad to blend work and home life together?
Some people love their career enough that working is as enjoyable as watching Netflix or playing video games. I’ve met some of these people (so they do exist).
If you enjoy your work as much as a hobby, then working the extra hours is not that much different from downtime. I’ve met a graphic designer who designs additional graphics for his client because it’s something he enjoys doing. I’ve also met professional writers who switch from writing non-fiction during the day to writing fiction as a hobby at night. Owners of small businesses go to networking breakfasts and dinners before or after business hours to build a support network.
After a long, demanding day, it’s nice to just forget about everything. You can spend time with friends and family and do nothing else but enjoy your time together. You can finally watch the next episode of your favorite TV show, cook yourself a nice meal, or read a book.
You can also use your downtime to learn something new for personal interest or for something related to work. Everyone should always be learning new things, whether it is a new hobby, skill, or tips on personal growth. People challenge themselves with fitness goals, reading goals, or social goals.
If you enjoy what you do, perhaps spending a lot of time on a job or business is no different than investing time and energy in a hobby. With this perspective, would work-life balance be “balanced”?
I certainly like to unwind after a demanding day by doing a range of activities. Sometimes, I read, watch a show, or socialize. On other days, I unwind by studying topics related to building my work skills.
What are your thoughts on work-life balance if you have a job or career that you love?
How much do you love writing? Whether you want to answer this question with a groan or heart emojis, writing is a necessary part of modern life.
For some, writing is a lucrative career. For others, writing is necessary, everyday communication through work emails, or texts with family and friends. Writing is a skill we can’t do without.
Over time, and with practice, you can improve on the skill to overcome writer’s block, awkward sentences, jumbled thoughts, or grammar issues.
Because writing is an important part of our lives, we are sharing some amazing and shocking insights on writing skills. It’s astonishing what you can achieve when you put together a series of words!
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Vanya Wryter Consulting Services